Almost everyone picks the color first and the piece second. That makes sense — it’s the first thing you see. What almost nobody knows is that with Iraca, color isn’t a finish. It’s a stage that happens before the piece exists.
The color goes into the strand, not onto it
The real sequence is: the fiber is cut, boiled, dried… and then dyed, while still in loose strands. Only after that does weaving begin.
It’s the reverse of almost everything else we buy. A chair is painted once it’s already a chair. An Iraca bag is dyed while it’s still a bundle of strands.
That explains two things you notice in use:
It doesn’t chip or scratch off. The color was never a layer on the surface, so there’s no layer to lift. Hard friction wears the fiber, not the color.
The tone varies within the same piece. Each strand absorbs dye according to its thickness and porosity, and no two leaves are identical. That subtle mottling is the sign of real natural fiber underneath — a dyed synthetic comes out perfectly flat.
Why the design is settled before weaving
Because color lives in the strand, a piece’s palette is locked on day one. The weaver needs every skein ready before the first row.
You can’t add a color mid-weave or correct a tone. If a bag has three colors, those three were chosen, dyed and dried before the base existed. That’s why a custom order in a specific color needs lead time: the dyeing comes first.
How each color family behaves
We publish the full palette with real fiber swatches, but it helps to know how each group behaves:
Natural (crudo). The undyed tone of the fiber, a warm beige. It’s the only color that never sees a dye pot, and it ages best: over the years it takes on a slightly more golden tone. It never looks faded, because there’s no color to lose.
Warms — yellow, salmon, orange, corals. The most luminous, and the ones that best show the fiber’s natural mottling. They’re also the most sensitive to prolonged direct sun: they hold up fine in normal use, but don’t leave them for weeks in a window.
Reds and magentas — cherry red, dark red, magenta, purples. High-saturation dyes that bind very well to the fiber. These have the most presence and work best when the piece is the focal point of an outfit.
Cools — sky blue, cyan, turquoises, blues. The range runs from light sky blue to a nearly black purple-blue. Deep turquoise and twilight blue read as black indoors and open up most in sunlight.
Greens and browns — dark green, deep green, brown, reddish coffee. The tones closest to the raw material. They age very discreetly and show wear the least.
Black. The heaviest dye. It gives a very clean contrast against natural and shows the least strand-to-strand variation.
Multicolor. Not a dye but a weaving decision: strands from several skeins combined in one piece. Every result is unrepeatable, even between two pieces of the same model.
How to choose without seeing it in person
Three rules that work when someone writes us undecided:
- Natural and browns for daily use. They go with everything and hide dust between cleanings.
- A saturated color if the piece is the accent. A bag in red or turquoise carries a neutral outfit on its own.
- For the table, think about the tablecloth, not the plate. Placemats and napkin rings are almost always seen under a plate: the color that matters is the one framing it.
And one honest warning: no screen reproduces a natural fiber faithfully. The tones in the palette are real photographs of the fiber, but texture changes how light comes back off it. If you’re torn between two shades, write us and we’ll send a photo of the actual piece.
Caring for the color
Very little to do, really:
- Avoid prolonged exposure to strong sun — it’s the only thing that genuinely fades
- No bleach, solvents or hot water
- Always dry in the shade
The full detail is in the care guide.
Looking for a specific tone you don’t see listed? Message us on WhatsApp — many colors can be dyed to order.
Any questions? We're glad to help.
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