Purple is dead and gone. The fashion industry has ruled that this fall/winter you

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will wear green, from head to toe. Fall clothes have started arriving in stores and shop windows are awash in green.

Green of all shades -- from warm olive to electric green to Amazon green -- is what men and women are being tempted with. Men’s shirts, ties, jackets, sweaters, women’s tops, skirts, bags, shoes and even kids wear have gone green with a vengeance.

The colour theme changes with the changing season every six months around the world. Spring/summer yields to autumn/winter and to a new colour without fail. And so the cycle goes on.

In that cycle India had been two seasons (one full year) behind the rest of the world. But to give it its due, the fashion industry is trying to catch up: the green obsession this time shows it is just six months behind global trends, for green was what ruled the truly fashionable world last spring/summer.

The season’s colour is set by a group of international designers who forecast the trend and set the tone for the coming season. Most brands follow the forecast almost religiously.

But this time green is not the fanciful vision of the fashion forecasters. Green was chosen carefully and after due thought, perhaps for the first time ever, inspired by the climate debate in Copenhagen.

Premier Vision, the world’s premier fabric show, and catwalks at various fashion weeks across the world decide the colour.

“It is from these platforms the colours are adopted by apparel, shoe and accessory makers,” says Abhinav Zutshi, brand head for Ed Hardy, which without fail is following the herd instinct in going green.

With its seasonal palette that includes a blinding electric green, Ed Harry’s shelves have nearly a fifth of merchandise in all hues of green.

“Almost every shop you go to you will see green as the dominant colour this season. The green collection will contribute a good 15 to 20 per cent to our revenues. Other brands too, like Diesel, are flaunting green. So even is the case with Westside, the multi-product chain with plenty of private labels,” says Zutshi.

Pantone is one of the international fashion authorities that make forecasts that are regarded as the Bible by designers in deciding which colour has to have the pride of place in their collections. Websites like www.wsgn.com which predict fashion trends are also keenly watched.

This autumn/winter deep green rules the runways, says Roasie Ahluwalia, general manager of marketing for Canali, Botegga Veneta and Jimmy Choo. “Canali has lot of green in its shirts for men. Jimmy Choo too has green elements in its accessories,” she says, adding that green will be found in generous proportions throughout the collection.

According to Anjani Kasliwal, director of Brandhouse, retail and sole franchise of Dunhill in India, a lot of green infuses Dunhill’s accessories this time. She adds that true to the fickleness of fashion, green will fade with the season and give way to another colour in the next.

Vineeth Nair, chief executive officer of Chicco, the Italian kids wear brand, says not everyone splashes everything with green. “But the colour is definitely being used by others as a highlight. It’s being used to lift a garment. For example, you may find just a green string running through your apparel. It may be the thread to fasten the buttons, or the inner collar band or the shirt cuff may be of that colour. Green is in any case often used in kids wear and accessories. Strong and deep tones in green are very much in.”

Benetton’s kids wear has dollops of acid green, which exists with two others: pink and fuchsia.

Last year colour purple ruled the fashion scene in India, two seasons behind the rest of the world. This time India is just a step behind everybody else. “The scenario has changed,” says Kasliwal of Brandhouse, essentially saying that the time lag between the creation of fashion globally and India taking to it has shortened.

Jyoti Narula, Genesis Colours managing director, thinks that India is now at par with other countries. “Indian luxury buyers travel a lot and are well informed. Why would they buy something that’s a season behind in India?” Genesis Colours has a portfolio of brands, including Satya Paul, Samsaara, Bwitch and Tie Rack.

Botegga Veneta, which sells only accessories in India, has 10 per cent of its collection in shades of green. According to a senior worker in Bottega Veneta who did not wished to be identified, there is nothing special about green. “Dark and olive greens have always been the colours of fall/winter.”

If fashion alone does not dictate the colour to wear, there is another good reason for wearing green. “There is a spectrum of colours identified with health, happiness and empowerment. Green is one of them,” says Jitendra Nagpal, senior psychiatrist at Moolchand hospital, Delhi.