Beige is a light yellowish brown, such as a light grayish yellow, and can also be used to describe pale and light brown tones. Its hexadecimal code is #F5F5DC. The name beige is derived from the French word meaning natural wool that has not been bleached or dyed.
I read a comment somewhere about BEIGE: “… In the 19th century, beige was not considered a color. It’s only popular among people who can’t afford dyed clothes…”
Beige is not a color!
BEIGE is a range of hues, not just one color. A term used specifically in the clothing and fashion industries.
What is beige? Some people will tell you it’s sand, eggshell, hazel, ivory… A range of shades between white and brown. Knowing that if you mix a couple of colors together you get a brown, and you get a cool or warm color.
When you refer to BEIGE, the explanation is vague because it is multiple. Depends on the industry: decoration, textiles, cosmetics… Beige comes in a myriad of different shades. BEIGE can be beige, light gray, brown, warm, cool… And so on.
The history of beige
Beige is the natural color of any textile that is not dyed or bleached.
According to the optical test, the human eye can distinguish 200 shades, not more. When you’re told that screens, computers come in millions of colors… It’s ridiculous. You don’t see them. Beige comes in dozens of shades, not all of which are visible. In the 18th century, Diderot and D ‘Alembert wrote down a series of hues in their encyclopedias.
In 1861, Michel-Eugene Chevreul included it in a list of “the names of the colors most commonly used in conversation and books.”
In the center of the color ring is written “Mr. Chevreul’s color ring contains solid colors from 1861.” The circle takes on 72 wool tones, multiplied by 200 tones of each hue, giving 3 reference and coded colors based on 14,400 primary colors (yellow, red, blue) and 3 binary colors (orange, green, and purple).
The Circle was created and developed by Chevreul, head of the Gobelins dyeing shop. Chevreul’s invention, presented to the Academy of Sciences on 1851, 12, won the manufacturer the Gold medal at the XNUMX World’s Fair in London in 1851.
There are many variations of BEIGE, from off-white to very light brown. We also found that it has a more yellowish tint.
If you convert RGB BEIGE to CMYK BEIGE, it will inevitably be more yellow.
When preparing the document for printing: for half tone solid colors (such as beige), it is necessary to avoid differences of less than 20% between cyan, magenta, and yellow. Over the years, the tones will be more even and reproducible.
AFNOR X08-010 standard, common System color classification, puts the color gamut of BEIGE between yellow-green and yellow-orange, has a dominant wavelength of 573 nm to 588 nm, is desaturated, and has average brightness.
World War I and beige
In 1914, World War I broke out. Everyone thought it would last only a few months. Instead, it lasted four long years. Beige has replaced gray and dark blue. Women work while men fight.
The safari jacket or bush jacket also known as a “shacket” is a garment originally designed for hunting in the African bush.
Safari’s Sahariane is a men’s jacket created in the late 19th century and worn by the British Army in India. It was also worn by the Afrika Korps during World War II. Safari is mainly worn by Western soldiers serving in the hot regions of the East, Africa or India.
In 1967, Yves Saint Laurent made the safari jacket a timeless feminine garment.
Beige and Painter
With the rise of cubism in the early 20th century, beige found a prominent place, especially for artists such as Georges Braque and Picasso, who used wrapping paper, newspaper, sand and mud in their work.
Beige with communication
Kellogg’s
As early as 1907, beige began to dominate advertising, particularly in an 1894 commercial for Kellogg’s corn flakes created by Will Kellogg.
Teddy bear
In the early 1900s, toy manufacturer Morris Michtom created the famous teddy bear, named after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who was often referred to as “Teddy Bear.” In 1902,
The governor of Mississippi invited President Roosevelt to go bear hunting. The incident spawned several cartoons, including the first to feature a black bear and a disgusted Theodore Roosevelt. Other cartoons followed, depicting bears as smaller and cuter.
Beige with fashion
Beige returned as a timeless hue at Fendi, Chanel, Dior and many others.
Beige enters the fashion world through Coco Chanel: She was orphaned at the age of 12 and lives in a convent. All her inspiration comes from that time, and her collections come in black, white and beige.
During World War I, in particular, Coco Chanel, influenced by the fluidity of womenswear of the era, created clothes that did not quite fit. This made her very popular during the First World War.
When Gabrielle Chanel began selling her fluid, predominantly white and beige clothes, beige became a color of dignity and elegance. The black became more prominent later.
FENDI
Fendi is the most representative fashion house of timeless elegance, mastering its image. A beautiful family story.
Fendi’s palette evolved into warm colors, including black and white. Not everyone has the precision of Fendi, which has created its own beige: the ALBA Direct Pantone hue.
Burberry’s was originally a British tailor who made men’s coats and raincoats. In 1880, Thomas Burberry created Gabardine, a fabric that protects against cold, rain and is very practical because it is made waterproof before being woven. The origin of the creation came from a meeting with a shepherd who wore a jacket with waterproof properties. The man explained to him the sheep bath process and the products used, which have properties that protect the wool from the elements.
Iconic brand, founded in 1968. Based on the concept of “casual” elegance, natural colors ranging from brown to beige are used. Representing the American way of life that would later be accepted in Europe.
The hippie movement began in the 1960s. The younger generation rejects the “American way of life,” that is, subservience to authority. On the other hand, they began to reject the consumer society and put forward ecological and egalitarian values. The origins of this social unrest, especially in terms of environmental awareness, can be traced to this: in the 1960s, Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” called attention to the harmful effects of pesticide use.
The book serves as a reference to an increasingly powerful environmental movement that is changing the way people think about nature.
This was followed by the first Earth Day in 1970. The United States signed the Clean Air Act in 1972, followed by the Clean Water Act and the Pesticide Control Act.
In 1971, Keep America Beautiful released a public service announcement (PSA) for Earth Day called “Crying Indians.” The movement featured an Indian paddling a canoe. The closer he got to the big city, the more pollution and waste he witnessed. A tear rolled down the Indian’s face. The campaign is considered one of the best of the 20th century and further increased interest in natural colors, including beige.
This communication, along with climate change and environmental issues, has led to a desire for calm and tranquility. As a result, BEIGE has become a trend.
In the 1990s XNUMX, the Zen style appeared. It’s a minimalist world made from natural materials. For your information, “Zen” means meditation and covers the whole philosophy. We are seeing an explosion in the international market for spa and body care products.
Swiss architect Peter Zumthor designed the Vals Spa in a modern style with natural textures. Other designers have followed suit.
For Zen-inspired decorations, choose neutral, muted and calming colors to enhance natural light, such as off-white or cream white, ivory and beige.
A beige interpretation
Color Isabelle
There is a very old colour name which includes a series of mostly light grey beiges called “Isabel”, mainly attributed to the coat colour of a horse or dog.
conclusion
Over time and with changing fashion trends, BEIGE has stuck to its guns for two reasons: technical and psychological. Technical reasons arise during wars or recessions. Natural tones need no special treatment. The psychological reason is that BEIGE takes you back to basics and lets you relax.