Why purple is the colour of autumn 2026 in fashion
Designers, celebrities and high street brands are embracing a vivid shade, with experts linking its appeal to a shift away from neutral tones.
Key points
- Purple is a leading colour on autumn and winter 2026 catwalks and high street ranges.
- Experts describe the shade as a vivid royal purple, often paired with red.
- Trend forecasters say the look reflects a move away from quiet luxury.
- Purple has long been tied to wealth and power, a link that persists today.
Purple is having a strong moment in fashion this autumn. According to The Guardian, the colour is appearing on autumn and winter runways, where Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino all presented outfits made entirely in purple. Shops on the high street are also stocking it, with Cos, H&M and Asos offering purple knitwear and accessories.
Famous faces have adopted the look too. Jennifer Lawrence and Zoë Kravitz were photographed in purple, and Naomi Ackie and Nicola Peltz chose the shade for red carpet events. The version being promoted this season is described as “royal purple”. It is a bright, vivid tone, not a deeper plum or a soft lilac.
A break from neutral tones
Compared with the muted palettes that ruled fashion lately, this look stands out. Stylists frequently team purple with red, and Vogue labelled the pairing a “coolest colour clash” for the season. The Guardian also reports that WGSN, a trend forecasting agency, had foreseen in 2024 that a tone it named “fresh purple” would catch on this autumn.
Sara Maggioni, who leads womenswear at WGSN, connects the trend to broader change. Shoppers, she said, increasingly want livelier tones that let them express themselves. In her account, people are gradually moving on from understated luxury as they grow more comfortable using colour to define their style.
Designers have long viewed purple as a difficult shade, since it grabs attention whether or not they want it to. Some now regard that quality as a selling point. Daisy Murray, fashion commerce editor at Grazia, admitted she had disliked the colour only a few months earlier. Then she realised a striking purple fitted her love of bold red.
The history behind the colour
Kassia St Clair, who wrote The Secret Lives of Colour, observes that the hue has for a long time been connected to affluence and authority. Tyrian purple, linked to the Romans, came from the bodily fluids of molluscs collected near the historic city of Tyre. As those shellfish grew scarcer, and after the Byzantine empire fell in 1453, the know-how for producing the dye disappeared.
A new purple arrived in 1856. While searching for a malaria cure, the chemist William Henry Perkin accidentally made a bright purple liquid. He called the first synthetic dye from it mauve, and it was manufactured widely. Queen Victoria and Princess Eugenie were among those who adopted it. Punch, a satirical magazine, made fun of the craze with a joke about mauve measles.
Why it may last
Maggioni believes purple’s appeal also fits modern life. She calls its quality “phygital”, meaning it can work in physical spaces and virtual worlds alike. Its bright and somewhat unearthly appearance works well for digital images and immersive settings, where colour can be boosted and reshaped.
Murray points to seasonal hues such as heather and rosehips. St Clair adds that purple feels right on dark evenings and is hard to picture in spring sunshine.
Frequently asked questions
What shade of purple is trending this autumn?
It is known as u0026quot;royal purpleu0026quot;, a bright, vivid version of the colour. According to The Guardian, it is often combined with red.
Which brands are selling purple fashion?
According to The Guardian, Cos, Hu0026amp;M and Asos stock purple knitwear and accessories. Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino have presented all-purple looks on the catwalk.
Why is purple linked to power?
Kassia St Clair, who wrote The Secret Lives of Colour, says the colour has long been tied to wealthy and powerful people. The link goes back to Tyrian purple, which the Romans used.
Sources
This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
