Before modern chemistry stepped in, purple was a difficult color to produce. The Greeks squeezed it out of shellfish; squeezing 8,500 of the mollusks produced one gram of dye. Not exactly an eco-friendly endeavor, the dye-getting process was necessarily expensive. Only royalty could afford it, and indeed, it was illegal for non-royals to wear purple clothing. Wearing purple became a sign of defiance and in some ways, remains so.
From the 15th to the 18th centuries, purple was obtained from plants and insects. It wasn’t until 1859 that William Perkin, an 18-year-old chemistry student discovered how to synthesize artificial color. It’s a fascinating story told in the book, Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World
As our ability to produce purple pigment has improved, it has moved from clothing to paint and plastics. It is the familiar glow of many of our modern electronic devices. It is warm and delicious and daring. A collection of purple-hued Trendhunter finds is below.
As Shug says in The Color Purple, "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it. ..."
We certainly wouldn’t want that!
40 Purple-Hued Objects to Admire
Take Note! Purple is Everywhere, from Cities to Watermelon:
Katie Cordrey — Jan 6, 2009 — Art & Design
40
Drinking Cough Syrup To Get High
Robotripping, Sizzurp and Purple Drank
39
Perfume Inspired Phones
Lolita Lempicka Samsung U600
38
Multi-Tone Streaks
Streekers Temp Hair Color
37
Madonna's Dirty Toy
Purple Penetrator
36
Mechanical Angel Wings
Cybertek Wings
35
Retro Sequin Gowns
David and Phillipe Blond Spring 2009 Collection
34
Accenting With Aubergine
Purple Fall Accessories
33
Amethyst Bathtub
Balti Luxury Home Design
32
Blinged-Out Home Decor
Gemstones in Luxury Interior Design
31
"Club in the Front, Red Carpet in the Back" Dresses
Balmain for Spring 2009
30
Mood Sensitive Architecture
Emotional Cities
29
Film Fest Fashion 2
Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Keira Knightley at TIFF 2008
28
Pre-Fall Purple
Transitional Fashion Hues at Chanel 2008
27
Glow-in-the-Dark Urinals
Gloo
26
USB Jewelry
The Crystal Tear Drop Flash Drive
25
Light Up Your Wheels
Multi-Colored GloRyders
24
Freakishly Funky Pianos
The Gibson Exotic Collection
23
Morbid Disco Decor
Badass Skull-Shaped Glitter Balls
22
Purple Powers Into Fashion
21
Bossa Nova Açai
The Highest Antioxidant Fruit Juice.
20
$1 a Day Car Rentals
CityFlitz in Toronto
19
Time Ticks For Tanzanite
Demand Rises As Supply Dwindles
18
Medicinal Marijuana Ads
The Tom Cruise Purple
17
Anti-Energy Drinks
Drank
16
Exclusive Handheld Vaccum
Issey Miyake Limited Edition Dyson DC16
15
Retro Glassware Becomes Art: Lightbox + Flea Market Glassware = $13,000 Pricetag
14
Girlie Luxury Watches
Gerald Genta's Pink Gold and Purple Masterpiece
13
Lilac Accessories
Passion for Purple Fashion
12
$2.6M Red Diamond
Red Purple Octagon Diamond Sets Price Record
11
Moon and Star Watermellon
Spotted Purple Melons
10
Kiss Bandaids
Boo Boo Adhesives
9
Mega Flares
Prada's Checkered Atrocity
8
E-Paper Digital Cameras
The Shelly
7
Gemstone Exfoliants
Amethyst Stone Soaps
6
Makeup Fridges
IDOCI Cosmetic Coolers
5
Technicolor Chocolate Campaigns
'Sense It' for Anthon Berg
4
Taiwan Shuts Highway for Butterflies
3
Purple Phones for Fall
Motorola Motojewel Clamshell
2
Genetically-Modified Superfoods
Cancer-Fighting Purple Tomatoes
1
Lincoln's Face-Lift
Colourful New Fives
Related Ideas
Color-Changing Hot Chocolate Drinks
Crayola Presents Colorful Hot Chocolate to TJ Maxx
Color-Matching Ketchup Labels
The 'Label of Truth' Reveals the Authentic Color of Heinz
Multi-Color Lifestyle Shoes
New Balance Unveils the 'Green/Astral Purple' Iteration of its 1906R
Bacteria-Stitched Lab-Grown Shoes
Modern Synthesis Uses Plant Waste to Grow Microbial Textiles
3D Printer Color Swatches
'The Print Codex' Ensures the Proper Filament Shade Every Time
Uplifting Gen Z Fashion
Boohoo & Pantone Created a Collection for Mental Health Awareness Month
Rococo-Inspired Cosmetic Lines
Flower Knows Calls Attention to Its Violet Strawberry Rococo Line
Modern Paint Colorways
Sherwin-Williams Debuts Anthology: Volume One for Colormix® Forecast 2024
Realistic Colored Contacts
Coleyes Offers Fun Options to Transform Your Look
Playful Modular Mops
Staff and Clorox Created a Colorful Wet Mop with Rubber Hat Topper
Spring-Centric Leather Skate Sneakers
Nike's Dunk Low Gets a Smokey Mauve Colorway Palette
Color-Inspired Fragrances
dsm-firmenich & Pantone Unveiled a Peach Fuzz Fragrance
Ketchup-Colored Interior Paints
Lick Paints Created a First-of-Its-Kind Color with Heinz
Naturally Blue Absinthe Spirits
Absinthia Absinthe Bleue Features a Color-Changing Ingredient
Ketchup-Colored Tattoo Inks
Heinz is Developing a Red Ink for Ketchup-Themed Tattoos
One-Day Hair Color Kits
The Barbie x Hally Temporary Hair Colors Create Vibrant Wash-Out Looks
Funky Colorful Storage Units
Pavel Vetrov's Funky Storage Units Capture Attention
Food-Hued Serveware
The Pantone x H&M Home Collab Plays with the Colors of Citrus and Peppers
Waste-Reducing Produce Stickers
Grey Colombia & Makro's Stickers on Produce Suggest Recipes
Tinted Lip-Plumping Compounds
U Beauty Debuted Three New Shades of Its Award-Winning Product
Lavender-Colored Kitchenware
Drew Barrymore's Beautiful Kitchenware Line Dropped a Lavender Shade
Season-Inspired Color Systems
3form's 2023 Color Collection Adds 10 New Pastel Hues
Teeth-Whitening Serums
BLAQ's Ultra Violet Colour Corrector Instantly Creates a Brighter Smile
Reimagined Tie Dye Rugs
Reuber Henning Introduces Its New Eye-Catching Tie Dye Collection
Whimsical Semi-Permanent Hair Dyes
Arctic Fox Unveils the New Pastel Hour Collection with New Hues
Purple Tea Body Oils
Byroe's Purple Tea Body Oil Features a Purple Fruit Infusion
Purple Toning Solid Shampoos
Kitch Created a World-First Toning Solid Shampoo with Biotin
Multi-Use Highlighting Glosses
Pretty Grunge Face Gloss Transforms in Response to pH Levels
Painterly Air Purifiers
Airmega 250 ART x Hailyhills Purifiers Clean Homes in an Artful Way
Bright Colorful Workshop Offices
Office S&M Designs its Own Office in Hackney, London
Three-in-One Hair Leave-In Mists
VERB Recently Launched the Purple Leave-In Mist
Tone-Correcting Hair Oils
Moroccanoil Treatment Purple.
Sustainable Nail Polish Collections
Mavala Unveils a Nail Polish Line from Natural Ingredients
Upcycled Textile Dye Platforms
The 'FiberColors' Technology Converts Textile Waste Into Colors
Pastel Paisley-Printed Sneakers
Nike's Air Force 1 Low Arrives in a Pastel-Colored Paisley Print
Spring-Ready Pastel Outdoor Collections
Clare and Industry West Join Forces on a Collection
50s-Inspired Renovated Basements
Gundry & Ducker Add a Colorful New Extension to Home in Hackney
Color-Changing Marshmallows
Jet-Puffed's Color Changers Marshmallows Transform with Direct Heat
Messaging App Color Customizations
Whatsapp's Color Customization Will Rollout Soon
Indoor Gardening Glowing Petunias
Light Bio Shines a Spotlight on the Enchanting Firefly Petunia
Innovative Seaweed Fabrics
PhycoLabs Harnesses the Potential of Seaweed in Textile Production
Rebranded Color Campaigns
The Loneliest Color by Sherwin-Williams Highlights Unappreciated Hues
Plant Pigment Beauty Sticks
Fluency Beauty's Multisticks Get Their Color from Potatoes & Beets
Purple Toothpaste Tablets
Snow's Purple Brightening Toothpaste Tablets Cancel Yellow Stains
Turntable-Inspired Palettes
SHEGLAM's Vinyl Pop Color Palette is Made for Mixing and Matching
Paint Brand Marker Shades
PANTONE Joins Royal Talens on a New Capsule of Colorful Markers
Color-Correcting Toothpastes
Colgate Optic White Purple Toothpaste Cancels Out Yellow Tones
Air-Purifying Interior Paints
Gush’s VOC-Free Paint Passively Rids the Air of Harmful Compounds
Branded Bubble Gum Paints
Behr Dropped a Playful, Nostalgic Hubba Bubba Pink Paint Color
Purple-Colored Correction Toothpastes
MOON Oral Beauty Boasts a Purple Color Corrector Toothpaste
Color-Correcting Tooth Serums
Hismile's V34 Colour Corrector Serum Cancels Stains
Shapely Hair Dye Applicators
The Hummingbird is a 2023 Beauty Award Innovation Winner
Sprayable Food Colorings
Wilton Color Mist Food Color Spray Elevates Any Recipe
Naturally Derived Purple Toothpastes
Meoly's Purple Toothpaste Gets Its Brightness from Blueberry
Moroccan-Inspired London Townhouse
PL Studio Adorns a London Home with Bright Colors and Patterns
Peach-Hued Lip Glosses
Pantone & Shades By Shan Made The Lip Shine Based on the Color of the Year
Unconventionally Colored Mascaras
Addiction Tokyo Makes Mascara in Mustard, Apricot, Plum & Rose
Metallic Gel Eyeshadows
Dazzle Gel Hyper-Metallic Vegan Eyeshadow Intensifies with Blending
Upcycled Algae Makeup
The Unseen Beauty's Absorption Collection Uses Living Ink's Algae Black
Color-Changing Wound Dressings
This Dressing Turns From Yellow to Blue Upon Detecting Infection
Mineral-Dyed Minimal Clothing
Vollebak Launches its Minerals Collection with Mineral Dyes
Nautical Gothic Fragrances
Purple-Haired Goths Inspired DS & DURGA's Salem Gothic
China-Inspired Technical Apparel
Purple Mountain Observatory Launches its New Capsule
Digital Ink Pens
The Colorpik Pen Scans and Replicates Millions of Colors
Protective Color Cosmetics
Screensaver Makes Color Cosmetics with Blue Light-Blocking Benefits
Color-Changing Cleats
Gatorade Used Transformative Footwear to Reveal Its Mystery Flavor
Organic Water Quality Testers
The 'Colores del Rio' by Melissa Ortiz is Made from Red Cabbage
Plant-Powered Eyeshadow Palettes
Well People Has Expanded Its Shade Range with Amethyst
Colorful Emotion-Evoking Decor Series
H&M Home and PANTONE Launch a Interior Decor Collection
All-Natural Color-Changing Spirts
Unicorn Distillery Makes Transformative Vodka & Tequila
Ultra-Colorful Design Studios
Camille Walala and Our Department Partnered on this Whimsical Studio
Color-Changing Construction Coatings
This Coating Changes Color In Response to Temperature
Cheese-Colored Hair Dyes
Velveeta Gold Debuted on Amazon for April Fool's Day
Two-Toned Pillowed Sneakers
adidas Unveils Its Latest Harden Vol. 7 in 'Lucid Fuchsia' Colorway
Color-Changing Bath Bombs
Lush Created a Fizzing Version of Its First Shop Door
Candy-Like Colorful Glass Sculptures
Austin Stern and Alex Proba Join Forces on the Gelée Series
Pastel-Colored eReaders
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Now Comes in Three New Colors
Floral Essence Lifestyle Collections
Bleu Lavande's Lavender-Magnolia Range Celebrates 20 Years
Pop Art-Inspired Bright Furniture
Henri Judin's New Furniture Series Unveiled at SaloneSatellite
Temperature-Regulating Performance Sheets
Sleepletics Unveils New Dark Teal Shade
Future-Facing Hair Colors
The Aveda Vibe Collection is Arriving Ahead of Festival Season
All-Female Chocolate Packagings
The Latest M&M's Packaging Celebrates International Women's Day
Microplastic Particle-Transformed Designs
The Tyre Collective Creates Products from Particles
Color Palette Generators
This Tool is Perfect For Designers and Creatives
Magenta-Hued Belgian-Style Wheat Beers
Blue Moon Recently Debuted the Limited-Edition Magenta Moon
Modern Chromatic Billiards Collection
Nuevepies Designs the New Monocolor Billiards Collection
Colorful Vivid Small Automobiles
Fiat Presents a New Colorful Update Transforming its Grey Cars
Classic Painting-Inspired Luxe Bottles
Guerlain's Iconic Bee Bottle is Revived in Artful New Ways
Sustainably Made Pastel Garments
Balmain Unveils a New Capsule Collection with Water Brand Evian
Lilac-Colored Sneaker Silhouettes
adidas Originals Debuted the 'Xare BOOST' in Magic Lilac
Peach-Hued Smartphones
Pantone x Motorola Created Devices in the 2024 Color of the Year
Luxurious Nude Lipsticks
The Rouge Dior Range Was Refreshed After an Extensive Lip Color Study
Canned Purple Iced Teas
Bahari Purple Iced Tea is Colorful and Antioxidant-Packed
Blue-Tinted Polaroid Film
Polaroid Launches the Accidentally Created 'Reclaimed Blue 600 Film'
Smoothie-Inspired Nail Polishes
Jamba & Color Dept. Made a Limited-Edition Nail Polish Collection
Worldly Paint Collections
Dstrezzed x We are WOW Makers Shares Travel-Inspired Hues
Wine-Inspired Hair Dyes
The oVertone Coloring Conditioner Hair Kits Celebrate the Libation
Color-Displaying Ink Variants
Kobe University Researchers Launch the New Nano-Scale Inks
Color-Changing Lip Glosses
Colourpop Created a Transformative Gloss in a Unique Hue
Octopus-Inspired Color-Changing Inks
The University of Hong Kong Developed a New Dyed Ink
Vibrant Anti-Fade Hair Colors
The Clairol Bold & Bright Hair Colors Have TrueColorSeal Technology
Customer-Crafted Beauty Products
KIKI World Presents a New Product Made by Consumers
90s-Inspired Vibrant Home Designs
Another Human Creates Vibrant Interiors fo the Holboro House
Eco-Friendly Denim Dyes
Panther Denim Introduces the 'Retro Dye' for Sustainable, Colored Denim
Bright Whimsical Home Accessories
Blue Balcony Design Studio Delivers a Range of Vibrant Decor
Magenta-Hued Flip Phones
The Motorola razr+ Comes in Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year
Vibrantly Colorful Dinnerware
MoMA Design Store Stocks the Hellerware Rainbow Series
Bean-Shaped Vibrant Chalks
Areaware Presents the Colorful New Bean Chalks for Imaginative Drawing
Sensory Explorative Art Exhibitions
Chromasonic Presents the Making Sense of Color Exhibition
Dramatic Multi-Chromatic Eyeshadows
KVD Beauty Dazzle Gel Hyper-Metallic Eyeshadows are Seductive
Wine-Inspired Hair Colors
Franzia Wines and oVertone Collaborated on Coloring Conditioner Kits
Doll-Themed Pink Paints
Stuart Semple Releases a New Barbie-Inspired 'Pinkie' Paint Color
Color-Changing Smart Fabrics
Researchers at UoW in Ontario Develop a Smart Material
Spring-Ready Vibrant Homeware
&Tradition Grows its Ongoing Flowerpot Range for Spring
Purple Yam Frozen Yogurts
Pinkberry's Ube Honey Flavored Frozen Yogurt Boasts a Pretty Purple Hue
Biomaterial Color-Changing Installations
Crafting Plastics Studio Presents the Sensibiom 2 Exhibit
Vibrancy-Boosting Hair Masks
Virtue's ColorKick Illuminating Mask Enhances All Color-Treated Hair
Punk-Informed Semi-Permanent Hair Dyes
Heaven by Marc Jacobs Presents its First Beauty Product
Invisibility-Illusion Portable Cloaks
The Invisibility Shield Co. Relies on Science
Dental Stain Concealers
Smile Brilliant's Night Out! Concealer is Effective in 60 Seconds
Sunlight-Reflecting Paints
Stanford University Researchers Develop an Innovative Color Paint
Vibrantly Colorful Dynamic Artwork
Kayla Rumpp's Art is Seen as Both Painting and Sculptural
Filmic Haircare Campaigns
The From Sister to Sister Campaign Celebrates The Color Purple
Colorful Geometric Ceramic Vases
Pani Jurek's BARVA VASES are Defined by Wavy Lines
Radiant Longevity Skincare
Nobiesse Formulates Face and Body Products with Methylene Blue
Collaborative Springtime Paint Colors
Wickes Subtle Sage Paint Was Created with Kimberley Walsh
Immersive Spring-Themed Exhibits
Colors in Bloom Features 12 Immersive Rooms
Color Psychology Tests
ColorME Invites People To Explore Their Personality Through Color
Animal-Perspective Video Cameras
A Team of Researchers Develop a Special Imaging System
Yellow-Tonal Phone Exteriors
Apple Introduces a Yellow Colorway to Spark Interest in the iPhone 14
Large-Scale Pink-Fabric Art Installations
Ibrahim Mahama Designs the Purple Hibiscus Installation
Warm Tonal Peach Sneakers
Cariuma Presents the Peach Fuzz Colorway Series with PANTONE
Self-Cleaning Touchscreen Dashboards
GM Unveils its New Self-Cleaning System for Displays
Squid-Inspired Smart Windows
The University of Toronto Develops a Liquid-Filled Panel
Dark Purple Knitted Sneakers
Acne Studios Released New Bubba Sneaker in Dark Purple Colorway
Oil-Based Food Colorings
EXBERRY Shade Vivid Orange – OS Achieves a Vibrant Hue
Seasonal Tonal Acoustic Products
Woven Image Presents a Slew of New Colorway Palettes
Royally Hued Gaming Controllers
The Xbox Wireless Controller Astral Purple Has Contrasting Colors
Pink-Tonal Suitcase Capsules
Away Releases a New 'Island Pink' Colorway for its Travel Accessories
Pink-Colored Cleaning Sprays
The Miracle Multi-Purpose Cleaner Leaves All Surfaces Shining