Highlights:
- Aida Tokhtaeva began dyeing scarves with food waste as a hobby after arriving in 2021.
- It has since transformed into a thriving small business in Adelaide.
- She says her Kyrgyz background inspired her designs.
For many of us, onion skins, avocado pips, and pomegranate rinds are food scraps destined for the rubbish bin or compost heap.
But not for Adelaide resident Aida Tokhtaeva, who is using them as natural pigments to dye silk scarves.
“You never know what tint you’ll get in the end,” she told SBS Russian.
“Each attempt is an experiment. Avocado seeds make a beige colour or the so-called ‘millennial pink’. It depends on the variety of avocado.
"Similarly, depending on what kind of onions you use, their skins can turn the fabric bright yellow or even orange. Pomegranate rinds produce a golden yellow colour. Red cabbage makes a range from lilac to indigo.”
Dyeing textiles with plant-based dyes are a popular way to create ethical clothing and accessories while at the same time making use of food waste.
“It’s a fairly simple yet time-consuming process, and it requires a lot of organic material,” Ms Tokhtaeva said.
All my friends have been collecting avocado seeds for me because I need at least 10 of them for one dye bath.
"Every time I go to a supermarket, I pick up heaps of onion skins from the bottom of crates.”
How a hobby turned into a small business
Ms Tokhtaeva said dyeing and selling scarves began as a hobby to stay connected to her native Kyrgyz culture after moving to Australia.
Today, she runs the startup Daughter of Nomads from her home, a one-woman shop selling silk scarves that she dyes herself with fruit and vegetable scraps.
Growing up in Kyrgyzstan, Ms Tokhtaeva, 34, loved watching her grandma make traditional felt carpets.
“I remember that before felting the wool, she would dye it with different materials that were available: walnut shells or foods,” she said.
Felt is an integral part of the Kyrgyz culture and arts with nomadic communities also using the sturdy material for the outer and inner covers of yurts and clothing.
However, traditional craftsmanship, which used to be passed from mother to daughter for generations, has been replaced by mass production of varying quality.
In 2012, UNESCO added traditional Kyrgyz carpets, shyrdak and ala-kiyiz, to its list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
Having settled in Australia in 2021, Ms Tokhtaeva said she had wanted to pick up a new skill that would keep her close to her roots.
She started learning how to felt wool by hand with the help of online tutorials.
“I found YouTube videos of Kyrgyz felt artisan Kamala Abdykadyrova. One day, I saw how she dyed wool, and I thought ‘Wow, you can even use berries’,” she said.
After a while, she decided to make silk scarves with Kyrgyz motifs made of felt, which were very popular in Kyrgyzstan.
She then tried dyeing silk with vegetable scraps and loved it.
Ms Tokhtaeva said she believed that sustainability which was at the core of Kyrgyz traditional textile techniques resonated with Australians.
It’s basically slow fashion. Each item is made by hand in limited quantities.
Some surveys show that most Australians care about the origins of the product and the sustainability of the entire value chain.
“I buy most of my clothes in op shops and vintage stores. I use organic skincare and makeup products. I’m also a vegetarian. I love brands with eco-friendly values,” Ms Tokhtaeva said.
“So, when I planned my production, I thoroughly chose the materials. I use hand-rolled, unbleached mulberry silk and Merino wool. All packaging, stickers, and cards I use are made of recycled cardboard and paper.”
Ms Tokhtaeva said the main challenge she has faced so far is finding local suppliers in South Australia, while registering a business was easy.
“I did everything in one day. I found all the information on the website of the Australian Taxation Office. I registered an ABN [Australian Business Number] and my brand name. I also opened a separate bank account for my business,” she said.
Networking with other migrant women
Ms Tokhtaeva acknowledges the support she had received from other women entrepreneurs in South Australia and beyond.
In Adelaide, she said a friend had introduced her to a group of local designers, stylists, and photographers made up of many migrants like herself.
"The creative community here is very small, and everyone knows each other."
She became friends with wedding photographer, Natalia Petrenko; fashion photographer, Ekaterina Shipova; and handbag designer, Katya Komarova, with all three originally from Russia.
In addition, Ms Tokhtaeva said she reached out to two other beginner entrepreneurs: Maria Tarantello in Sydney who made artisanal soap, and Begimai Asambaeva, a fellow Kyrgyz on the Gold Coast, who made natural candles.
The three women eventually teamed up to create gift boxes in time for Christmas and the new year holidays.
"Finding a supportive community of women in Australia has made me feel incredibly lucky and grateful."
Ms Tokhtaeva, who worked in education by day, said she continued to experiment with plant-based dyes and new designs.
She said she wanted to collaborate with local stylists and fashion publications, and planned to find a retail outlet for her scarves. She said she was also considering running silk dyeing workshops.
