Colour is one of the most exciting and fundamental components in art, as important in telling the story as the shape is. Artists use it for its decorative beauty, to create mood, as a symbol, to express themselves or to provoke an emotion. Different colours affect us differently, either consciously or subconsciously, having the power to evoke every type of feeling – from happiness and misery to femininity and masculinity, and even fears and cravings. 

The same goes for using colour in fashion. But is fashion a form of art? One of the most complex questions in history. In answering, we might point out that just like a painting or a sculpture, a piece of clothing originates from an intellectual process. Fashion designers seek inspiration from the same sources as architects, writers and painters. Fashion represents a certain period, just as any other form of art does. But also, fashion has a practical purpose, whereas art does not. There are countless examples that connect and differentiate these two worlds. 

Instead of analysing deeper, we are joining the conversation with this visual exploration of the concept through the colours of our Spring-Summer’21 collection. Aiming to bring art and fashion closer, we are introducing BY FAR’s seven colour strategies for this season, presented as the main creative force in the work of our favourite artists.

EMERALD 

Green, being one of the big colours this summer, is coming in a variety of shades.

Emerald, or Paris Green, is a bright blue-green named after the precious gemstone. The sophisticated and grown-up emerald had, however, a controversial reputation. It had been once cherished amongst the great painters for its vivid tone and excellent stability, even after they found out about its poisonous nature. Despite its dark past, the colour is associated with harmony, security and balance. It symbolises hope and creates a sense of peace.

LIME GREEN AND FUCHSIA

At BY FAR, the playful freshness of the lime green stands out to compliment the unforgettable, even commanding attention, fuchsia. Lime green is a renowned stress-reliever meant to release the past and deliver the rewards one deserves, while fuchsia is known for its maturity and certainty. Remarkable on their own, when blended, they turn into a striking summer combination, made to make you feel confident and empowered.

ICE

Ice blue is surprisingly strong for a pastel! Representing two of the greatest nature features, the sea and the sky, blue is the most liked colour by both women and men, maybe because it is associated with freedom, intuition and imagination, but also with health, healing and tranquillity. Blue has a fascinating history, dating back more than 6000 years when ancient Egyptians figured out how to create a permanent pigment that they used for decoration. Known as the rarest and most expensive shade of all, some artist even went into dept to use blue. When it comes to clothing, the colour has an altogether different story.

PEONY

It is always the right time to invite the gentle modernity of the peony pink into your life. It is a sophisticated and happy colour that symbolizes good luck and prosperity but also intimacy and innocence. Its history is full of contradictions. In contemporary Japanese culture, pink is considered a masculine and mournful colour, while in the West it is more feminine and happier, although it was favoured by both men and women for many centuries.

LAGOON AND PAPAYA

Papaya is flamboyant, lovely and cheerful. It signifies youth and being fearless, spontaneous, and assertive. It is often used to signal danger while at the same time ignites euphoria. Orange is also quite prominent in Asian religions, where it is seen as the perfect balance between the perfection of yellow and the power of red.

A colour for adventures, lagoon blue, is for the tenacious achievers, for the ones always on the watch out for the next big challenge to conquer. Together they represent the joy of life, filled with surprises and novelty.

CUSTARD

Often associated with sunlight, custard yellow gives a calm and harmonious feeling, evoking happiness while also denoting wisdom. Yellow is one of the first colours used in art – in the Lascaux cave in France, there is a painting of a yellow horse that is 17,000 years old. Throughout the years, it signified many different things, including cowardliness and betrayer, used to depict Judas Iscariot by Medieval and Renaissance artists, but also cruelty, wealth and even hope.