Indigo: Autumn's Essential Colour Story

Indigo was once derived from plants (including Indigofera and Isatis if you must know), and was known across ancient cultures from Asia and Egypt to Greece, Rome and Peru. But it is the dyeing process that gives indigo its particular magic. In its working state, the dye is reduced into a soluble, pale form known as leucoindigo; when cloth emerges from the dye bath and meets oxygen, it transforms into its familiar blue. It is fashion’s most satisfying bit of chemistry: fabric goes in looking rather unpromising, then turns the most incredible blue right before your eyes.

That process also explains why indigo does not behave like a flat, uniform pigment. It sits on and within the fibres in layers, developing variation as it fades and wears. The result is not deterioration but evolution - a garment gathering character rather than simply getting older. Our indigo-dyed pieces are designed with this in mind: the dye will fade over time, revealing a range of brighter and lighter blues, while some initial dye transfer is part of the material’s natural character.

For Autumn ’26, indigo appears in a range of fabrics and silhouettes, rather than being confined to the obvious denim category. The Faye cloth, used across the Brook shirt, Bradwell jacket and double-breasted jacket, has a subtle herringbone weave that gives the colour a richer, more tactile depth. Its cotton and recycled-cotton construction keeps the look relaxed, while the midweight cloth and textured finish ensure it has enough presence to hold its own as soft tailoring.

Elsewhere, the Westall denim brings indigo back to its workwear roots. The utility trouser and Witley jacket are the sort of pieces that benefit from indigo’s ability to improve through use: robust, functional and all the better for a little lived-in texture. The same colour story runs through the Harrison jersey jacket, the Conduit T-shirt, Mersey polo and Corby denim shirts, creating the possibility of subtle tonal dressing.

The reference point is part workwear, part 1960s folk Americana: cord collars, denim shirts, textured jackets and a palette built around faded blue, ecru, cream and navy. Indigo gives these familiar shapes a connection to something authentic. The beauty of the colour is its flexibility. Wear it with ecru for crisp contrast, with navy for tonal depth, or with autumnal brown, olive and charcoal for something more grounded. A pair of indigo utility trousers can sit beneath soft tailoring; an indigo shirt can take the place of a standard Oxford; a herringbone jacket can bring texture to an otherwise simple outfit.

Indigo has lasted because it is never quite finished. It is a colour with movement, memory and a healthy disregard for boring. Exactly what autumn dressing needs.