Textiles are becoming more of a focus for many companies early on in the design process, and this attention to palette, yarn, textile and trim is allowing products to become more inspired by mood and resulting in more diverse combinations across the sectors.
Why is colour important in textiles?
Until recently, many textile mills were focused on producing fabrics with basic tones – some might say they were playing it safe. However, companies are now expressing a desire to source new and innovative textiles to refresh their products, with the main reason for this being the emergence of new colour trends from mixing satellite or second tier colour palettes to the existing colours available to them.
With uplifted colour variations has come a renewed sense of positivity within the textiles industry and beyond. Companies are now better understanding the mood that can be created by new combinations and have gained a better awareness of their audience via social media interaction and more sophisticated marketing strategies. This means that these companies have a more complete picture of what their customers want and how they can achieve it.
How can textiles be used to engage customers?
Colour palettes are not just developed from a colour point of view, however. The new production methods take into account different fibres and ingredients used to create collections and how these will work together. For example, a company like Fabric Architecture (http://www.fabricarchitecture.com/), a tensile fabric structure specialist, might have visions for a particular tone of colour to enhance its performance and effect. Textile mills will therefore experiment with prototype structures to produce a colour and yarn that connects and works with the purpose of the fabric.
Similarly, sports apparel designers will work with textiles experts to come up with combinations for activewear that look great but also absorb sweat and prevent overheating. If you are interested in knowing more about the history of synthetic fabrics and how the industry has arrived where it is now, take a look at the account offered by the Textile School – http://www.textileschool.com/articles/339/history-of-fabrics.
Additional benefits to the use of more innovative palettes are the psychology behind colour and how this can impact on business sales. Many even claim that specific colours are more likely to spark conversations on the web!
