How Colour Changed the World of Fashion
Colour is one of the most powerful tools in fashion. For hundreds of years, only rich people could wear bright colours because the dyes were very expensive. Blue came from a plant called indigo, and red came from tiny insects. These colours were difficult to find, so most ordinary people wore grey, brown, or cream.
Everything changed in 1856 when a young scientist named William Perkin accidentally made the first chemical dye. He called it mauve, a soft purple colour. Suddenly, bright colours became cheap and easy to make. Factories started producing purple, green, and pink fabrics for everyone. Today, fashion designers use thousands of colours in their collections. They study which colours make people feel happy, calm, or excited. Next time you choose a shirt or a dress, think about the long history behind its colour.
