15th Aug 2023
Express yourself in colour
An interview with Rohan colour specialist Jodie Sandham.
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Express yourself
in colour
We recently sat down with Jodie Sandham, our colour specialist in the Rohan design team, to learn more about colour and the process behind choosing the colours for the Rohan range.
Here’s what she had to say:
Colour is highly subjective. Most people have a favourite, and many of us have colours that we dislike for seemingly no obvious reason. Some colours can make us feel uplifted, and some can dampen our mood. All these factors can make the task of choosing the right colour scheme for a clothing range rather challenging. At Rohan, we believe that choosing the right colour for a garment is nearly as important as choosing the material it’s made from.
Our design process isn’t led by trends. We design our clothes to last a very long time, so we put a lot of focus on the longevity and practicality of the garments. Because of this, we want the colours of our clothes to feel timeless. Our ability to refrain from following industry trends allows us to have more ownership over our colour schemes.
From concept to creation
When planning the overall colour scheme of a range, we start by creating a concept based around the intended end use of the products. We then take that concept and build a mood board of inspirational images that capture the mood and feeling of the range. From there, we create a conceptual colour story with colours that evoke and reflect that same feeling. This allows us to pick out a selection of shades that will eventually become the colour family for that range of clothing. It’s a very collaborative process that involves a lot of consideration around how the colour of the garment will make the wearer feel.
But it’s not quite as simple as just creating the right colour scheme for a single range. The Rohan layering system plays a large role in our colour story. It’s really important to create colour families that will flow and complement each other across ranges and styles, to try and ensure that any combination of outfits could be layered together cohesively.
Designed with you in mind
When designing our garments, our customers are our main focus. To choose the right colours for clothes we must consider how the end user will feel in the garment. For our range of technical outdoor clothing, we can use brighter and more playful colour families – whereas our range of travel and city-led clothing wants to portray a smarter and more comfortable style.
The colour of a garment can completely change the way you perceive it – but what we choose to name the colours in our range is equally important. The pairing of language and colour can change the way you feel about a colour. We spend a lot of time choosing the perfect names for the colours of our clothes to make sure that the perception of the colour matches the original design intention.
The significance of colour goes far beyond aesthetics. By understanding the link between colour and perception, we aim to forge a meaningful connection between the garments we make, and those who wear them. Timeless designs, built to last a lifetime.
