Getting colour right, twice

Getting colour right twice means approving it on the fabric chosen for the clothes, then checking that the fabric made for the full order stays within the agreed colour limits. The first decision gives the maker a physical example to match. The second checks what has been made against that example, including the variation between rolls of fabric.

A colour on screen, a small piece of dyed cloth and a delivery of clothes are different things to judge. They become connected through a shared physical reference and a written record of what passed. Keep both through the order and for any repeat.

01A screen colour starts the discussion; fabric settles it

A colour chosen on screen gives the maker a direction. Screens emit light, and displays vary. Cloth reflects light. Its fibres and surface affect the colour that appears, so an image cannot settle the final colour of the clothes. A paper colour reference also serves as a starting point, with the translation to dyed fabric still to come.

A physical textile colour reference gives everyone something they can place beside the sample. Pantone's cotton colour references are one option. The colour number identifies the target, but the cotton piece still needs matching on the fabric chosen for the clothes. A smooth synthetic fabric can look different from brushed cotton even when both are being matched to the same reference.

For a colour belonging to the brand, the strongest reference is a retained piece dyed on the same approved fabric. Where that does not yet exist, send a physical textile reference and name the intended fabric clearly. The maker can then submit a sample on that fabric for approval.

The useful check is practical: can both sides put the same physical target beside the sample? If the answer is no, interpretation remains part of the colour decision.

02The colour sample needs the fabric the clothes will use

Before dyeing fabric for the full order, the maker arranges a small trial on the intended cloth. The result comes back for comparison with the physical target. It can be approved, rejected or returned with a specific request for adjustment. That small piece is the first colour decision made tangible.

The cloth matters as much as the target. Record what the fabric is made of, how it is knitted or woven, its weight and its finish. Each belongs in the document that tells the maker what to make. Surface texture and the way the yarn is constructed affect how light reflects from the cloth. The same dye mixture can also behave differently on a different fabric.

A trial on a substitute fabric can help an early discussion. Mark its approval as provisional until the final fabric is available. Otherwise, a decision made about one piece of cloth can be mistaken for permission to dye another.

When the fabric changes, bring the colour back for checking on the replacement. Keep the fabric reference beside the colour decision so that the approved shade is tied to the cloth on which it was judged.

03Agreed lighting makes a colour decision repeatable

Compare the target and dyed sample side by side under agreed light. A controlled viewing light gives the comparison a consistent setting. Also check under another relevant light, such as warm shop lighting, before deciding that the match is acceptable. Record the lighting used so later comparisons have the same basis.

Two pieces can look alike in daylight and visibly different under a warmer light because they reflect light differently. This matters where separate fabrics meet. A collar and the main fabric may look coordinated in one setting and appear to be different shades in another.

Put those parts together for the check. Approving each piece separately leaves the relationship between them unsettled. If a difference appears under lighting that matters for the clothes, record it and decide whether the dyeing needs adjustment, a part needs changing or the difference is acceptable.

The maker may also use an instrument that measures reflected colour and records the difference from the target. Agree the measurement method and acceptable limit if this is part of the work. A reading supports the visual comparison. It cannot decide by itself whether neighbouring fabrics look right together under the lights that matter.

04Clear feedback gives the next sample a direction

A rejected sample needs a correction the maker can act on. “Too yellow” or “needs to be lighter” identifies a direction. “Please match better” leaves the next adjustment open to interpretation. Compare every revised sample with the same physical target, keeping the comments alongside it so each round responds to a recorded decision.

Ask the dyeing team to estimate the approval rounds for the proposed shade and fabric. Allow time to review each submission and make a correction before the next one. The starting reference and the fabric affect the work involved, as does the depth or complexity of the colour. Each round should reduce a specific difference from the target.

Name one person to bring the feedback together and issue the decision. Set a date for comments. Conflicting messages leave the maker trying to reconcile different instructions, while an unresolved colour can hold up fabric arrangements, dyeing and cutting.

When the colour passes, record the sample version, fabric reference and date. An email saying “approved” leaves room for confusion when several samples are circulating. Keep the written approval with the physical piece it refers to. The maker then has a decision that can be carried into the full order.

05An approved colour also needs to stand up to use

Appearance and the way a colour holds up belong in the same approval decision. Depending on the clothes and their intended use, checks may need to cover washing, rubbing, exposure to light or perspiration. Agree which checks are required before releasing the fabric for dyeing across the full order.

Some colours are harder to achieve while also meeting the expected performance. A shade can look acceptable on the table while its test results still leave a decision unresolved. Reviewing the appearance and results together keeps that issue visible while the dyeing approach can still be adjusted.

Ask for the relevant results against the agreed fabric details and retain the accepted outcome with the colour record. If a change is needed to achieve the required performance, check the resulting shade as part of that decision. The appearance and the results need to refer to the colour being approved.

Extra sample rounds and changes to the dyeing approach are sources of cost and time. An unnecessarily tight colour limit can consume further rounds without useful benefit; a loose limit leaves more judgement to the people checking the full order. Agree what is acceptable for the particular fabric and clothes before those checks begin.

06The full order needs agreed limits for colour variation

One approved piece establishes the accepted result of the small trial. It does not mean every roll dyed for the order will be indistinguishable. Differences can occur across rolls or separate dyeing batches, so the second colour decision needs a physical range of acceptable variation around the approved target.

Keep examples showing the lighter and darker limits that still pass, alongside the target itself. The maker and the people checking and cutting the fabric can use these to judge the rolls. This gives them a shared boundary when deciding which fabric is acceptable.

Rolls also need grouping by compatible colour before cutting. A front, sleeve and collar can show an unwanted difference if their fabrics are selected without that comparison. Staying within the overall approved limits and keeping the pieces within one item visually consistent are connected checks.

Record the dyeing batch and roll references through checking and cutting, so any difference can be traced to the fabric involved. Keep the accepted limits with the approved sample. The delivery can then be assessed against the same decision that guided production, with a record connecting the finished clothes to the fabric used.

07Keep the physical reference ready for the next order

A repeat order brings the colour back for comparison. Discuss continuity before placing it, especially where new clothes need to match an established colour. The maker may need the retained reference, a piece from an earlier approved order or confirmation of the acceptable range.

Protect the physical samples and label them clearly so the current reference cannot be confused with an earlier version. Keep the approved fabric details and lighting conditions with them. If measurements were used, retain the method and agreed limit as part of the same record.

For matching sets or clothes with several parts intended to read as one colour, state that requirement in the enquiry. It gives the maker a reason to address continuity from the start, including the comparison between separate fabrics. A later order still needs checking against the retained target and acceptable limits.

The colour record has a continuing job. It tells the maker which small sample was approved, what variation is acceptable across the full order and what a later delivery must be compared with. Keep it available wherever the next colour decision will be made.