Build a Colour Assortment That Actually Sells

Ask any experienced buyer where margin is won and lost, and colour will come up before price. Buy the right shades in the right ratio and stock turns quickly. Buy the wrong ones and you are running markdowns by week six.

Start with the core. Black, white and navy are not exciting, but they are the backbone of almost every category — and they sell through in every market and every season. As a rule of thumb, the core should carry the majority of your units.

Then add the seasonal accents. A considered green, a warm stone, a deep burgundy in autumn — these are the shades that make a rail look current and give a customer a reason to pick your product over an identical one. But accents are a garnish, not the meal: over-buy them and you are left with odd sizes in odd colours.

Watch the size-colour interaction. The safest accent colours belong on the safest sizes — the middle of the curve — while the extremes of the size run are best kept to core shades that always move.

Finally, let the data lead the next order. The colour that sells out first is telling you something; the one still on the rail is telling you more. On VESTRA, mixed-colour packs let you test breadth without over-committing — so your second order is smarter than your first.