Colour is a powerful selling tool. It is the first thing to catch the consumer's eye in the shop window. Get the colour choice wrong and an entire range can stay on the racks. So, how do colours arrive on the catwalk or the sales floor – and why do different companies all seem to choose similar colours each season? The answer lies in the work of the huge colour forecasting industry.

With case studies that show the industry at work, this book breaks down the forecasting process – from how to put together a colour palette to colour theory and the way that colours behave – and helps you to build the combination of research and intuitive skills that a successful designer or forecaster needs.

Kate Scully is a colour forecasting consultant and Senior Lecturer in Fashion Promotion at the University of the Creative Arts at Rochester. She has worked as the colour and fabric editor of several forecast publications and with many leading fabric manufacturers and retail brands researching and developing commercial colour and trend directions.

Debra Cobb has researched trends and developed products for fibre, fabric and apparel manufacturers in the US, including Guilford Mills, Ge-Ray Fabrics, Unifi Inc. and Hanesbrands. She is a regular contributor to textile trade journals on both sides of the Atlantic including Knitting International, www.knittingindustry.com and Textile Insight.