Colour trends spring/summer 2004

Success in the fashion world depends just as much on colour as on trendy design. A product is only going to be a hit if the colour is spot-on. This is not as easy as it sounds - trends are dependent on a number of factors. They are international and must be recognised and wrapped up at least a year in advance. The leather industry is no exception. BASF's colour trends offer their customers and partners an additional service alongside the company's unique know-how, exceptional products and superior technology. For this, the company relies on the experience of a renowned Italian designer to detect and record the moods and tendencies in fashion centres around the world. The colour trends are available from BASF in the form of a folder with coloured leather swatches showing the range of dyes. Each colour shade has been transformed into a ready-made recipe by the colour specialists using the company's reliable Luganil and Lurazol base dyes. This serves as a basis for colour adjustment for the customer, as the colour recipe has to be adjusted in each area, depending on the leather used. This is why BASF has representatives on the spot at their customers' disposal all over the world to advise and adapt the colour recipes. BASF publish their colour trends early so the tanneries can plan production more easily. They are also in a better position to advise their customers and the leathergoods manufacturers on questions of fashion, by actively suggesting colour shades. With the help of trend forecasting, the favourite colours can be predicted and used for furniture, shoes, clothes and accessories. The 'Color trends by BASF, Spring/Summer 2004' folder can be ordered free of charge at leather-info@basf.ag.de BASF had intended to launch their new colour predictions at the Hong Kong Leather Fair in early April. However, this has been necessarily delayed due to the postponement of the show due to the atypical pneumonia epidemic in the region which got underway in March.