A hue and why about colour
Ten years ago, a multinational automobile company approached Kaustav Sengupta, fashiontrend analyst and colour researcher (left), with a unique problem. They had launched a range of scooters in India in red, yellow and white. Red and white were selling well. No one seemed to want a yellow one. Why?
The pursuit of the answer led Sengupta on a journey to uncover India’s relationship with colours and yellow in particular. It led him to think deeply about how Indians respond to colours as individuals and as a collective. It also made Sengupta a go-to
person for when brands make colour decisions.
Much of his research appears in his upcoming book on Indian colour psychology, and their changing relationship with different colours. Sengupta categorises young Indians into psychographic divisions. Bharatiyas denote those who are the most rooted in old traditions, largely those from rural areas, who have no qualms wearing a pink shirt or a yellow trouser. Indians referred to those who were moving to big cities like Bengaluru and Pune, and were rejecting the bright colours that gave away their backgrounds.
He coined the term, Inglodians for the young urban folks who have more in common with cities around the world than with those in smaller towns. They are, surprisingly, likely to wear pink and yellow. “The Inglodian sense of fashion can be well explained by the bright collections of designer Manish Arora. They wear pink to make a statement,” says Sengupta.
But, as the scooter company found out, most Indians were averse to yellow. “It’s associated with something cheaper – public work signs, sexual-health notices,” he says. “Why would someone buy a vehicle in the colour of a taxi?” he says.
Palettes are ever changing, he finds. Gen Z, those under the age of 25, are rediscovering yellow. “I spotted this when I was speaking with a Mumbai rapper a couple of years ago. He was wearing yellow. He said it was to show solidarity with the working class,” Sengupta says.