Would You Wear These Bug-Dyed Sandals?

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Sandals dyed from the juices of crushed bugs. You can't get more natural than that, right? Oakland-based artist and gallery owner Tessa Watson used 10 pounds of Cochineal insects to make a color solution that she then hand-worked into leather sandals and tank tops, and SF Mag was there to watch. Apparently, this type of bug, in its Mexican habitat, is full of a fuchsia-colored acid from a specific cactus diet. Once crushed, the pigment can be used to dye a variety of materials.

From this particular application, the resulting pink leather beauties will be for sale at Tessa's gallery, priced from $150 to $200, starting tomorrow, September 26 through Sunday, September 28. They're part of a new exhibition, titled "Gradient Pink." But don't expect Tessa to hold onto that vat of bug juice: SF Mag reports that she's planning to move onto a "yellow-orange dye derived from an herbaceous plant" next.
· Creepy Crawly Cool [San Francisco Magazine]
· Øgaard [Official Site]
· 12 Best Places to Buy Summer Sandals in the Bay Area [Racked SF]