Coloro

Coloro is a proprietary color specification system developed by Coloro Ltd to provide a standardized language for color in fashion, cosmetics, and related industries. It offers a large library of color swatches paired with alphanumeric codes to facilitate clear communication among designers, suppliers, and manufacturers across seasons and markets.

Origin and purpose: Introduced in the 2010s to address limitations of earlier color systems in global supply chains and digital workflows, Coloro is designed to work across physical samples and digital color management. It aims to improve consistency in color specification, sample approval, and production across fabrics, finishes, and lighting conditions.

Format and content: The system assigns a three-part code to each color within a perceptually informed color space, organized by hue families with gradations in lightness and chroma. The Coloro library encompasses thousands of colors used for textiles, cosmetics, and related products, with periodic updates to reflect seasonal design cycles.

Usage and impact: In practice, Coloro codes are used in technical specs, procurement, and digital color workflows, enabling buyers, mills, dye houses, and manufacturers to align on color across geographies. Some brands use Coloro alongside other standards such as Pantone, depending on partner ecosystems and industry segment.

Challenges: As a proprietary system, access to the full library and official references requires licensing. Adoption varies by supplier, and color reproduction can still differ by material, finish, and lighting, as with any color specification framework.

See also: Pantone, Munsell color system, Natural Color System (NCS).