Interview With TG Botanical: An Ode to Nature

Meet Tatiana Chumak, founder of Ukrainian label TG Botanical. From a family of farmers, Tatiana has had the opportunity to research technologies for the production of fabrics from nettle, flax and hemp in order to explore the relationship between technology and nature. With sustainability at its core, TG Botanical evidences the potential of ecologically conscious fashion while setting an example for others in the industry.

Throughout her delicate designs, all of which are locally produced in Kyiv, Tatiana uses experimental dying techniques by using plant pigments from tansy flowers, acorns, onion husks and coffee beans. TG Botanical’s latest AW22 collection, showcased during Copenhagen Fashion Week back in February with an intimate breakfast, explores a connection to nature through the use of natural earthy tones achieved from the natural dye. From deep browns that pay homage to the soil, to burnt oranges with subtle pink tones to honour the sunset, this collection is a true love letter to nature. 

We spoke with Tatiana, founder of TG Botanical, about natural dying techniques, our relationship with the natural world and what role nature will play in the future of fashion.

SLEEK: The passion behind TG Botanical’s latest AW22 collection is an examination of the relationship between nature, technology and humans. Can you tell us a little bit more about the inspiration behind the collection?

Tatiana Chumak: TG Botanical is a brand that brings together my two main passions – nature and fashion. I have always had a desire to integrate nature into fashion collections, so this brand is the result of my dream to make clothes from natural fabrics trendy, to make natural raw materials and to use original approaches in dyeing fabrics, using exclusively biological pigments.

The AW22 collection takes its roots on earth. The main inspiration of the collection is the whole process of creating an item, which makes its way from the first moment the sprouts appear on the moist soil of the Ukrainian fields to the finished garment in the studio. That is why I tend to call my creations “live clothing” – the main purpose of TG Botanical is to embody this specific connection to the earth in each piece to let the wearer feel the sensation of ‘embrace’ with the purest form of nature.

If you take a look at the collection, it consists of comfortable knitted trousers, tops and cardigans, trench coats, hemp fur jackets and other wardrobe staples that can easily replace less environmentally friendly alternatives. The colouring of each piece is intentionally impure and will fade with time from exposure to sunlight and the external environment that highlights the natural origin of each piece.

S: What is your personal relationship with nature and how has this influenced the direction of TG Botanical?

TC: It all started in my childhood. My father is a Ukrainian farmer, so he instilled in me a love and respect for nature. Personally, for me, the creation of TG botanical is not only an opportunity to keep in touch with my family and their business but also a desire to show the whole world that locally produced clothes can and should be environmentally friendly. Thanks to the occupation of my family, I have an opportunity to research technologies for the production of fabrics from nettle, flax and hemp. Furthermore, I can control the manufacture of products from the very first moment of a sprout on our family fields.

Unfortunately, now our business is deeply affected by the Russian invasion. During the latest months, our family fields planted in the Kyiv region for producing fabrics for the brand were burnt down due to this awful war. However, I’m focusing efforts on keeping our workers and their families safe and using all available means to help with their relocation and maintain their jobs. I’ll go back to Kyiv next week and plan to resupply and resume our production capacities.

S: You use a variety of dying techniques across your pieces, from flowers to coffee beans. Which technique is your favourite to use and why?

TC: I start creating each collection with an understanding of what colour we want to get in the end.  Therefore, the first step is to study with the technologist those colouring agents with which natural ingredients can achieve the desired colour result.

Dyeing with natural plant pigments is a technology that has been used for centuries. The list of plants containing dyes is quite wide. This is, for example, oak – a source of gallotannin, which was previously used to obtain ink. Or the root of madder dye (krapp) – a source of alizarin, a persistent dye (during Egyptian excavations also were found fabrics dyed with krapp).

Some plant pigments are very resistant, some fade and lose colour instantly. As a rule, plants such as beets, red cabbage and hibiscus give bright but not at all persistent colours. Berries work the same way. Therefore, I do not use these plants for dyeing.

The principle of working with plant pigments of different origins is similar – you need to make an extract of the plant, usually water, by boiling or infusing those parts of the plant that contain the highest concentration of pigment – fruits, flowers, sometimes bark. The colour will depend on the type of plant, the concentration of the solution, the pH of the medium, as well as the time of staining and the type of fabric. For example, a decoction of madder roots on silk and wool will give an orange to red colour, on cotton and linen – various shades of a colder pink, and the colour will generally be lighter than on protein fabrics.

In conclusion, I want to say that the whole colouring process is often intuitive, and it is impossible to exactly repeat the colour once obtained. But this is what attracts me to work with natural pigments. Of course, colours will never be as bright and durable as synthetic ones. But they will always be deep, restrained and expressive. And even their heterogeneity is decorative, giving a unique texture to the dyed fabric. Yes, the colour will fade over time, but this colour ageing is just as beautiful to me as, for example, wood ageing.

S: There’s been an ongoing discussion surrounding the future of fashion from a sustainability perspective. What are your thoughts on the industry at present? What needs to change to make the industry more sustainable?

TC: TG botanical’s main ambition is to inform all the members of our modern society about the advantages of sustainability and its impact on our lives. We strongly believe that a combination of tradition and technology will help us establish a new kind of progressive society. My team is constantly looking for humane and sustainable alternative options that can be used while creating the collection. It is essential to find different durable solutions to improve not only the conditions of functioning of the fashion industry but also people’s shopping habits. I personally try to talk about this topic all the time. The pandemic made me rethink my attitude towards the industry and create TG botanical.

Today when a terrible war has come to my native land, a food crisis has begun all over the world, and all our thoughts are far from clothes, I understand even more how important it is to cherish everything that we have and to lead to conscious consumption. I’m confident and convinced that even those people who do not want to move in this direction and change their attitude towards fashion will gradually make this transition.