The Rise of Tie Dye in 2020

Tie-dye has been on the rise in 2020. Here’s how to do it yourself.

If last year someone said tie-dye what would you think? What immediately comes to my mind is a chicken dance and cha-cha lines in a restaurant of seafood otherwise known as Joe’s Crab Shack. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of seafood growing up, those brightly colored tie-dye shirts that hung on the wall by the register were what cool kids wore, so I wanted one (but I only went to that restaurant once in elementary school for a birthday party). If someone says tie-dye this year? I immediately think of an influencer or blogger in a cool pastel two-piece set that looks so chic and fashionable even though it is just sweats. Are the influencers that are wearing this new comeback to tie-die just the Joe’s Crab Shack kids grown up? It’s a working conspiracy theory.

Tie-die has stayed through the ages and has reinvented itself and officially made a 21st century trendy comeback. Albeit very cute, a lot of these pullovers and sets are very expensive. Turns out you pay more for half the die on a clothing piece. With quarantine happening this year and more people working from home and finding ways to save money, more people have turned to making homemade tie-dye items. It is not only more economical but extremely fun and not at all difficult to do.

All you will need is:

rubber bands
clothing items to dye (the lighter the better if you’re wanting colored dye to show up unless you are doing a reverse bleach dye on dark clothes)
a plastic squeeze bottle
clothing dye
protective gloves
grocery bags for storing while it sets
garbage bag or a tarp to protect the area you’re dyeing on

I would highly recommend getting a tie-dye kit that will come with an array of colors, gloves, bottles, and instructions. They can also be purchased at a local craft store such as Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s. (Another great tip is white or light colored blank shirts can be purchased at a craft store or ordered online).

Once you have your supplies assembled, decide which tie-dye pattern you’d like to do. A swirl? The scrunching method? Monochrome or multi-colored? The great thing is there really is no right or wrong way to tie-dye and every piece will come out custom.

Here’s some videos that are extremely helpful and provide a step-by-step follow-along and can also help you decide what color and style you want for your tie-dye!