Georgina Oakley
In honour of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, we’re looking into our own royal connection and exploring all things purple. As a UK born company with a global presence, we’re proud to be celebrating this milestone from the heart of London! Read on for why purple is considered the colour of royalty and what it means to YOTEL.
WHAT IS ROYAL PURPLE?
Also known as Tyrian purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, the shade is made by mixing red and blue hues. Royal Purple was officially launched as a Crayola crayon colour in 1990.
DID THE QUEEN START THE ROYAL PURPLE TREND?
Purple’s association as the colour of royalty and wealth dates way back to ancient realms. Cyrus the Great – founder and king of the first Persian Empire – wore a purple tunic as his royal uniform. In Roman times, it was reserved exclusively for the Emperor - some even punished their citizens if they wore any shade of the colour! Similarly, during the Elizabethan era, Queen Elizabeth I set laws that permitted only her close relatives to wear purple. The Queen’s father – George VI - wore purple in his official portrait and the colour also featured prominently in her own coronation 70 years ago.
WHY WAS PURPLE CHOSEN AS THE COLOUR TO REFLECT ROYALTY?
For centuries, purple dye was particularly hard to get hold of as textiles could only be coloured with natural dyes. To make the first purple shades, dye-makers had to crush the shells of a species of sea snail, extract its purple mucus and then expose it to the sun for a specific period. The process made the colour so scarce and expensive that wearing it was a symbol of status and wealth.
WHEN DID PURPLE BECOME MORE MAINSTREAM?
The first synthetic dyes were created in the 1850s after which the colour became much easier and cheaper to make. In fact mauve – a shade of purple – was the first commercially successful synthetic colour. Purple has since come to symbolise a whole host of other things, from spirituality, harmony and magic, to Cadbury Dairy Milk, the 1980s cult classic The Colour Purple, and of course…YOTEL!
WHY DID YOTEL CHOOSE PURPLE?
Purple has always been YOTEL’s signature colour and you’ll see the distinctive shade across all our hotels and platforms. We chose a vibrant shade that is playful and fun – elements that define who we are.
