Printing on silk and other natural fabrics for fashion apparel in Australia can sound straightforward, but in reality it is one of the most technically demanding and expensive parts of local production.
For natural fibres such as silk, cotton and linen, reactive dyes are the preferred printing method when durability and colour quality matter. These dyes form a chemical bond with the fibre, producing vibrant, washfast results rather than colour that sits on the surface. However, achieving this quality is far from simple. Let me get technical for a moment…
Reactive printing requires the fabric to be chemically pretreated before inkjet printing, then steamed to fix the dye into the fibres, and finally washed to remove excess dye and pretreatment chemicals. Each stage relies on specialised machinery, skilled operators, time, water and energy. The process is slow, highly technical, and significantly more costly than it appears from the outside.
These realities become very real when you’re trying to build a brand that is entirely locally made.
When it came time to print Ma’s Sun-Drift pattern on a silk–viscose blend, we had our printer confirmed, only to learn days before the scheduled run that the specialised machine they depended on had broken down. At first, the issue didn’t seem insurmountable. But the repair required parts to be shipped from overseas and technicians with specific expertise. Within days, the printer made the difficult decision to close that part of the business altogether.
Things can unravel quickly.
This is why short-run printing for fashion garments in Australia is costly and why many brands turn offshore. High production costs, ageing skilled labour and limited infrastructure have left few specialised textile printers operating locally. As a result, choosing to print on natural fibres like silk is no longer just a design decision, but a complex business one.
