EUROPE

BY SEAN MILMO

EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT

MILMOCW@RODPUB.COM

A look at the latest color trends

Color experts

must stay

abreast of

continuously

shifting

trends

influencing

consumer

color

preferences.

Europe has gone black and white. But a major question is for how long?

The popularity of black and to a lesser extent white seems to have started in the fashion sector and then moved to automobiles and interior decoration. But consumers now tend to abandon colors as quickly as they adopt them so exactly how long this latest new preference will last is uncertain.

Like elsewhere in the world, Europe’s coatings sector is having to keep in closer touch with the current color trends. Coatings companies can no longer assume that an attachment for particular colors will last for long.

Nor do the traditional sources of influence on selection of colors play the same role as they have done in the past. Fashion in clothes has usually been a key factor in determining choice of colors. Now other segments of every day life can exercise power over tastes for colors as well.

“It is no longer the case, for example, that colors in interior decoration will follow those which are popular in the fashion world,” said Eija Kargalainen, color designer at CPS Color of Finland, a leading supplier of advanced tinting systems. “It can be the other way round, with interior design being the main influence. The world has become so hectic and fast moving that changes in color preferences are now taking place much more quickly.”

Although the pace of change has accelerated, consumers’ liking for different colors, as well as their strength, depth and shades, is still moving in cycles. Below the rapid switch to and from specific colors, there are underlying tendencies, often reflecting social, economic, political and technological developments.

“Color preferences in interior decoration

are obviously continuing to be more long lasting than those in fashion and as a result are an indicator of more durable influences,” said Kargalainen.

The popularity of black and white has been conspicuous in the automobile market in Europe, which still has a major impact on colors in other sectors. In its latest Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, issued at the end of last year, DuPont stated that black is “resoundingly the most popular color” in Europe.

Black gained a 25% share last year to become the number one color in the region’s auto market in place of silver, according to DuPont. It had a clear lead in every automobile segment, except that for multi-pur-pose vehicles (MPVs).

As in other parts of the world, like North America and Japan, white has also been gaining in popularity in the European car and other markets. SEAT of Spain, part of the Volkswagen group, has found that white is the “must-have” color for the more discerning drivers who want to be seen as stylish. To meet the desire for black as well, the car company is also providing black alloy wheels with the white version of its Leon model.

“Black and white patterns have become evident across a range of sectors,” said one color forecaster. “The contrast between the two is dramatic but it is also a classical style which shows both sophistication and an underlying need for security and safety.”

At the same time Europeans are showing a growing predilection for basic colors. Red has increased its share in the auto market.

However across many sectors, the biggest surge has been that for green and blue, which is regarded as evidence of an increasing concern for the environment.