Brand colours · Fashion
Brand colours for fashion startups
A ready-to-use palette for a fashion brand, tested for contrast and shown on a real app screen, pitch deck and business card. Copy the hex codes, or use it to see what good looks like before you choose your own.
Meet the sample brand
To show the palette working, we built it for a fictional fashion company.
How it should feel
Fashion sites default to black and white. Without a point of view, the label is forgettable. So Ochre Studio goes a different way, using indigo dye as its signature and ochre for the moments that matter.
Fonts: Playfair Display for headings, Karla for body text.
The palette
Four colours, each with one job. Click any swatch to copy its hex code.
Indigo Dye
#2D3E7A · RGB 45, 62, 122A rich indigo with roots in handloom, not a tech blue.
Ochre
#D19A2E · RGB 209, 154, 46The studio colour, used sparingly on tags and sale moments.
Charcoal
#1D1D1F · RGB 29, 29, 31Neutral dark that lets fabric colours lead.
Raw Cotton
#F3EEE6 · RGB 243, 238, 230Unbleached cotton white for lookbooks.
A good split: mostly light, dark for text, primary for key moments, accent sparingly.
The palette in use
Colours only prove themselves on real things. Here it is on the three places a fashion startup shows up first.
App screen
Pitch deck slide
Business card, front and back
Contrast check
Text must stay readable. We checked each pairing against the WCAG standard, where 4.5 to 1 passes for body text.
| Use | Sample | Ratio | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body text | Aa Ochre Studio | 14.6 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Text on primary | Aa Ochre Studio | 10.1 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Accent on dark | Aa Ochre Studio | 6.7 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Primary on light | Aa Ochre Studio | 8.7 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Light on dark | Aa Ochre Studio | 14.6 : 1 | Pass AA |
What to know about colour in fashion
The palette is only a start. These are the traps we see most in this industry.
What the category already owns
Fashion sites default to black and white. Without a point of view, the label is forgettable.
Avoid
- A brand colour that clashes with half your collection.
- Bright UI colours that compete with product photography.
Lay the palette over your next collection's photos. The brand frames the clothes, it should never fight them.
Choose your own in four steps
Use the sample as a reference, then make it yours.
Write your positioning
Colour follows strategy. Know who you serve and how you want them to feel first.
Map the competition
Screenshot five fashion competitors and note the colours they own. Pick a lane nobody holds.
Build four colours
A primary, an accent, a dark and a light. Check contrast before anything else.
Test it on real things
Your app, a deck slide and the place customers meet you offline. Fix what fails.
Questions
What are good brand colours for a fashion startup?
Start from a primary that the category does not already own. Fashion sites default to black and white. Without a point of view, the label is forgettable. The sample palette here uses Indigo Dye (#2D3E7A) as the primary with Ochre (#D19A2E) as the accent.
How many colours should a startup brand have?
Four is enough: a primary, an accent, a dark for text and a light for backgrounds. Use them roughly 60, 30 and 10 percent, with the accent the smallest share.
Can I use this palette for my own brand?
Yes, it is free to use as a starting point. Change at least the primary so it fits your positioning and stands apart from your competitors.
How does Astitva choose brand colours?
Astitva writes your brand strategy from a short brief, suggests a palette that fits it, checks the text contrast and then uses the same colours across your logo, brand book and pitch deck.
More for fashion founders
Every guide for this industry, in one place.
Get a palette made for your startup
Astitva writes your brand strategy from a short brief, picks colours that fit it, checks contrast, and uses them across your logo, brand book and pitch deck.
Start free with 50 credits