The colorful clothes we wear today are made by machines. But what did ancient people do if they wanted to wear something colorful? Tie-dye （扎染）was a way to do this.
More than 1,000 years ago, the Bai people in Yunnan used tie-dye to dye their clothes. Then this skill became so popular that people gave tie-dye clothes to the emperor as gifts.
To tie-dye, you need to first use tools to tie, sew （缝制）, or clip （夹住）your cloth （布料）. The folded cloth is then put in dye. The Bai people usually make blue dye from a plant.
As the cloth is folded, some parts become dark blue, while other parts have a lighter color When you unfold the cloth, you will see beautiful patterns.
In the 1960s, tie-dye became a fashion trend in the US. People tie-dyed T-shirts and jeans imaginative ways. Many children in the US still learn tie-dye in their art classes.
At a recent famous fashion show, an Italian designer surprised people with tie-dye dresses, is like an experiment （实验）. People cannot imagine the patterns of the cloth if they don't see them. It's a surprise, the designer said. There is no doubt that the tie-dye trend has never really gone away.
