Fashion is not just a business made of skilled craftsmen and women. It can also be a field of work that allows the truly passionate to express creativity that becomes art.

Fashion trends come and go but style is timeless.

Coco Chanel

The role of colour in fashion is essential, but when making the right choice we should also keep in mind the importance of various combinations. For instance, the right colour to match the right designer style along with the right fabric to enhance an outcome of perception that goes beyond the eye.

It must blend the right feel, be comfortable and not only trendy, look sharp and not only stylish.

A perfect choice should be one that resonates from within showing character by those who choose it.

CHOOSING COLOURS

Let’s start with the color wheel. The image below shows the different types of primary, secondary and tertiary colours.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary colours

The primary colours are yellow, blue (cyan, pronounced as:sai-an), and red (magenta). These are original hues; a combination of them can create a primary shade of black.

Secondary colours can be attained by mixing two of the primary ones, so for instance, mixing yellow and red gives orange, or by mixing yellow and blue produces green, and purple from red and blue.

Tertiary colours, also called intermediate colours, is a colour that is made by mixing together a primary and a secondary colour: blue-green, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green and red-purple are the mixtures used.

INTERESTING FACT: White and Black are considered achromatic colours because they lack hue.

Important key words

What are important key words we need to familiarise with to describe colours?

• Hue: Means the pure, basic colour as seen on a colour wheel, such as red, blue or yellow.
• Tint: Refers to lighter, paler versions of the original colour that is obtained by adding white to a hue; pastel colours are tints.
• Shade: Is attained by adding black to the hue resulting in a darker value of the original colour.
• Tone: Mixing gray to a hue produces instead a lower intensity and a more muted colour because it desaurates the hue.

How to choose a colour palette

Before deciding on what colour palette to choose for your next collection it is advisable to take into consideration colour schemes first.

Monochromatic, complementary and anologous colour schemes are three ways to combine colours from a colour palette. What are their differences?

Monochromatic Colour Schemes

A monochromatic colour scheme uses different variations of a single colour, or hue, this comprises variations of tints, shades and tones as well. This choice of colour scheme creates a clean, sophisticated, and harmonious effect that provides a cohesive look .

The following images are examples of monochromatic choices:

Complimentary Colour Schemes

Colour can be an essential part of the work when creating a contrast.

Complimentary colour schemes use two colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel creating a vibrant and eye-catching design.

Complimentary colours work because, by creating an intense contrast, they highlight their nuances and appear more vivid and bright.

The grayscale spectrum, a sub-category

Some combinations can produce a more intense and vibrant contrast, whereas others can neutralise each other, such as with a grayscale spectrum, or variations of a non-colour of the same hue, in fact gray may also be considered monochromatic, however, a monochromatic scheme is based on different shades of the same hue, whereas in the case of the image below, for example, we have different colours, technically a sub-category.

There are also contrasts between warm and cool colours.

Moreover, within each colours there are warmer and cooler tones.

Analogous Colours

These come from using three or more colours that are next to one another on the colour wheel creating a calming and cohesive effect, often found in nature.

COLOUR DYES: SYNTHETIC VS NATURAL

There are two ways to obtain colours one is man-made and synthetic produced in laboratories through chemical procedures and often through coal tar, the other natural that can be otbained from plants, insects and minerals.

Advantages and disadvantages of synthetic dyes

From an industrialised production perspective the advantages derived from synthetic dyes are multiple.

The process of colour dyeing most certainly create wide, vibrant and consistent colour palettes which last longer (colourfastness) and do not require time consuming procedures or trial and error efforts; moreover the colours do not fade, bleed or crack. The results are always consistent with the outcome desired and they are cheaper to produce on a mass scale.

However synthetic dyes can be very harmful to the environment and workers due to its high levels of heavy metals required and the great consumption of water. Furthermore, its production can release toxic materials in the environment polluting water and soil. It can also be unhealthy for consumers.

Advantages and disadvantages of natural dyes

From a sustainable enviromental perspective it goes without saying that natural dyes are the best choice.

Their source is organic materials like plants, insect, and minerals. They are biodegradable so they are safer for the environment, although they still may be toxic because of the specific mordants required for some of their production, the same risk can also be encountered in skin contact, yet they are generally less dangerous than sythetic dyes.

As far as their disadvantages are concerned, from an industrial production, they are less colourfast than synthetic dyes, meaning that the colours may fade over time with exposure to light and water.

In addition, the process of natural dyes limits the range of colours and they result as somewhat opaque, moreover the final outcome is not predictable, however this can also be considered a plus because of its uniqueness due to natural variations.

Finally they require more labour and are more expensive to produce.

COLOURS, DESIGN, AND FABRIC

As mentioned in the opening, colours, design and fabric must all blend well together to achieve the best result.

Therefore, when sketching a first draft it is always best to keep in mind the final effect we are striving for so as to choose properly all the necessary elements.

Time and occasion are not less relevant, so depending on the type of collection, whether morning or afternoon attire, business or leisure, or even night events, all must be thought out well before proceeding with the end product in order to succeed.

Needless to say that fabric is an essential part of all these choices combined, depending on the type of cloth the effect will vary.

There are many types of different fabrics available on the market today. They go from natural to synthetic or man-made.

Some of the most common natural fibres are wool, probably the oldest one, cotton, linen, silk and all of them have different characteristics that suit various designs and are appropriate for specific time and occasions.

Among the synthetic varieties we can list nylonf, polyester, lyocell (Tencel), elastane (Lycra), or the more recent technological development in the textile industry like GORE-TEX fabri which is water-proof.

MODAL FABRIC

Among the many textiles available today there is modal fabric which is better for the environment as it comes from a renewable source, it’s produced from the beech wood which grows fast and does not need much water or pesticides, it is made by recycling chemicals reducing waste and pollution.

Moreover, modal is biodegradable meaning that it breaks down naturally without harming the environement and, unlike polyester which comes from oil it is a greener option therefore it leaves a lower carbon footprint.

Lastly, new eco-friendly modal fabrics are helping the fashion industry to become more sustainable.

MODAL FABRIC COMPARED TO COTTON AND POLYESTER

A Beginners Guide to Fabric Types | Hawthorn

© L. R. Capuana