Introduction
The project is divided into 2 parts. The first part is a group research study which requires us to apply color theories to study, analyze a selected fashion brand. Kenzo is the brand we have studied. Each group member is responsible for 1 year fashion collection. And I am responsible for the 2006 Kenzo Spring/ Smmer and Fall/Winter.
The second part is individual work which is to design a fall winter collection for this brand. We need to forecast the color trend and make out the designs.
Part 1-Group research
Our group analyzes 6 years of Kenzo collections in total. In order to studying the 06 Kenzo collection, I find the collection photo in style.com. I recorded 4 points in each outfit. They are:
1. which colors are the garment used
2. the proportion of the color
Then I find out some colors, color scheme and theory are use frequently. I also realize which colors are the main colors in that collection. For the 06 Kenzo S/S collection, dark blue, red and white colors are the main colors. We can easy to image that these 3 colors are related to sea, sailing and sailor. And the theme of the collection is nautical. For the 06 Kenzo F/W collection, green, blue, red, black and white are the main colors. The designer applied different color scheme such as achromatic, mono-chromatic, double split complementary, single split complementary and analogous. For details, it can be found in this blog.
Summary of Kenzo 6 years’ collections
Since Antonio Marras to be the designer of KENZO, he still retains the concept of flowers and flourishing color in KENZO collections. In 04~09 collection, I find that the inspiration mainly comes from natural world, exoticism and national culture.

After the group research, I find that some colors are always used in KENZO collections. They are red, black, white, blue and green colors. Red is the cooperate color of KENZO. When we see the red color, it is linked to the brand of KENZO immediately.
05 SS(black, Blue, green)
05 FW (pink, yellow, gree, blue, black ,white)
06 SS (pink, dark blue, white)
06 FW(dark green, blue, red, black, white)
07 SS (red, yellow, blue, green, pink, black ,white)
07 FW( black, grey, white, red, green, blue-green)
08 SS
08 FW(red, blue green, yellow-green, blak,white, grey)
09 SS(red, red orange, yellow-green, yellow, grey)
Black and white are always used in KENZO collection even in spring/summer or fall/winter. In fashion industry, Black and white colors are never to be past tense.
Blue and green are always used in KENZO collections especially in fall/winter. As I know, Kenzo Takada (高田賢三 Takada Kenzō)is a Japanese fashion designer. He is also the founder of a world-wide brand KENZO. He loves nature. His inspiration always comes from natural world. Blue and green are the natural colors and it represents sky, sea and plants.
Part 2 – individual work (Forecasting KENZO 09 F/W collection)
My theme is bride-to-be. As I have mentioned before, Kenzo always gain the inspiration from national culture. He loves those cultures full of exoticism. In my mind, India culture is full of color. After researching of India culture, I find an interesting topic-marriage in India. In their culture, female is treated in an unfair way. There are privileges of certain groups, especially the men. It is similar to ancient China. But In India, Generally all expenses of wedding are to be borne by the girl's side. So some ladies may not marry to the boys because of limited money. For India ladies, it is really happy for them to become bride-to-be. On the other hand, they may not married because of improverishment. In my collection, you will find happiness and a bit piteous feeling.(expressed by warm color but in low value)
The main colors are red, orange, black and white. The supplementary colors are blue and yellow colors. I avoid using those colors which have been used in 08 F/W collection except Black, White and Red (these colors almost used in every collection.)
In my research for the India culture, I find that red is necessary in India marriage. Red means Simplicity, Purity and Candor in their culture. We can see that their bridal veil is in red color. So it is the reason why I choose red to be the main color in this collection. Orange is often used in the India garments. When I see this color, I feel happy and exoticism. Orange can be linked to India. It is an Aggressive (Warm) Colors. It gives enthusiasm feeling.
The theme broad explains my theme bride-to-be as well as the color I use in the collection. According to the color theme broad, I try to match the color in 6 outfits. I make use of the software Adobe illustrator to do the experiment and it can save time and do the work efficiently.
Explain on 6 outfits
Color Definition
1. Primary Colors: red (different value and chroma) and bright yellow
2. Secondary Colors: light orange
3. Tertiary (Intermediate) Colors: red-orange and blue-green
4. Achromatic color: black and white
Color Matching of 09 Kenzo Fall/Winter collection
The second outfit is used analogous scheme which is used red, red-orange and yellow white color. The main color of the garment is red-orange. So the proportion of red-orange is the large one. I add a large proportion of white because I discover that white make the main color more bright and eye-catching. And the red and yellow colors are next to the red-orange in color wheel. We can see the colors harmonize because of the Principle of Resemblance.
Emphasis point: the bag and the top part of the garment
The third outfit is used the principle of Contrast of color. The main colors are blue-green with white color. I use the bright yellow for highlighting the edge of the garment because it is the detail of design and I want people to look it first.
Color proportion (percentage)
blue-green: 35%
The fifth outfit is used contrast scheme. In Kenzo collection, flower print cannot be excluded. It is the main design point. In order to emphasis the flower, i use red (the corporate color) on it. And the total of the design look like japanese traditional garment Kimono. I find that some garments show the japan culture in each season. So it is the reason behind of this design.
The last outfit is used analogous Color Scheme. I use the red color in the middle part because the red color represents Kenzo and my theme. Maybe you will feel straight on it. For me, it looks pleasure to my eyes. It shows elegant and noble.
Conclusion
I learn a lot in this project. I think it is an interesting task for me. Color is not easy to study but actually it is quite interesting.










ival or simply into your home. The red tilak while sometimes used as a symbol of ‘blessing’ from an elderly to a youngster is also used in many customary functions. The customs include traditional Indian festivals such as Raksha Bandhan (the festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters) and Durga Puja.The tilak, in theory, has to do with the third eye of Lord Shiva, the destroyer, one of the most revered Indian gods and part of the Trinity. The third eye is in tandem with Lord Shiva’s third eye opening to beckon the end of the world. However its customary significance is that of the all-seeing, all-pervading power that protects the inner wisdom of those that it’s applied on.The red tilak is replaced by a tiny red dot on the foreheads of married women who place this ‘bindi’ between the brows to symbolize spirituality. The bindi in particular is a symbol of feminine energy and supposed to protect both the wife and the husband. Although bindis have gone far from the traditional red circle, tradition and customs keep it alive at many places.It is also a part of Indian custom to tie a long red string around the wrist of loved ones during prayer as a mark of protection and to safeguard against the evil eye. Individuals wear it for a month till the thread wears off.Red in mythology denotes bravery, protection
and strength. Red powder is often showered on deities at temples during prayer. The colored powder therefore has become a hugely intrinsic part of Indian culture.Indian customs and culture are often described as riots of colors with almost every desirable color thrown in for good measure. But red truly remains the core symbol of power and spirituality, of protection and commitment. It is a color that has not faded the trials of time and stands alone as the most powerful.The sexual denotations of the red in the West are replaced by the simplicity, purity and ritualistic candor of the color in the east. The dynamism of red has always led it to command power and awe. It’s interesting however to see how different cultures utilized the color in their daily lives.Red in India is considered holy and is symbolic of a certain time, place and action in one's personal life. While castes, beliefs and rituals may differ across religious sects in India, the overall implications of the color are universal.Continue exploring my series 'The Colors of India'



























main colors

Cixi






















