The Story of British Colour Standard

The art/design team of Jackie Piper and Victoria Whitbread have a shared love of colour and material exploration. Discovering an old colour dictionary in an Oxfam shop began a journey to re-establish this long forgotten brand.

Pictured above, the original BCS colour HQ at No 13 Portman Square in London, demolished after the second World War.

A treasure trove of colour and rich history first established 1931. Out of use since the 1950’s, they acquired and accurately scanned original colour dictionaries. A digital colour reader established a profile for the many hundreds of colours created and logged in the 1930’s and these original colours and names are used in their current collections. Derived and inspired from nature, flora and fauna, as well as semi-precious stones and spices, the main collections include many historic and special Royal colours, designed and used for coronations and special events.