Culture, religion and traditionIndividuals’ colour preferences may change from one country’s culture to another. The colour white symbolizes purity and innocence hence, white is worn for mourning, however certain countries wear drastically contrasting colours such as black due to it’s indication of grief and gravity. A trend for black clothing during a period of mourning was created by Queen Victoria, when she clothed herself in black to bemoan her husband’s death.Interestingly, until Coco Chanel designed the iconic black dress in 1926, a woman wearing black clothing for anything other than funerals and mourning was considered to be in bad taste.
(ltd, n.d.) Thereafter, black became quite a popular colour in the fashion industry and is currently seen as a neutral tone around the world. Black also indicates worldliness and status which signifies why a judge’s robe or a businessman’s suit is mostly black.Queen Victoria also influenced the white wedding dress trend, as she got married in 1840.
Even now, white wedding dresses are worn by brides in certain European countries.It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one.” (Limited, 2019)However, decades ago, brides adorned themselves in red for their weddings. Today, brides in countries such as India wear red. Different tribes or ethnicities in the same regions may also wear various colours. The Masai tribe of Kenya in commonly witnessed in red traditional wear. However, the clothing colours would differ in various other tribes in Kenya.Different traditional occasions may involve appropriate colours. In Sri Lanka, according to the customs of the traditional Sinhala and Tamil new year, people tend to focus on a specific colour for the seasonal festivities. Therefore, the majority may prefer traditional clothing of that colour. Sub conscience The human brain may tend to recover and choose certain colours from the long-term memory and apply it in their choice of clothing without being aware of it. In the past, if an individual has a sweet memory of a loved one dressed in a certain colour, then it’s quite likely that he/she may subconsciously replicate this colour in his/her clothing that may be worn in the future. Expression of personality, feelings or emotions. The idea of individuals’ perceptions could be displayed through their choice of colour.red communicates excitement, passion or anger, yellow is cheerful representing prosperity and a bright sunny disposition and purple can be used to showcase royalty, power or even mysteriousness. (ResearchGate, 2019)This provides evidence as to why, red is a common colour for elegant evening wear, purple is seen at magician’s shows and yellow is worn for many festivals. The colour blue has an ataractic effect, although it depends on the shade of blue. This could be the reason why most hospital robes are light blue in colour. age and gender (also countries where its more unisex)Gender is not an impediment in most contemporary countries, although it may tend to hinder the clothing colours in many other countries. From the day we were born, blue has been used for baby boys and pink for baby girls. As we grow older, this barrier does not seem to diminish, specially for men. When a man wears pink clothing, he is suspected to be homosexual. This fact seems to be avoided in cultures that accept a wide range of unisex clothing colours.Colour may differ according to the age of the muse. Youngsters may choose flashy, bright colours whereas the older generation would wish for plain, nude tones. fashion seasons According to the worth global style network neo mint is seen as the futuristic colour for 2020. colour of features on the human bodyPeoples’ choice of clothing colour may be linked to their complexion, features and other characteristics. The colour of their eyes or hair may harmonize with the colour of their clothing. Individuals with fairer complexions may prefer dark colours and people with darker complexions may opt for lighter colours. Due to these multifarious factors that affect colour, it is crucial for a designer to choose colours quite wisely and effectively. In order to accomplish this, a designer must know about their muse accurately, stay ahead of them and cleverly execute a fresh colour palette for their collection. Brand ethos/aesthetic/association to colour. Colour plays a significant role in the fashion industry as it is the predominant attention grabber, it is key to brand identity and also key to customer loyalty. Seasons and colourThe chosen colours for a designer’s collection should be associated with the seasonal colour palettes in the fashion industry. A colour change will differentiate seasons such as spring/summer which contains warm to dark tones and autumn/winter which contains light and bright colours. The forecasted colours for spring summer 2020 comprises of reform, submerge, sensory, bio-green and pussy power, conforming to the textile view magazine. According to the worth global style network neo mint is seen as the futuristic colour for 2020. Colours that are too forward should not be chosen, it is necessary to maintain a link between the previous collection’s colour palette and the new collection’s tones.The personality, lifestyle and other characteristics of the customer audience must be investigated in order to produce clothing in colours that they would wear. Seasonal, traditional festivals and their colour trends must be contemplated. Various cultures, societal norms and countries must be studied. The divergence in culture must be examined before bringing forth a collection. A western bridal clothing designer may have trouble finding a solid customer base in an Asian country that is quite similar to India.With regard to decisions taken based on colour, professional advice (such as pantone) and external tools must always be taken into consideration.However, colour may not be the sole focus of a designer’s collection. Numerous factors such as the price that the customer is willing to pay for a garment or the fabric and textile quality of a garment may also be decisive elements to consider, prior to creating a collection.Ideal customer audienceBibliographyBoddy, J., 2018. Neo Mint ” The S/S 2020 colour. [Online] Available at: 10 05 2019].Dutta, J., n.d. What are the Factors that affect colour Choice in Clothes?. [Online] Available at: 01 05 2019].Limited, A. N., 2019. METRO News… but not as you know it. [Online] Available at: 19 04 2019].ltd, F. C. P., n.d. Why wear black at funerals?. [Online] Available at: 19 04 2019].Nunes, G., 2018. The Psychology of Color: How Color Affects Human Behavior. [Online] Available at: 30 04 2019].ResearchGate, 2019. Factors Influencing Colours in Clothing Selection. [Online] Available at: 20 04 2019].