Last year, many of us took to scrunching and dunking old clothes in dye to make our WFH wardrobes a little more cheerful (and to chew up the endless hours of lockdown 1.0). But if 2020 was all about tie dye, there’s another technique on the rise: ice dye. What sounds like a wacky scientific experiment is actually a genius way of producing intensely-hued watercolour designs. Simply soak your clothes, place ice cubes on top of the fabric, sprinkle over dye powder and let the melting process dictate how the colours bleed; unlike tie dye, you’ll be surprised by the patterns every time.
Like the aesthetic but CBA to try it yourself? Get the look via Lululemon’s pre-dyed lavender yoga pants (£88), HeartOnMySleeveLab’s crystal-inspired sweatshirt (£47.24, Etsy) or Lucy & Yak’s made-to-order jeans (£95). But if you fancy having a go at home, Forgrins’ eco-friendly kit (£12.89, Etsy) is suitable for beginners and comes with everything you need to dye up to 10 T-shirts. Once you’ve got the hang of the process, get experimental: you can create all the colour combinations your heart desires with a handful of fibre-reactive dyes (£4.95 each, Handprinted), a packet of soda ash (£4.50, Empress Mills) and this brilliant step-by-step guide. Your new lockdown hobby awaits.