“Who decides the future colour trends?” asks Kavissha Sri, textile designer at her colour and fashion forecast workshop organised by the Coimbatore Art Foundation at Lalit Kalakshetra. And then she explains: “In 2008-2009, many countries faced recession. The prominent colour in those years was sunshine yellow. It is not a coincidence. Yellow represents re-birth or re-incarnation, which was the perfect for that situation. Thus the colours are decided by the socio-economic and cultural factors from around the world.”
A NIFT graduate, Sri was interested in colours from a young age. “My grandfather loved painting. I also like to experiment with different mediums. I eventually found my love for textiles through these colours.” She tells me that the current trend is sustainable fashion. “It means minimal buying, recycling and investing in long-lasting products. The colours for the coming years are decided by professional fashion forecasters who travel around the world to explore different cultures and shows before they do so.”
Sri says that the materials available in and the landscape of a region also define the colours of the area. “Rajasthan uses bright colours that show up in the brown sand whereas, in Kerala, traditional wear comes in light shades as they have thick vegetation with dark hues. Kashmir uses a lot of wool and the natural dye available is also dark. It helps them stand out against the white snow.” She moves on to colour predictions for the coming years. “The current trend is charcoal brown, rust, yellow, and sulphur green. From mid-February, it will slowly move to washed Indigo, ginger, and mulberry red. This is a drastic change from last year’s pink. In summer, bright colours like solar orange, leaf green and butterfly blue will be in vogue and will later give way to colours like plum, lilac and powder pastels. This is applicable not only in clothing, but in all industries. It is based on predictions made by the magazine WGSN.”
Every colour has negative and positive connotations — “It is related to colour psychology. White, for example, is very positive” — but colour combinations are very personal, she says. “There is a common belief that bright colours do not suit people with dark skin. But, in recent years, people are exploring colours that they would not have used earlier.”
Sri, who is now working with Pollachi-based Ethicus, plans to open a design studio to teach art in the future.
