Roman Blockbusters, Byzantium & Barbarians

Ninety years before the birth of Christ, Naples aligned with Italic tribes in a defensive front called Italia, which was doomed to failure against the indestructible war machine, Rome. Italia’s defeat swept Naples and the entire bay under the domain of Rome in 82 BC.

Although the islands were transferred back into Naples’ hands in 29 BC, Rome retained use of them as resorts. Despite the diffusion of the Roman culture and the Latin tongue, Greek language and culture persisted in Naples and on the islands until the 6th century of our era. Cities like Pompeii and Herculeum, however, were entirely Roman cities.

Five hundred years later, the collapse of the Roman Empire created a vacuum in southern Italy and paved the way for the Byzantine Empire to impose its rule in AD 553, governing its possessions through the nomination of local noblemen. From 661-1137, these dukes, as they were fitly called, progressively forged a sphere of autonomy.

The Roman dress code was complex, reflecting the individual’s social status, gender, and language. Talk about “in your face”!

Stately and dignified, Roman dress was a bit more cumbersome than that of the Greeks. The actual garments, however, were similar to Greek clothing, except for the toga.

Made of wool, this flowing garment was draped carefully around the body to create graceful folds, leaving the right arm exposed and the left arm covered to the wrist. Colors varied according to age and social rank.

Underneath, Roman men wore a tunic, often striped, which was rectangle in shape with openings at the shoulders. Footwear consisted of sandals with leather soles and long laces that were tied up the leg. Clean-shaven, Roman men sported short hair.

As for Byzantium, Roman dress was developed by adding ornamental embellishments, headdresses, and length to the toga. Skull caps were popular, as well as the colors gold and violet; in essence, less earthy than the Romans in the West.

2010 Trends & Takeaways from the period:
In addition to more recent “nomadic” influences, the Roman art of draping has guided many spring/summer 2010 collections.

Inspired by the long voluminous layering effect of this period, designers have employed sheer, lightweight—almost airy fabrics—in their 2010 creations, adding a stylish flow and revealing the skin.

Photo top left Ceasar's Murder, Public Domain.
Photos middle right & bottom left Copyright Men's Fashion by Franesco.

Rubia Pigmenta Naturalia

After posting my 2-part interview with sustainable designer and artist John Patrick, I received an email from his Dutch friend, Anco Sneep, director of Rubia Pigmenta Naturalia, which produces a natural red dye that dates back to over two millenia:

"A world without colour is barely conceivable for us. Nature provides for colour all around and anything we create, we create in colour. And–we’ve been doing so for thousands of years. Primeval human beings already used colours to outline drawings or illustrations, and all generations thereafter carried on doing so. These colours were made from natural resources. One of the most important materials was–and still is–madder.

The roots of the madder plant produce a genuine red colour. The ancient Egyptians had already discovered the incomparable madder tint: a belt dyed with madder root was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. But the ancient Greeks and Romans also used this unique colour as a dye, which in the later Byzantium Empire was given the name Turkish Red. Famous artists like El Greco, Velasquez, and Vermeer used madder as a base for particular red tints in their paintings.

In the 18th century, madder–or by its scientific name Rubia Tinctorum –became a popular dye for textiles. Particularly in the southern Netherlands, in West Brabant and Zeeland, the plant was cultivated on a large scale. Madder became an important economic factor in this area.

After the German chemists Graebe and Liebermann discovered in 1868 how the red madder dye could be produced synthetically, cultivation of madder quickly declined and finally vanished.

Rubia® has developed a totally new process to extract the genuine madder dye very efficiently in an ecologically friendly manner. Elements of the system are specially selected madder under license.

The highest priority in the Rubia® research laboratories is continuous process control and optimization aligned with quality enhancement. In addition, the colour agent content of the different root batches is determined to permit fair compensation for the growers.

In the factory, the colour agent is extracted from the roots by means of a special Rubia® process. As market leader, Rubia Pigmenta Naturalia® comes from the only industrial installation worldwide to produce the authentic Turkish Red.

Rubia® red is the ideal dye for companies seeking to differentiate themselves through the use of authentic and brilliant colours, produced entirely on a natural basis. Rubia®–a new dimension in colour!

Highly praised Dutch designer Rianne de Witte has decided to work with natural dyes of Rubia Pigmenta Naturalia®!

Photos and Slide Show Copyright by Rubia Pigmenta Naturalia.