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Home / News / Background / The role of color in fashion

The role of color in fash‐

ion
By Esmee Blaazer
Dec 19, 2022

BACKGROUND
Two ton sur ton looks (see paragraph 3) from Max Mara resort SS23 and
Stella McCartney SS23. Images via Catwalkpictures.com

Fashion is one of the most important visual phenomena

of our time, and in fashion, color plays a major role. In
this background article, we share the difference between
primary and secondary colors, discuss color combina-
tions and contrasts, and the influence of color in the
fashion industry.

Content
1. Primary, secondary and tertiary colors
2. Depth and brightness of colors
3. Colour combinations and color contrast
4. Appearance, meaning and associations of color
5. Colour and Clothing
6. How fashion designers use color
7. Colour trends and trend colors
8. Colour in marketing and retail [for influencing
buying behaviour]

Colour: the basics

1. Primary, secondary
and tertiary colors
The primary colors are yellow, blue (cyan) and
red (magenta). These are colors which can’t be
created by mixing other colors. A combination of
these primary colors can create a primary shade of
black.

A secondary color is made by mixing of two of

the three primary colors: creating orange from yel-
low and red, green from yellow and blue and pur-
ple from blue and red.

A tertiary color, also known as an intermediate

color, is a color made by mixing primary and sec-
ondary colors together. Examples are blue-green,
red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green and red-
purple.

The text continues below the photos

Here you can see the primary colors: yellow, blue and red. Credit
from left to right: Akris SS23, Lanvin SS23, Akris SS23 via Cat-
walkpictures.com.

Here you can see the secondary colors: orange, green and purple
in Akris' SS23 collection. Credit: Akris SS23 via Catwalkpictures.-
com.

2. Depth and brightness

of colors
The depth of color indicates how light or dark the
color is. Adding white makes the color lighter, and
adding black weakens the color and makes it dark-
er.

While adding grey can change the brightness of a

color. The more grey added to a color can dull the
intensity of the shade. Adding white or black and
mixing with grey creates numerous color shades
and nuances.

3. Color combinations
and color contrast
Colour can be essential when creating a contrast.
Simply put, contrast is the difference between two
colors. Some combinations make colors more
vivid and intense, while other neutralise each oth-
er.
For instance, a color-to-color contrast between
colors that are not mixed with black or white can
make a striking impact.

Another example is a cool and warm contrast.

Warm colors are yellow, orange and red, and cool
colors are green, blue and purple. Turquoise and
scarlet (which is orange-red) form the greatest
cool-warm contrast. Within each color, there are
also cooler and warmer tones.

Ton sur ton is French for tone on tone. Which de-

scribes wearing one color but combining different
shades within that color. This combination offers
the smallest of contrasts in color.

Whereas faux camaïeux is a false one-tone color

combination. You combine colors with the same
grey value: that are equally warm and bright but
differ in the base color.

The strongest color contrast that exists is black

and white.

The text continues below the photos

In this image, you can see color-to-color contrasts: yellow versus

blue at Marni and blue versus red at Missoni. Credit: Marni
AW22 and Missoni AW22 via Catwalkpictures.com

Here you can see a cool and warm contrast in turquoise and red
at Gucci. Image: Gucci SS20 via Catwalkpictures.com

Here you can see tone-on-tone contrasts in nude/pink (left), blue

(centre) and brown (right). Credit f.l.t.r: Issey Miyake SS23, Issey
Miyake FW21 and Michael Kors AW22 via Catwalkpictures.com.

A faux camaïeux, or false mono-tone look by Alberta Ferretti.

Credit: Alberta Ferretti AW22 via Catwalkpictures.com

The strongest color contrast is black and white. Credit: Christian

Wijnants SS23 via Turbulence PR. By the way, this is also a total
look (see boxed terms at the bottom of the article).

4. Appearance, meaning
and associations of color
In addition to color contrasts (section 3), the ap-
pearance of color is important. Colour offers an
emotional appeal. Colours can evoke different
emotions and behaviours in people and can con-
vey a message.

The meaning and effect of color are very personal,

but there are similarities in the perception of col-
or. For instance, we find black neat, red romantic
and dark blue businesslike. Each color (shade)
also has its own meaning and effect. The subjec-
tive meaning we attach to various colors is also
known as color symbolism. Yellow, for instance, is
associated with the sun, happiness, optimism and
vitality. The color is cheerful and positive.

Many colors also have both positive and negative

associations. With red, we think of love and pas-
sion, but the color is also associated with danger
and aggression.

How a color is experienced often also depends on

the context, as well as the color’s strength. In gen-
eral, light colors weaken the effect of dark colors.

Colours can also have different meanings in differ-

ent countries and cultures.

The influence of color in

fashion

5. Color and Clothing

The appearance, or optical image, of clothing, is
described by four optical characteristics:

color
decoration: such as embellishments or em-
broideries
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

"In today's visual culture, color combined with the

right materials, shapes and textures is the key to
making a product successful," says Belgian trend
forecaster and color expert Hilde Francq in her
book 'Colour Sells'. "Colour can make a product
look cheap or chic. Color can be natural or syn-
thetic, masculine or feminine, reliable or frivolous,
timeless or trendy."

Because, as you now know, color creates at-

mosphere and has a certain effect (see section 4).

Color is, therefore, often the first thing you notice

about [the clothing of] others. Colour choices af-
fect not only how you see others, and how they see
you, but also how you see yourself. Wearing a col-
or you love, can calm your nerves or lift your
mood. Meaning you can literally boost your mood
and/or self-confidence with color, as well as with
the clothes themselves. This is often referred to as
dopamine dressing.

So you could say that color is a powerful tool.

6. How fashion designers

use color
Fashion designers can deploy and use color in
countless ways, such as using color as a source of
inspiration (read: the starting point) for their col-
lections. They can also use color to make a state-
ment or connect [with consumers], for example, in
terms of diversity and/or inclusivity. In addition,
they can also naturally apply color through em-
bellishments and embroidery to compliment their
designs (see also section 5).

Fashion designers choose and determine color

schemes that have a desired artistic effect. They
are usually familiar with the theory of color and
often work with color charts and swatches. Fash-
ion designers determine color schemes for each
fashion collection, made up of various types of
garments in different designs, colors and prints.
When you see this collection on racks or man-
nequins, you usually see the color image, as it is
called in the industry. The color image, together
with the designs and prints, form the overall pic-
ture of the collection.

The text continues below the photos

Here you can see a color image of Another Label. Image: the An-
other Label SS23 stand at the summer edition of fashion trade
fair Modefabriek in July 2022. Credit: Aygin Kolaei for Fashion-
United.

Here you can see a color image at Dior. Credit: Dior SS23
menswear, property Dior.

Colour as a designer's trade‐

mark
Some colors in fashion have become big. Just as
French artist Yves Klein was synonymous with a
specific color blue (International Klein Blue),
'Valentino red', for example, has become a house-
hold name.

There are also iconic color combinations. For ex-

ample, do you know the iconic Yves Saint Laurent
Mondrian collection? The colorblock geometric
Mondrian dress (1965) is the most famous gar-
ment inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's
paintings and his love of straight, black lines and
primary colors.

The text continues below the photos

Image: Valentino Red. Left: Valentino Spring Summer 2023.

Right: Valentino Spring Summer 2022. Credit: Catwalkpictures.

Yves Saint Laurent's Piet Mondrian dress

YSL Mondrian dress, Credit Pierre Verdy / AFP

Sometimes the use of color is even synonymous

with a fashion designer's signature. Italian design-
er 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 col-
or.He is often praised for his unique, vibrant use
of color and prints in his collections.

On the other hand, there are also designers known

for their dark-colored fashion, including Yohji Ya-
mamoto, Rick Owens, Olivier Theyskens, Ann De-
meulemeester and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des
Garçons).

The text continues below the photos

Belgian fashion designer Dries van Noten is praised for his

unique, vibrant use of color and prints. Credit: Dries van Noten
SS23 via Catwalkpictures.com

Credit: Dries van Noten SS23 menswear, property Dries van

Noten. By the way, this menswear look is also multi-colored (see
terminology box multicolor). .

Dark-colored fashion. Credit f.l.t.r: Rick Owens SS22, Ann De-

meulemeester AW22 and Olivier Theyskens SS23, via Cat-
walkpictures.com

7. Colour trends and

trend colors
Fashion changes with time, and trend watchers
such as the Dutch Lidewij Edelkoort and the Bel-
gian Hilde Francq keep a close eye on changes in
society and their influence on fashion and color.
They translate these developments into trend fore-
casts, which are made about two years before
clothes hit the shelves.

Color trends and trend colors are part of those

forecasts. For instance, Lidewij Edelkoort an-
nounced the major (re)introduction of brown
more than two years ago. She reported in June
2019 that brown would replace black as an it-color
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 color experts/institutes such

as Generally, Pantone and Coloro are also dedicat-
ed exclusively to color advice and predictions. For
instance, the Pantone Color Institute annually
names a color of the year and predicts the popular
colors set to be used by designers at leading fash-
ion weeks, including New York Fashion Week and
London Fashion Week. They also analyse fashion
collections shown by designers and determine
what the color palette will look like.

In short: Trend watchers and color institutes have

a direct influence on fashion, but on the other
hand, fashion also have a direct influence on color
trends. Generally, trends are dictated by the cat-
walk, and brands and retailers look to designers
for inspiration to translate for their fashion con-
sumers. So, it works both ways.

The text continues below the photos

Valentino set a trend this year (2022) with its 'hot pink' FW22
collection that the Italian fashion house debuted on the catwalk
last March. The bright magenta ‘Pink PP’ hue was created by
Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli in collaboration
with Pantone. Image owned by Valentino.

Bright pink is also part of Pantone's NYFW FW22 color trend re-
port. Image: Pantone Colour: 17-2624 Rose Violet, property Pan-
tone

Image illustrating the so-called trickle-down effect. The high

street retailers take inspiration from catwalk designs. Currently,
you see bright pink frequently in fashion collections, such as at
H&M. Left: Brasserie Hennes Holiday 2022, owned by H&M.
Right: H&M Studio AW22, owned by H&M.

8. Color in marketing and

retail [for influencing buy‐
ing behaviour]
Now that you know the basics and the role of color
in fashion (sections 1-7), you need to understand
how colors can also influence consumer purchas-
ing habits.
Color is used in fashion and retail for marketing,
such as advertising campaigns and promotion,
store design and visual merchandising (the com-
mercial visual presentation of products to gener-
ate more sales).

According to Belgian trend watcher and color ex-

pert Hilde Francq, there are still gains to be made
by companies. "The fact that the color of a product
is essential for its success is often underestimat-
ed," she states in her book 'Colour Sells'.

"From marketing strategy to packaging, color 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 underesti-
mate the importance of eye candy."

The text continues below the photos

Image illustrating the use of color in visual merchandising. You

can see Beaumont's stand on the exhibition floor at Modefabriek
(so it is not visual merchandising on the shop floor in this case).
Image: Modefabriek SS23 July 2022 edition. Credit: Aygin Kolaei
for FashionUnited.

Use of color in shop concepts. Luxury brand Jacquemus chose

pale blue for its themed pop-up in London in May 2022. Image:
'Le Bleu' pop-up by Jacquemus, property Jacquemus

Use of color in shop concepts. Luxury brand Jacquemus’s swim-

ming pool-themed pop-up in London in May 2022. Image: 'Le
Bleu' pop-up by Jacquemus, owned Jacquemus

Use of color in shop concepts. This is the Christian Wijnants store

in Berlin. The Antwerp-based designer combines silver wallcover-
ings with greenery. Credit: Christian Wijnants via Turbulence PR

A FEW MORE COLOR TERMS:

Complementary colors are two colors that

are on opposite sides of the color wheel.
Examples are blue (cyan) and orange, yellow
and purple, and red (magenta) and green.
A garment executed in one color is called
uni or mono.
A garment consisting of two colors is re‐
ferred to as bicolor.
Multicolor means multi-colored.
Color blocking or colour blocking is when
two or more different colors are used in a
piece of clothing or outfit.
Monochrome refers to an outfit that con‐
sists of one color from head to toe.
Total Look in styling is where one color or
print is worn is used to create a complete
look.
A Color Consultant gives consumers color
and style advice. They advise clients on
which colors and combinations suit them.
The consultant distinguishes different color
types based on their skin (warm or cool),
hair and eye color. Sometimes the client re‐
ceives a color passport highlighting the col‐
ors that suit him/her. A color passport can
be useful when buying new clothes, as it
can show which colors gave them a boost
and which colors made a good combina‐
tion. Retailers also sometimes hire color
consultants to train their shop staff to give
color advice to customers.