What color is sure to always make a statement? Red. From our earliest Alice in Vermillion that got us hooked on how the color pops on denim to one of our new fall favorites Amalia in Vermillion, we think that the brilliant red orange color vermillion denim is the perfect combination of statement and class. In its naturally occurring form, vermilion is actually mercuric sulfide, a toxic compound also known as “cinnabar,” luckily for us the dyes and paints of today are non-toxic. Take a look back and read about the origins of the eye catching color.
As our design team continued to experiment with and discover new shades of red, it resulted in one of our summer favorites Almas Hi Rise Skinny in Acid Red and this fall’s stunning Alice Skinny in Devil Red. We continue to create and come up with new combinations of red denim; ever wonder where our design team finds inspiration for all of these different shades of red? Take a look at our Pinterest page for an in-depth look at our design team’s “Color Inspiration: Red” board.
As you know, we’re loving pink right now. You never know, a tone like this may just show up in the line!
Looking for design inspiration or just beautiful photos to peruse during class or work? Then you should definitely bookmark KristinaKlarin.Blogspot.com. All of the images Kristina Klarin posts tell a luscious color story, and she usually also pulls out the color palette underneath, which lends a huge sense of utility, whether you are working in the design field or just trying to pick a new paint scheme for your bathroom. As much as we love our books and magazines, blogs that lend a new perspective are their own category of required reading, and Kristina deserves credit for making something as simple as natural photography and color swatches into an everyday inspiration.
Michel Pastoureau begins his book Black: The History of a Color with a Biblical quote:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void. Darkness was upon the face of the deep… God said, ‘Let there be light”.
The color black has been a part of our collective pysche since the beginning of time. With a thorough text and a beautifully curated set of images, Pastoureau, a Historian at the Sarbonne, examines how over the centuries, the meaning and influence of the color has fluctuated in relation to culture, art and dress.
Prior to the year 1000, black was easily accepted as clothing. But in the early Christian period, black became less a color for everyday life and took on an association with the devilish and infernal. In medieval times, black was symbolic of wealth, royalty and luxury, before swinging back to the gloom and depression of the Romantic Period (think Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven). In the 20th century, black and white film, photography and print elevated black once again.
As acceptability and perception have shifted over time, today we see black as a dual personality: the proper, businesslike, modern, sleek color of the little black dress and the business suit is the same as the dark, rebellious, dangerous color of the gothic and the undergound. Black reflects the duality of human values in our modern society. Much like Pastoureau looks at broad historical periods to identify how perceptions of black have changed over time, designers are also required to look at trends in society each season and determine how to use the color black in a collection. Keep your eye on the runway during fashion week and you’ll start to see exactly how this translates into fashion.
Pick up a copy from Princeton University Press or Amazon.
We’re beyond excited to share the newest colors of our coated denim. After debuting our Color Coated Denim with warmer hues like Luggage, Chianti, and Vermilion earlier in the year, we’re turning down the temperature a bit with a new collection in an icier palette. As we saw on the Spring 2012 runways, cooler colors like dark purple and turquoise are right on trend, and we’re bringing our tones out early. Look for the same Coated you love, now in Dark Feather, Dark Taupe, Turquoise, Alabaster and Purple Mountain. The first shipments will hit stores in November!
The last of our favorite trends from the European Fashion Weeks was a tendency to strong color. While color is always featured on the spring runways, the 2012 lines were especially vibrant, with labels showing solids and bright prints in unconventional color combinations. Some of our favorite uses of color came from Haider Ackerman, who showed cool greens, violets and blues with metallic sheen, Burberry Prorsum, who mixed army greens and navy blues with yellow and orange detailing, and Gucci, who favored a bold emerald green and rusty orange with their usual black and white sexy aesthetic.
Denim will take similar color cues from the spring runways - HABITUAL is showing a variety of strong tones in the new line, including our Acid Red crackle coating, several new hues for our Color Coated denim, including the Alice Skinny in a dark, vivid green called Tea Leaf, a subtle salmon pink called Taj Mahal, and a sandy taupe called Goa, along with dyed denim washes like the acid yellow Tapestry and a cooler tone called Dark Teal.
You might have spotted our new coated denim ad running in this month’s NYLON. To create one of fall’s hottest trends, we start with a denim base, which gives the pants the shape and comfort of a pair of jeans, and then cover it in a coat of pigment to get a leather look on the outside, without the cost associated with the real thing. We have always loved leather, and coated allows us to achieve a similar look in a super soft new treatment. As a bonus, we don’t have to harm any small animals.
While many brands are doing a black coated denim for fall, what sets our coated apart is the color story and the quality of the denim underneath. We start with a super fine European legging denim for the base – no expense spared - so you get great fabric recovery and the best fit. We’ve also pushed beyond black and picked up some of the hottest trend colors from the fall. Coating is a tougher way to bring color into the line, taking on a deeper, richer tone and adding a rock & roll edge to the jeans, so we’ve avoided fluorescent pinks and oranges, and opted for tones like licorice, chocolate, chianti and vermilion. Aside from getting you on trend for fall, wearing a pair of coated denim just plain looks cool.
This photo was shot in our LA factory by Josh Argyle. We actually found this beautiful vintage wood panel in our storage area, and used it as a backdrop on a whim. Sure enough, after we looked at all the pictures, this shot turned out to be the one we all liked best.
You can pick up HABITUAL’s new Color Coated Denim at Scoop NYC and Fred Segal Girl.
