The ‘FAUX COUTURE – ISSUE Fashion Editorial’ is one of our online ISSUE segments, head to ‘THE IRIS ISSUE’ for the complete editorial and set of images.
Amy Winehouse famously sang “you go back to her, and I go back to black”. Certain colours are synonymous to specific feelings. Black and sadness. Red and power. White and purity. This isn’t to say that there is only one way to interpret what a colour signifies. In fact, that’s part of the reason why colour experimentation can be so fascinating and layered in meaning.
The world of fashion has a long history of using colour to distinguish between different groups, to respond to societal movements or, as a means of setting a brand apart and establishing its brand identity.
The age of social media
These days, culture shifts are so heavily entangled and often originate from social media. In the same way Alix Earle can turn into one of the biggest influencers overnight, a particular clothing item or brand can become the latest must-have. Thanks to Gen Z, the same applies to colours.
Sofia Richie’s 2023 re-branding was completed when she married Elliot Grainge at Hotel du Cap-Edec-Roc in Antibes back in April. TikTok was hooked. The girlies were suddenly searching for Sofia Richie make-up, trying to get their hands on Chanel’s pointed toe ballet flats and painting their nails blueberry milk. All it took was an ootd picture of Sofia in an oversized white T-shirt dress showing Instagram her nails. This creamy, powdery sheer blue shade applied over a white base became the manicure colour of the summer with Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter both taking part in the micro-trend.
The latest example of colours taking center stage on social media is red. From tomato girl fall to cherry red for autumn, there’s a few variations happening here. Down the runway, for the Ferragamo Fall/Winter 2023 collection Maximilian Davis showcased bright red oversized coats, red pouches, and red wool sweaters. Stella McCartney’s equestrian-themed Fall 2023 collection also featured tomato red on oversized polo shirts, handbags as well as sharply tailored jackets. On the TikTok side of things, there’s been a flood of Pinterest mood board slideshows featuring what has been dubbed as the colour of autumn: cherry red. From vintage cherry red leather jackets to sambas, who are continuing their domination as the sneaker of the moment into fall, getting a cherry red makeover, this hue of red is set to dominate fall fashion.
Brand identity
Of course, trends have always influenced designers. However, not all is left to popularity and trendiness. To cement a brand in history, give it longevity and enable it to become a household name, a brand’s DNA must be a lot stronger than a collection of trends. The use of colour to set a brand apart and build its identity can be seen in some of today’s biggest brands.
The founder of Tiffany & Co, Charles Lewis Tiffany, chose what is now known as the Tiffany Blue colour hue as the cover colour for the brand’s jewelry catalogue back in 1845. The brand has since managed to distinguish itself and monopolize this particular shade of blue in the minds of consumers. Another example is the repolarization of Bottega Venetta by Daniel Lee during his tenure at the brand between 2018-2021. The now famous Bottega Green was introduced in the brand’s range of offerings by Lee and has been worn by the likes of A-list celebrities like A$AP Rocky and Rihanna. Beyond the use of a single, distinctive colour designers have also been combining different colours to create memorable garments. Iconic black designer Stephen Burrows has been credited for popularizing colour blocking, which was a core element of the identity of his brand.
The LOAD POV
Our mission at LOAD is to highlight unique forms of expression and creativity. Individuality and boldness are at the core of what this magazine stands for. And of course we think colour can be a powerful tool to achieve this.
Boredom is not part of our vocabulary, this editorial is all about strong visuals and contrasts. There’s more than meets the eye in these images – we’ve combined modern with traditional silhouettes paired with intense make-up and Marie Antoinette-esque hair for maximum visual stimulation. From ruffled head pieces, sparkly bodycon dresses to sheer gowns, this shoot is a prime example of just how striking colour can be.
In putting together these clothes, the designers were inspired by bringing French Renaissance fashion into the 21st century. Puffy corset dresses are styled with bold leather details. There’s also an air of mystery surrounding the clothes: understated oriental details, lace cover-up pieces and feathers all work together to create a beautiful mismatch.
The LOAD POV will always deviate from that of a traditional fashion magazine giving a platform to voices that are perhaps underrepresented in mainstream media. Interestingly, there is a clear link between the use of striking colour in fashion and creating space for those very voices.
Colour, Symbolism & Society
Throughout the history of fashion, marginalized groups and communities that haven’t had the privilege of blending in have made the bold choice of loudly and proudly standing out. One of the most powerful examples of this is the LGBTQ flag.
The first rainbow flag was designed by artist Gilbert Baker, who was an openly gay man and a drag queen. Baker saw flags as the most powerful symbol of pride. He adopted eight different colours for the stripes, each colour having its own meaning. Hot pink for sex. Red for life. Orange for healing. Yellow for sunlight. Green for nature. Turquoise for art. Indigo for harmony. Violet for spring. Baker stated in an interview that “Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth, as I say, to get out of the lie. A flag really fit that mission, because that’s a way of proclaiming your visibility or saying, ‘This is who I am!’”.
On the theme of bold colours, pink has been having its moment recently thanks to the Barbie movie. Historically, there’s been a clearly traceable link between pink and girlhood since the 1940s which originated from baby dressing. At the risk of sounding like a boomer, all of us have heard of the phrase “pink is for girls and blue is for boys”. We completely disagree but taking a quick look at a hospital store will tell us that this phrase has a lot more relevance today than we would like it to.
The Barbie movie turns this narrative on its head. The misleading belief that vanity, bold pink dressing or looking after one’s appearance are anti-feminist takes away from a woman’s power and her right to self-define the type of woman she wishes to be. The launch of Barbie gave us all an excuse to embrace our inner doll and celebrate our love of pink. And to the Kens of the world, you just wouldn’t get it, go back to your mojo dojo casa house.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, we’ve also seen the emergence of what has been dubbed as quiet luxury. We all love or love to hate the Roy family. Jesse Armstrong’s Succession universe is all about understated fashion. The theory behind this being that if you’re that wealthy, you don’t need to show it off or rather, you invest in quality over logos and boldness. And sure enough at least part of the world of high fashion has listened. Predictably, the colour palette of quiet luxury is “quiet”. Whites, blacks, nudes and browns feature heavily. See Peter Do’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection showcasing a white clean-lined skirt and subtle details. Sculptural jackets, often in black, have also featured heavily in recent designer collections with Khaite and YSL being just some examples.
Whilst there is nothing wrong with minimalist dressing, there’s something about the quiet luxury movement that feels a tiny bit sinister and exclusionary. Understated clothes can be beautiful and elegant but refusing to venture out beyond them and criticizing fashion choices that challenge this is short-sighted.
In conclusion…
Ultimately, whether you’re on the minimalist or maximalist side of the fashion world, there’s beauty in understanding the rich history behind the use of different colours. From trends to brand identifiers and symbols of protest, colours are tools accessible to everyone in writing their history and finding their voice. We’re excited to see how different eras will shape our perception of a colour’s meaning and significance.
Written by Stella Seimeni
Team:
Photographer ANDRE ALEXANDROU @ANDRE_ALEXANDROU
Fashion ANDRE ALEXANDROU @ANDRE_ALEXANDROU
Stlyling Theodora Malekou @theodoraism
In Frame Olga Ganzha @ganjulla_portfolio
Creative Director Maria Borissova @thebrisva
Make-up Artist Andrea Costi @andreacostimakeup
Hair Panikos Tsoupas @leloftcy
Studio HARRIS KYPRIANOU @harris_kyprianou_studio
Article Stella Seimeni @STELLA_SEIM