扎染古称扎缬、绞缬和染缬，是一种染布工艺。 织物在染色时部分结扎起来使之不能着色的一种染色方法，属防染工艺，也是中国传统的手工染色技术之一。

扎染有着悠久历史。起源于何时尚无定论。据记载，中国早在东晋，扎结防染的绞缬绸已经有大批生产。公元408年东晋时期的作品，扎染这种工艺早在东晋时期就已经成熟了。当时绞缬产品，有较简单的小簇花样，如蝴蝶、腊梅、海棠等；也有整幅图案花样，如白色小圆点的“鱼子缬”，圆点稍大的“玛瑙缬”，紫地白花斑酷似梅花鹿的“鹿胎缬”等。

Tie-dye is a modern term invented in the mid-1960s in the United States for a set of ancient resist-dyeing techniques, and for the products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment and binding with string or rubber bands, followed by application of dye(s). 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. More sophisticated tie-dyes involve additional steps, including an initial application of dye prior to the resist, multiple sequential dye and resist steps, and the use of other types of resists (stitching, stencils) and discharge.