15 Colours Sylko

While studying the history of the Sylko cotton reel, it came to my attention that those colours numbered between 280 and 399 were likely to have been first introduced in the 1930s. An analysis of the basic colours strongly supports something that I already knew - that green was an incredibly popular colour in this decade.

Between shade numbers D281 and D399, there are 15 types of green, compared to just 7 of red, 7 of yellow and 11 of brown. Only blue comes close to green, with 13 shades. Overall, blue is the most common Sylko shade over the 6 or 7 decades of the cotton brand's existence - D1 is a blue shade and this remains a popular and safe choice for clothing. I must add that there are some gaps in my list of colours, so there may be even more than 15 shades of green. It certainly had a boost in this period.

This observation among the Sylkos was simply a reminder that I do associate the 1930s with the colour green. A darker shade a kind of bottle racing green. Or as Sylko dyers might have it, Hunters Green or Dark Leaf Green.


Seven Colours Sylko by Sarah Walters - click here to purchase

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