Indigo blue, the original colour behind blue jeans and the denim-on-denim “Canadian tuxedo,” is taking a stand in menswear this summer.
Store owners in Victoria say blue is currently asserting itself in men’s clothes. But it’s deep blue, the look of indigo, an old-time dye long known for its rich, near-purple hue.
“It’s been called ‘the King of Colours,’ ” said Jordan Stout of Still Life for Men, at 551 Johnson St.
Also, because of the way indigo fades and changes according to the activities and habits of the wearer, it has been called “the living colour.”
“The way it ages is more like a life cycle,” Stout said. “It starts as a dark, almost purple-ish blue and it fades out to a more light-blue chambray.”
He said it also conjures a blue-collar, working-man look, perhaps a reflection of the economy. One U.S. company, Tellason, even patterns its designs on old-style work gear, with special pockets for things like carpenter’s pencils and tools.
Meanwhile, Nudie Jeans, from Sweden but manufactured in Italy and starting at $179 a pair, are committed to the natural blue. They use natural indigo dyes in some pieces, aiming for a raw denim look as opposed to pre-washed.
Styles and fits may differ, but the common element is the long familiar, natural-looking indigo blue.
“It’s a handsome, masculine, traditional colour,” Stout said. “It’s not seasonal, it’s not a fad, it’s here, and it’s been here forever and it’s not going anywhere.”
Indigo was originally developed in Asia. It’s a blue dye extracted by plants known scientifically as Indigofera tinctoria.
Danielle Bush of Maiwa Handprints Inc. in Vancouver, where natural dyes and other artisan supplies are specialties, said she isn’t surprised to hear indigo is popular again.
As a colour, a dye and a dying process, indigo is the topic of entire symposiums at Maiwa.
“Indigo has been used for centuries,” Bush said in a telephone interview.
“It used to a mysterious thing,” she said. “Certain rituals had to be performed in its preparation.”
Unlike synthetic versions of indigo dye, Bush said, the natural material is actually a bigger molecule. This means it will sit on top of fabric and can lead to a slight rub-off the first few times it is worn and washed.
(A tag on a shirt by Deus, in Still Life for Men, reads: “This garment has been indigo dyed. Avoid introducing it to white furniture.”
But Bush said natural indigo also has different colours within, beneath its blue. When it fades out with washing, the natural indigo will shift and alter on the fabric, making the garment unique.
“Natural dyes will all fade over time,” Bush said. “Indigo changes and grows and gets more beautiful.”
Ryan Grifone of Four Horsemen Shop at 635 Johnson St. said he first noticed indigo last fall. This spring and summer, however, it has full-on arrived.
Grifone said he has been impressed with the way some companies are using indigo in patterns, including a paisley print faintly traced on a shirt or a jacket by Our Legacy, out of Sweden.
But even more stark is an indigo floral print on white, in a shirt by Saturdays Surf NYC.
Grifone said it’s easy to understand the popularity of a colour like indigo. It looks good on any man, regardless of colouring.
Indigo is also appropriate for a laid-back office or on the street. It goes with just about everything, from khakis to dress pants to jeans (even more indigo.)
“I love blue,” Grifone said. “But then, I’m a navy-blue, black, grey kind of guy.”
