Spring Color Inspiration: A note from Senior Designer, Courtney Cedarholm
Washing Our Spirits Clean
A new season means new beginnings, especially when it comes to spring. It’s the opportunity for a fresh start, to try something new, to climb out of our winter slumber. When the snow melts and wildflowers begin to bloom, there is a cleansing energy that calls for us to embrace the outdoors. It becomes much easier to connect with nature in the warmer months — outdoor pursuits are more accessible. Now more than ever, this reconnection to the outdoors and resurgence of the natural world — flourishing flowers, emerging animals, reappearing trails — provides solace and prepares us for adventures ahead.
Color Inspiration
When it comes to expressing the hues of the changing season, Stio’s spring color stories offer lighter and brighter tones. “Spring is about freshness and blossoming florals. Everything is blooming, so we want the colors to be blooming too,” says Stio’s Senior Designer, Courtney Cedarholm. “At Stio we believe the colors you wear have the ability to shape your mood. If you want to feel strong and confident, you’ll thrive wearing Skyrocket or Arctic Fire. If you want to embrace a calmer feeling of clarity, our Maritime Blue or Intrinsic Blue will be perfect. For a more grounded sensation that’s connected with the earth, you’ll feel at home in Ranger Green or Cliff Clay. If you need a boost of energy or are striving for an optimistic outlook, Wild Sprig can give you that lift.” We are guided by color psychology while developing a line with a well-rounded, broad assortment of shades, prints and patterns. Red has been found to be the most powerful color on the spectrum, hence evoking a sense of confidence in its wearer, while almost every shade of blue has been shown to reduce stress, thus offering its wearer clear thinking and wellbeing.
Stio’s color palette is also inspired by our roots in Jackson. “Wearing a lot of color can be intimidating, but that’s one of the joys of mountain towns,” says Cedarholm. “We’re surrounded by all the colors of the natural world, so it’s normal for people to mix more vibrant hits of color with the earthy, natural tones that provide us a sense of calmness.” We design our line with plenty of neutral options to make people feel comfortable and grounded, and they also mix seamlessly with the brighter colors of the moment.
Connection To Mountain Life
In the spring and summer the clothes you need are designed more for comfort and enjoyment than protection and warmth. We try to pick colors that can work with you as you go about your day. All of it connects with the lifestyle and environment of mountain towns. It’s important to have a healthy mix of both bright and dusty colors because together they can complement your outfit composition. The balance of bright, dusty and earthy tones enables our customer to look sophisticated, but still fit in with the mountain life in an authentic way. At the end of the day, we want people to have the color options that will make them feel comfortable throughout the day and adventurous for their outdoor pursuits.
Seasonal Favorites
Wild Sprig is one of our new colors this season that we’re really excited about. It’s botanically fresh and feels very of the moment. It’s a naturally bright color with high visibility, which is a common need for the outdoors, but can be worn with any of our calmer colors. It’s vibrant in a pastelly tone, but has more green in its blend which makes it feel mountain appropriate. If you wear it on the water it’s light and will reflect the sun rather than absorb it, but also pops off the water and looks great with all different skin tones.
One of our new pieces this season, the Second Light Valley Jacket, is offered in Wild Sprig because it’s something new for our Stio lady. We know our woman customer loves a longer silhouette and can throw this jacket over leggings on her way to yoga or just bouncing around town. She’s really active throughout the day and needs a piece that can go with her wherever she’s heading and can change with her throughout the day. Maybe she wants to go for a quick walk after work and needs a color that can pop with the wild flowers that are blooming beside the trail. Wild Sprig is the color that can reflect that mood.
In our men’s line, people will see more Cliff Clay this season which is a reflection of earthy, rich dirt. We can see Stio men riding over the rocks in Moab or across miles of single track and feel one with the surrounding environment. Mountain biking is a grittier activity in the outdoors, so we wanted to complement that with grittier tones for our bike specific pieces.
