by Brigitte Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
Would you believe I have been creating dusty pink bridesmaids dresses since the inception of Roka Roko? My second group of bridesmaids in 2014 was a chiffon and lace dusty pink dress design; and that experience was terrible. Well, not because of the colour, but you can imagine I have had a few scary attachments to this colour. I have had a love hate relationship with the colour dusty pink for a while now. I think it is because as a creative you come to accept that things change and you expect the world to move with you…well no!
In 2019, I am 150% sure I will receive more dusty pink dress orders; lace and chiffon/tulle combinations. Somewhere at this very minute, there’s a bride planning her wedding and the bridesmaid dresses are dusty pink. I have learned to allow people to be in their decision-making. I don’t try to convince anyone differently anymore; I have come to understand that there are just some things that come to stay; and never leave. But why this fascination with dusty pink?
It is pretty
Well, dusty pink if you imagine it without seeing the colour itself sounds bright enough but yet quiet enough. So all the bright people can wear it and all the conservative people can feel like they are not visible in it. It’s a mix of dust and pink. The dust takes out the ‘look at me factor’ and the pink takes out the ‘simple’ in dust. I think this is why many go for it. It encompasses a larger group in one.
It matches a lot
Yes, it looks great next to grey, navy, green, cream, gold, brown and even a simple black suit. And I do think men are accepting to a touch of ‘dusty pink’ on their suit as opposed to ‘pink’! This is a great point to keep in mind when deciding on the bridesmaid dress. But the biggest one, is that dusty pink goes with every if not all of the event planner’s decoration ideas in 2018-2019. Flower arrangements have been including this colour forever, new gold cutlery compliments it well, and white chairs work like a charm. The reality is that people want what Instagram say’s is great. Well, the road is still long until orange roses come into fashion.
Little competition
I mean who can beat Beyonce? LOL! At the level that Beyonce has reached, no one really cares anymore about her talent levels, whether she combs her hair or whether she flosses. We expect her to be great and will not believe she’s anything less! This is what it feels like when I have discussions with clients about dusty pink. Nothing beats it, ever! Everyone trusts in it to deliver their dream, and you know what….it does. It even does better when combined with other colours as a trim. So not only does it shine alone, it makes its competitors look good too… what a Queen! I once managed to convince a bride to have army green dresses with dusty pink trims for her bridesmaids…and it worked. Imagine!
Social media support
In general, anything relevant on Instagram will be relevant in life. For a long time. As I have mentioned, event planners and retailers are selling this look, for wedding cakes, baby shower parties, birthdays, etc. As long as every second picture on Instagram is of an event with dusty pink leading the decorations, well…you know. And a lot of us are followers really, or we allow our service providers to advise us fully on what theme to follow.
So, if I can’t beat dusty pink, I had better find a way to join it. I read somewhere you should wonder why you hate something or someone so much. That is your area of work within yourself. Also as an entrepreneur I have to ask, how can I be part of this train that is currently going fast but consistent? The trick of retail fashion is to ride a wave while it is relevant and to fully potentialize it. I am making peace with designing at least 4 more weddings this year in dusty pink; but it’s not my party. LOL!
Brigette Mashile is the founder and creative force behind Roka Roko, a custom fashion design business based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company passionately delivers quality tailored and trendy fashion to make their customers happy, and specializes in styling women by creating unusual combinations with fabric, culture and style. Brigette has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Fashion Diploma from Studio5 School of Fashion. She’s a former fashion buyer for a major retailer in South Africa, and an international direct selling company. She’s been passionate about fashion since the age of 10 and gained invaluable experience in the fashion world running informal fashion creation businesses until the day her own Roka Roko brand was born. Find out more by visiting the Roka Roko website www.rokaroko.co.za
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