Ayurvastram, or herbal clothing, is an Indian textile practice in which natural fabrics are treated with herbs, plant-based dyes, and botanical extracts. Rooted in longstanding Indian traditions of natural dyeing and plant-based material knowledge, Ayurvastram offers a culturally situated alternative to chemically dyed textiles and synthetic materials that dominate contemporary fashion. This paper examines Ayurvastram as a sensory and ecological textile practice that reimagines clothing as the body’s “first material layer.” Rather than positioning herbal textiles through therapeutic or medical claims, the study approaches them as multisensory design surfaces shaped by fiber, plant source, color, texture, scent, and material transformation over time. The research analyzes fifty herbal textile samples developed through varied plant fibers, herbal dye washes, and botanical treatments. These samples are tested under water exposure, sunlight, detergent washing, aroma retention, and soil burial to examine changes in color stability, scent persistence, surface texture, and biodegradability. By foregrounding herbal texture, natural dye behavior, aroma, and materiality, this study proposes Ayurvastram as a framework for sensory sustainability and plant-based textile design. It argues that herbal textiles can expand sustainable fashion beyond low-impact production by reconnecting clothing with ecological responsibility, cultural heritage, embodied experience, and everyday material awareness. In doing so, the paper contributes to discussions on sustainable fashion, sensory textiles, natural dye research, biodegradable materials, and culturally rooted textile innovation.

Authors:
Lasya Aji Silpa, Appalachian State University, United States
Manikya Sai Tejaswini Vallabhajyosula, University of North Texas, United States
Barbara Trippeer, University of North Texas, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Lasya Aji Silpa is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Design, Appalachian State University, NC United States

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