Tie-dye is the modern term for a set of ancient resist-dyeing techniques, and for the products of these processes. It's a method of introducing colored or white pattern on cloth, by tying it with strong strings in various ways before immersing it in the dye bath; the color is absorbed in all except the tied areas thus revealing a patterned result which is seen by untying the dyed material. Learning the process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, knotting, stitching, tying or crumpling fabric or a garment and binding with string or rubber bands, followed by application of dyes. The manipulations of the fabric prior to application of dye are called resists, as they partially or completely prevent the applied dye from coloring the fabric.

Although the techniques of tie and dye vary from culture to culture, the concept of dying remains one of the oldest methods of printing design on fabric.Shibori (Japanese) is part of the larger family of resist-dyeing techniques that can be found in different forms across many cultures.

There are an infinite number of ways to manipulate cloth for tie and dye, and each way results in a very different pattern. Each method is used to achieve a certain result, but each method is also used to work in harmony with the type of cloth used. Therefore, the technique used in shibori depends not only on the desired pattern, but the characteristics of the cloth being dyed. Different techniques can be used in conjunction with one another to achieve even more elaborate results. The design obtained from the placement of the pleats, stitches and ties can never be an absolute means of predetermining the final visual result.