In the lead up to Green Friday, we're taking a close look at the colour green and its place in fashion and textiles.
Green's place in mainstream fashion has never been guaranteed. Natural green dye is difficult to produce and green isn't an easy colour for some people to wear because it clashes with certain skin tones. Though in May 2024, The Kit, a Canadian publication, declared that pistachio and sage tones are sprouting everywhere, so perhaps this is the year that green comes into its own.
Challenges in producing green fabrics
More than most colours, green's moments of glory have been offset by periods of neglect in the fashion world.
Historically, dyes were derived from plants, insects, minerals or a mixture of these elements. Despite green being a common colour in nature, there wasn't an easy way to extract green pigment and verdant shades could only be achieved by double dipping into blue and yellow dye vats. Unfortunately, woad or indigo (blue) mixed with yellow resulted in unstable colours that faded over time, losing that fresh green look.
After the invention of Scheele’s Green (1775) and Paris Green (1814), bright green fabrics had a moment. However, these early synthetic green dyes were arsenic-based and their popularity was short lived because people died. There was hope that a source of natural green had been found around 1845 when French officials returned from a trading (plundering) mission to China with green mud called Lo Kao. This dye (made from bark) was simple to use but wasn't simple to produce and it's popularity was short lived because it turned out to be extraordinarily expensive.
Today, as in the past, vibrant shades of green are used to convey luxury and sophisticated style. Achieving a consistent green is now simpler thanks to modern dyeing techniques, but producing sustainable green fabrics remains a challenge.
Many synthetic dyes are derived from petrochemicals, which are environmentally harmful. As a result, there’s a renewed interest in plant-based, eco-friendly dyes, despite them being more labor-intensive and costly to produce.
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During the medieval period green was considered the middle primary colour balanced between black and white. And it goes without saying that a statement necklace in those colours will always look amazing worn with any shade of green.
Green in the Australian fashion scene
We can hold sporting teams from the 1890s responsible for introducing Australia's national green and gold colour scheme. Supposedly derived from our beautiful wattles, I suspect the person (or committee) that subsequently translated the colours of this delicate flower into Pantone 348C and 116C hadn't seen many wattle trees in the wild.
Luckily, the green and gold combination is mostly used for sports attire (thus easily avoided) and even John Howards's favourite tracksuit is more subdued than the official version of these national colours. Though it still bears little resemblence to the amazing range of greens and gold found in the bush.
For a more contemporary interpretation of green and gold in Australian fashion, look to designers and makers who truly draw inspiration from the natural world. One company that that takes this approach is Kirrikin from WA with their timeless pieces based on the work of First Nations artists. At O Gosh, we stock some of their beautiful silk chiffon scarves.
Styling green with accessories
Green pairs beautifully with a wide range of colours, and is a great choice for women’s fashion. Deep greens like emerald or forest green are complemented by gold and silver, creating a sophisticated look, while lighter shades such as mint green pair well with pastel pinks and blues for a fresh, modern vibe.
If (like me) you find green a bit hard to wear, you can get your green fix through jewellery and accessories. At O Gosh, our makers use sustainable, recycled and repurposed materials to create jewellery and accessories that reduce our impact on the environment. As such, all our accessories are green (in the environmental sense) and they come in all colours of the rainbow.
Take a look at the range.
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Images: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, 1434
Designer Effie Kats wearing her oversized Cali coat; Fleur Egan in Tory Burch; Sonia Lyson in Ducie London coat. Image courtesy of Sydney Morning Herald.
Silk chiffon scarf featuring artwork by Lena Andrews.
Fun earrings from Frank Ideas.
Long Night earrings with artwork by Leela Fernandez.
