Rich, dramatic and surprisingly wearable, Harriet Cowie explores why royal purple is emerging as winter’s most statement-making colour.

The story of this season’s loudest colour trend begins with a revolting tale about snails. As far back as 1600 BCE, artisans in the ancient city of Tyre discovered that the mucus extracted from the humble wee molluscs would turn a vivid, colourfast purple when exposed to sunlight. It took thousands of snails to produce even the smallest squirt of dye – making it more valuable than gold – so the rich hue became a privilege of emperors, monarchs and the wildly wealthy. Hence its name: royal purple.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and science has thankfully found other snail-free ways to produce the deep violet tone, and the runways are absolutely awash with it.