Stahl colour predictions

Stahl predict that colours for leather in the autumn and winter of 2003/2004 will be those of our surroundings, drawn from nature and from the home. These colours can be related to a growing interest in natural looking leather complementing a return to natural, folksy materials for clothing and for home decoration. The colours break down into five groups; Untouched, Integrity, Sombre, Sweet and Grandeur and are illustrated on Stahl's latest colour forecast poster. Untouched is a group of colours reflecting the gentler, paler tones of nature and the home. These are simple subtle ethereal and glowing hues ranging from fresh ivory white through pale greys to sand and beige tones. Their gentleness gives fashion a feeling of shimmering transparency and the hues of cashmere, alabaster and soft clouds, yet they provide a feeling of warmth and comfort. The raw reality of nature is found in the Integrity group which leads away from modern high technology towards natural materials derived from earth, bark, honey, granite, maple, chalk and flesh. Darker still, more spartan and raw, is the Sombre group, a range of colours that are restrained yet vivid, half-remembered yet definite and sensuous. These colours are never far from nature, ranging from tar black through slate grey, deep and paler purples and petrol green. Moving back into lighter and brighter hues, as its name implies, the Sweet group is a fairy tale picture of loveliness that is charming, vintage, old fashioned and nice, recalling the days of childhood. Colours are those of the fields, of wild flowers in faded cornflower, gentle yellows, dusky pinks and pot-pourri lilacs contrasting with deeper blues, greens and mineral reds. Granny's attic is a source of inspiration for fashion, providing memories of a previous generation. This leads directly to the rich, sumptuous colours of period decadence in Grandeur. Ornate soirées of a long gone era combine with the drama of the ball in rich, ornate surroundings for evening wear. Colours recall the ceilings of Versailles, cochineal red, frosted pink and eau de nil with backgrounds of greys and mahoganies. Overall the picture ranges from simplicity with gentle colours to high drama filled with old-world decoration and clothing that recalls the atmosphere of costume drama in the theatre or on television. The wide range of Stahl's wet-end, dyeing and finishing products, aimed at the autumn/winter 2003/2004 season will enable leather to play its own important part in creating these effects on clothing and shoes and in the home.