The role of colour in fashion
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Fashion is one of the most important visual phenomena of our time, and in fashion, colour plays a major role. In this background article, we share the difference between primary and secondary colours, discuss colour combinations and contrasts, and the influence of colour in the fashion industry.
Content
- Primary, secondary and tertiary colours
- Depth and brightness of colours
- Colour combinations and colour contrast
- Appearance, meaning and associations of colour
- Colour and Clothing
- How fashion designers use colour
- Colour trends and trend colours
- Colour in marketing and retail [for influencing buying behaviour]
- colour
- decoration: such as embellishments or embroideries
- material: the fabric
- shape: the silhouette of a garment is defined by its pattern (the cut) and is described by words such as oversized or fitted
- Complementary colours are two colours that are on opposite sides of the colour wheel. Examples are blue (cyan) and orange, yellow and purple, and red (magenta) and green.
- A garment executed in one colour is called uni or mono.
- A garment consisting of two colours is referred to as bicolour.
- Multicolour means multi-coloured.
- Colour blocking is when two or more different colours are used in a piece of clothing or outfit.
- Monochrome refers to an outfit that consists of one colour from head to toe.
- Total Look in styling is where one colour or print is worn is used to create a complete look.
- A Colour Consultant gives consumers colour and style advice. They advise clients on which colours and combinations suit them. The consultant distinguishes different colour types based on their skin (warm or cool), hair and eye colour. Sometimes the client receives a colour passport highlighting the colours that suit him/her. A colour passport can be useful when buying new clothes, as it can show which colours gave them a boost and which colours made a good combination. Retailers also sometimes hire colour consultants to train their shop staff to give colour advice to customers.
- TMO Fashion Business School education by the author
- ‘Fashion Advisor' by Mirjam van den Bosch, Astrid Hanou and Hans van Otegem, publisher Stichting Detex Opleidingen, 2003, second edition.
- FashionUnited archive content by authors Jackie Mallon and Katrien Huysentruyt (the original publications can mostly be found in the linked article text)
- ‘Colour Sells’ Appletizer by Hilde Francq
- 'Fashion and imagination, about clothing and art' book by Jos Arts, Jan Brand, 2009 Beeldbalie.nl 'The meaning of colour', 2015
- 'Colour in Fashion' lesson 7, FashionMusic.Wordpress.com
- 'Colour in Fashion' by Nellmode.be, 2014
- 'Understanding primary, secondary and tertiary colours,' Adobe
- 'What Is The Importance Of Colors In The Fashion World?' by Michael Crawford, Digital Marketing Consultant at a Crowdsourcing company, published on Inspiring Meme, April 2022
- 'Colour Selection Techniques for Fashion Designers' by Jahanara Rony, Fashion2apparel.com
- Bella+Canvas video 'Color 101: Understanding How Color Impacts Apparel Design', 2020
Colour: the basics
1. Primary, secondary and tertiary colours
The primary colours are yellow, blue (cyan) and red (magenta). These are colours which can’t be created by mixing other colours. A combination of these primary colours can create a primary shade of black.
A secondary colour is made by mixing of two of the three primary colours: creating orange from yellow and red, green from yellow and blue and purple from blue and red.
A tertiary colour, also known as an intermediate colour, is a colour made by mixing primary and secondary colours together. Examples are blue-green, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green and red-purple.
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2. Depth and brightness of colours
The depth of colour indicates how light or dark the colour is. Adding white makes the colour lighter, and adding black weakens the colour and makes it darker.
While adding grey can change the brightness of a colour. The more grey added to a colour can dull the intensity of the shade. Adding white or black and mixing with grey creates numerous colour shades and nuances.
3. Colour combinations and colour contrast
Colour can be essential when creating a contrast. Simply put, contrast is the difference between two colours. Some combinations make colours more vivid and intense, while other neutralise each other.For instance, a colour-to-colour contrast between colours that are not mixed with black or white can make a striking impact.
Another example is a cool and warm contrast. Warm colours are yellow, orange and red, and cool colours are green, blue and purple. Turquoise and scarlet (which is orange-red) form the greatest cool-warm contrast. Within each colour, there are also cooler and warmer tones.
Ton sur ton is French for tone on tone. Which describes wearing one colour but combining different shades within that colour. This combination offers the smallest of contrasts in colour.
Whereas faux camaïeux is a false one-tone colour combination. You combine colours with the same grey value: that are equally warm and bright but differ in the base colour.
The strongest colour contrast that exists is black and white.
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4. Appearance, meaning and associations of colour
In addition to colour contrasts (section 3), the appearance of colour is important. Colour offers an emotional appeal. Colours can evoke different emotions and behaviours in people and can convey a message.
The meaning and effect of colour are very personal, but there are similarities in the perception of colour. For instance, we find black neat, red romantic and dark blue businesslike. Each colour (shade) also has its own meaning and effect. The subjective meaning we attach to various colours is also known as colour symbolism. Yellow, for instance, is associated with the sun, happiness, optimism and vitality. The colour is cheerful and positive.
Many colours also have both positive and negative associations. With red, we think of love and passion, but the colour is also associated with danger and aggression.
How a colour is experienced often also depends on the context, as well as the colour’s strength. In general, light colours weaken the effect of dark colours.
Colours can also have different meanings in different countries and cultures.
The influence of colour in fashion
5. Colour and Clothing
The appearance, or optical image, of clothing, is described by four optical characteristics:
"In today's visual culture, colour combined with the right materials, shapes and textures is the key to making a product successful," says Belgian trend forecaster and colour expert Hilde Francq in her book 'Colour Sells'. "Colour can make a product look cheap or chic. Colour can be natural or synthetic, masculine or feminine, reliable or frivolous, timeless or trendy."
Because, as you now know, colour creates atmosphere and has a certain effect (see section 4).
Colour is, therefore, often the first thing you notice about [the clothing of] others. Colour choices affect not only how you see others, and how they see you, but also how you see yourself. Wearing a colour you love, can calm your nerves or lift your mood. Meaning you can literally boost your mood and/or self-confidence with colour, as well as with the clothes themselves. This is often referred to as dopamine dressing.
So you could say that colour is a powerful tool.
6. How fashion designers use colour
Fashion designers can deploy and use colour in countless ways, such as using colour as a source of inspiration (read: the starting point) for their collections. They can also use colour to make a statement or connect [with consumers], for example, in terms of diversity and/or inclusivity. In addition, they can also naturally apply colour through embellishments and embroidery to compliment their designs (see also section 5).
Fashion designers choose and determine colour schemes that have a desired artistic effect. They are usually familiar with the theory of colour and often work with colour charts and swatches. Fashion designers determine colour schemes for each fashion collection, made up of various types of garments in different designs, colours and prints. When you see this collection on racks or mannequins, you usually see the colour image, as it is called in the industry. The colour image, together with the designs and prints, form the overall picture of the collection.
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Colour as a designer's trademark
Some colours in fashion have become big. Just as French artist Yves Klein was synonymous with a specific colour blue (International Klein Blue), 'Valentino red', for example, has become a household name.
There are also iconic colour combinations. For example, do you know the iconic Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian collection? The colourblock geometric Mondrian dress (1965) is the most famous garment inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's paintings and his love of straight, black lines and primary colours.
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Sometimes the use of colour is even synonymous with a fashion designer's signature. Italian designer Giorgio Armani became known as the 'king of greige' for his abundant use of beige and grey shades in his designs, such as taupe, sand and concrete. While contemporary designer Dries van Noten from Belgium is considered a master of colour.He is often praised for his unique, vibrant use of colour and prints in his collections.
On the other hand, there are also designers known for their dark-coloured fashion, including Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, Olivier Theyskens, Ann Demeulemeester and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons).
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7. Colour trends and trend colours
Fashion changes with time and trend watchers such as the Dutch Lidewij Edelkoort and the Belgian Hilde Francq keep a close eye on changes in society and their influence on fashion and colour. They translate these developments into trend forecasts, which are made about two years before clothes hit the shelves.
Colour trends and trend colours are part of those forecasts. For instance, Lidewij Edelkoort announced the major (re)introduction of brown more than two years ago. She reported in June 2019 that brown would replace black as an it-colour for the next 30 years. Now, brown can be found in almost every fashion collection, on the high street and in consumer’s wardrobes.
In addition, leading colour experts/institutes such as Generally, Pantone and Coloro are also dedicated exclusively to colour advice and predictions. For instance, the Pantone Color Institute annually names a colour of the year and predicts the popular colours set to be used by designers at leading fashion weeks, including New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. They also analyse fashion collections shown by designers and determine what the colour palette will look like.
In short: Trend watchers and colour institutes have a direct influence on fashion, but on the other hand, fashion also have a direct influence on colour trends . Generally, [trends are dictated by the catwalk , and brands and retailers look to designers for inspiration to translate for their fashion consumers. So, it works both ways.
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8. Colour in marketing and retail [for influencing buying behaviour]
Now that you know the basics and the role of colour in fashion (sections 1-7), you need to understand how colours can also influence consumer purchasing habits.Colour is used in fashion and retail for marketing, such as advertising campaigns and promotion, store design and visual merchandising (the commercial visual presentation of products to generate more sales).
According to Belgian trend watcher and colour expert Hilde Francq, there are still gains to be made by companies. "The fact that the colour of a product is essential for its success is often underestimated," she states in her book 'Colour Sells'.
"From marketing strategy to packaging, colour is essential to the positioning and sales of brands and products," adds Francq. "You have to hit not only the head, but also the heart. Never underestimate the importance of eye candy."
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