The Evergreen Indigo
The Evergreen Indigo
Colours seem to come and go each season, but there’s one hue that has been at the top of many a designer’s lists for innumerable seasons — Indigo. From home décor to personal accessories and ramp fashion, they have all been dipped, draped or dyed in indigo — a trend that isn’t about to fade anytime soon!
Indigo provides a wide variety of shades of blue — from the darkest hues to the more subtle ones. The longer a fabric is dipped in dye of this colour, the darker the shade gets, as the shade depends on the amount of dye contained in the fabric, rather than the colour itself. And hence, the hues and shades can be played around with with each wash.
Coming back to trends, let’s find out what’s trending in indigo this season?
“Indigo ages beautifully; it’s not a trend, it’s a classic! For this season, its going to be simple, pure, no washes and its going to be very true and natural,” says Himanshu, Creative Head at 11.11.
This brand celebrates the manufacturing path of their products from the seed to stitch, the journey of natural and sustainable manufacturing to bring a collection that salutes fibres, processes and the people involved.
Design Head Shyam from Korra Jeans, meanwhile, says, “Its going to be very traditional. We usually do indigo in its woad shade (greenish blue). It is going to be natural, with hardly any washes, the complete raw look.”
INDIGO ALL YEAR
A slightly purple-tinted blue of a darker shade came in all sorts of designs on the runway this winter, appearing all over the world. It appeared on Altuzarra’s button-down dresses, while Acne Studios sweaters and mesh tops where dipped in this mid-tone between blue and violet.
Esteban Cortazar used the darkest versions of this colour, while Martin Grant took a bold step mixing it with with lemon-colured chiffon. This hue definitely defined the Elie Saab royal image and lifted the collection in the most positive manner. It comes up at Junya Watanabe and enjoys the spotlight at the beautifully printed Etro. Amanda Wakeley showcased this colour in both the London and New York Fashion Weeks. While this colour has always been a hit during the Fall, it managed to seep into the Spring ’16 collections as well. We have seen different shades of blue appearing at 3.1 Phillip Lim, a touch of it at Ellery, as well as in Sonia Rykiel and Sacai. It looked incredible at the New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks too.
DENIM
Indigo primarily reminds one of denim. The shades of indigo are synonymous to denim, and there is no denying the fact that it is the largest user of the blue dye. Denims are a classic, and are always seen on the the ramp from the lightest, extremely washed to the darkest denims. This season, the Spring ’16 fashion tells us that the ’90s are coming back in a big, slouchy and bright blue ways. Dries Van Noten, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs,Off-White and Chanel displayed a mix of shades with patching light on dark and vice versa.
BEYOND DENIM
This versatile color is exploding in more than one way, and with good reason too. It’s about to become your closet’s new mainstay, because it works splendidly from the head straight down to the toes.
“When you see Target and other mass-market retailers doing it, you know it’s a big trend,” says Joan Osofsky, owner of Hammertown décor and gift stores. “Indigo is luxurious. It has a very lush, vintage feel that makes it appealing to a wide range of customers. People are tired of all the grays that were popularized by stores like Restoration Hardware, and there’s an interest in bringing back color. Indigo is rich, beautiful alternative to paler blues, or a more classic shade like navy,” he adds.
Indigo is certainly having its moment — from notebooks and journals, table linens, tote bags and cosmetic cases, jewellery and many, many more. Currently, Hammertown provides sofas, pillows, throws, scarves, and ceramic bowls — all in INDIGO.
INDIGO, HERE TO STAY…
Indigo got bigger than ever, as it extended its reach further beyond denims, with chambray shirts, dresses, products, revitalized chinos, and crispy dress shoes.
Another reason behind indigo making it big is the increased consumer awareness. More and more retailers are driving consumers towards sustainable clothing, and the key focus of the consumers is on wearing eco-friendly garments.
As unisex trends transcended the boundaries of gender norms, a colour like indigo — which is equally male and female — definitely becomes the obvious choice of designers, making it a trend one simply cannot ignore!