BEHIND BLUES. Blue is one of the colours we return to every spring, but not all blues are created equal, and perhaps not all blues are just blue. Each shade comes from a process, and each process yields its own effect. - Colouring is, in many ways, at the heart of our design work, and time and wear play a part in how these colours settle, shift, and take on character. A few examples: this spring, our rib-knit cotton polo carries a soft, dusted tone reminiscent of lived-in denim. It’s a deliberate nod – the jumper is made from discarded denim that has been mechanically shredded and spun into new yarn. Not-just-blue pigments leave their mark, too: a subtle green tint has been used for the denim jacket featured above to achieve a slightly cooler shade, even if it’s barely perceptible. - The moment in which colour is applied also influences the end result: garment dyeing is one of the team’s preferred colour treatments. By dyeing a piece after it has been sewn together, instead of before, the colour settles unevenly along seams and edges, creating a more nuanced surface – visible, for instance, in the elasticated cuffs of the sky-blue windbreaker. - A brief glimpse of these processes reminds us that time and wear have an effect on clothing even before it’s used. We often see only the finished piece, detecting imperfections with a sharp eye. But we like to think that a faded fabric or frayed edge doesn’t necessarily render a garment obsolete. Denim, with its tears, frays and fading, has a way of gently introducing us to the traces of time and wear. Whether intentional or gradual, there is a quiet truth in the imperfection that comes from time spent in and with our clothes. - #ARKET