Runway to Retail: Rainbow Knits

March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, and in most of Europe and the East Coast of the US, it can be a tricky time of year for clothing retailers. Floors need to combine the winter sale, resort and spring 1 collections. It is perhaps for this reason that knit tops, sweaters and dresses in rainbow colors have shown up in all the recent drops. This is considered to be 'dopamine dressing' and traverses the seasons.

Dopamine dressing

Pinterest describes dopamine’ dressing as "all about feel-good fits with an electric kick, and is driven by all genders and age groups." Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter or chemical messenger, which the nervous system uses to send messages between nerve cells. It plays a big role in how humans feel pleasure. According to verywellmind.com, dopamine dressing involves "dressing with the intention of boosting your mood". Color, style, and texture can all have psychological associations and are often tied to memories. Getting out of your comfort zone when it comes to clothes can also trigger dopamine release."

Tracing the trend

1967 was known as the 'Summer of Love'; a drug-induced social phenomenon wherein 100,000 'flower children' descended upon San Francisco. In turn this spawned several fashion trends including wearing bright rainbow colors. Over time the rainbow became associated with the LGBTQ community before traveling full circle back into mainstream fashion.

The late '90s saw a complete rejection of bright colors in fashion, both at the high end and at street level. The anxiety over the threats presented by Y2K led to consumer demand for dark clothing in shades known as 'faux blacks.'

In complete contrast, designers stepped into the light of the Millennium and the runways of SS2000 were awash in red, orange, green and yellow. The previous 20 years have proven that color is here to stay in fashion. The choice is yours, wear black to display a dark mood or wear bright colors to fight it.

In Living Color: Cruise 2022

Back in late 2020 it seemed as if Christopher John Rogers "came out of nowhere." In just two short years, when it comes to making use of bright colors, he's the name on everyone's lips.

In a strong showing for resort 22 he presented a variety of looks from sweaters to dresses in punchy rainbow bright colors. At Chloé, Gabriela Hearst showed colorful striped sweater knits with a large gauge handmade feel. It was a similar statement at Staud, with a rainbow knit sweater worn over a rainbow knit sweater dress and at Ulla Johnson where a striped ribbed top was matched to pants. Even Oscar de la Renta played up the dopamine vibe, showing a space dyed knit sweater with a floor length pink taffeta skirt.

Early spring 2022: retail is a rainbow

On the cusp of the new spring season, retailers are showing wear-now knit goods in bright colors. Oscar de la Renta's version is in cotton knit.

At Wolf & Badger, the 'Rita' jumper has a rainbow across the chest and arms; at Kule, the 'Holly' comes in a rainbow version and The Elder Statesman is showing a cashmere jumper in a horizontal stripe. As we wait for spring, retailers are hoping that rainbow dressing can kick the winter blues out.