Eco-printed fabric is cloth that gets its pattern from real leaves and flowers instead of ink, a screen or a printing plate. The plants are laid on the fabric, the cloth is rolled and tied into a bundle, and the bundle is steamed. Heat and moisture release each plant's natural pigments, which transfer onto the cloth as shapes and colours. It is also called botanical printing or botanical contact printing.
How eco-printing works, step by step
- Preparing the cloth. The fabric is scoured (washed clean), treated with a tannin bath and then mordanted, which means treated with a mineral salt that helps plant colour bond to the fibre. It is then rested for days to cure. This slow preparation is what helps a print last.
- Laying the botanicals. Leaves and flowers are placed directly on the fabric. At Adam Leaves these include foraged leaves, eucalyptus, rose leaves and marigold flowers rescued from temple offerings.
- Bundling. The cloth is rolled tightly around the botanicals and tied with string, sometimes around a wooden dowel or an iron rod. The core and the tension change how the print looks.
- Steaming. The bundles are steamed for hours, sitting above the water rather than in it, so steam does the work of releasing the pigment.
- Unwrapping and curing. The bundle rests untouched for 24 to 48 hours before it is opened, and the finished cloth then cures in the shade for 3 to 5 more days before its first wash.
You can see the process in pictures on our Bundle & Steam page.
Eco-printed fabric vs screen or digital printing
Screen and digital printing apply ink or dye in a designed pattern, so the same print can be repeated thousands of times. Eco-printing has no plate and no repeat. The pattern comes from where each leaf sits and how the bundle is tied, so every piece is different. Some Adam Leaves pieces use reactive digital printing, a separate technique that uses reactive dyes on natural fabric, and we label those pieces as reactive-printed. You can read about it in The Art of Safe Color.
Why is no two eco-printed pieces identical?
The leaf shapes, how fresh they are, how tightly the bundle is wound and how the steam moves through it all change the result. That is why we call our technique Nirmalya Print™: each garment carries the signature of the flowers and leaves that made it.
Which fabrics can be eco-printed?
Natural fibres take plant colour best, which is why we work with hemp, linen, cotton and silk. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester do not absorb natural pigments in the same way.
Do eco-prints fade?
Botanical prints are sometimes called living colours. They react to light, washing and skin chemistry, and over time they can soften or mellow. That is a normal part of a natural print, not a flaw. Washing gently in a pH-neutral detergent and drying in shade keeps the colour looking its best. We explain this in How to Care for an Eco-Printed Garment.
What happens to the leftover plants?
Spent botanicals are not thrown away. They are composted or reused, for example as material for incense or handmade paper.
Where can I see eco-printed clothing?
Browse our eco-printed blazers, our full Eco-Printed Signature collection, or read our guide to botanical printed blazers. Every piece is handcrafted at our workshop in Borivali East, Mumbai.
