Overview
The same rainbow construction tuned to a blue-purple return, for programmes where the standard spectrum is too warm against the garment colour. Daytime appearance stays dark and neutral.
The choice here is colour harmony, not brightness. A standard rainbow returns a warm spread that fights a cool colourway; shifting the spectrum toward blue and violet lets the reflective accent sit inside a cool palette instead of interrupting it. In daylight the panel stays dark grey to near black, so the garment still reads as itself until light hits it.
Specification
- Base fabric: Polyester textile
- Daytime colour: Dark grey / near black
- Reflected colour: Blue-purple
- Width: Up to 140 cm
- Hand feel: Soft, close to the standard rainbow build
- Attachment: Sewn or heat applied
What the return spectrum decides
Under light, a rainbow surface does not return white — it returns a spread, and that spread is what the eye reads as the colour. Matching it to the garment means deciding which part of the spectrum should dominate at the viewing angle the wearer is normally seen from. Get that wrong and the accent looks accidental; get it right and it looks designed, which is the whole reason to specify a tuned spectrum rather than take the default.
Typical use
Fashion outerwear, footwear and bag panels, and streetwear programmes where the reflective accent has to sit inside a cool colour story.
It also suits dark garments with a cool cast, where a warm rainbow would read as a mismatch and a plain silver would read as utility rather than design.
What to confirm before ordering
- Return spectrum against the garment colour: send the colourway so the spectrum can be checked against it, not in isolation.
- Attachment: sewn or heat applied — heat alters the surface, so choose one and keep it.
- Width and slitting: up to 140 cm, or slit to trim width.
- Daytime appearance: dark grey to near black; confirm this suits the garment before the sample is approved on the reflective look alone.
- Reference panel: agree a physical reference rather than a colour code — a returned spectrum has no single hex value.
Compliance note
Effect reflective surfaces are specified for appearance, not for EN ISO 20471 retroreflection. The colour layer absorbs most of the returned light, so the panel will not reach the 330 cd/(lx·m²) floor at any grade. If the garment needs a 20471 claim, a compliant silver element has to carry it.
This is the same trade-off as any coloured reflective surface: colour and certified performance are alternatives, not a combination. Plan both elements at design stage rather than retrofitting compliance later.
Related formats
For a fade rather than a flat spectrum see Gradient Reflective Fabric; for printed artwork on a reflective base, Reflective Printing Fabric. Colour overview at Colour Reflective Fabric.
Samples and lead time
A4 swatches are free so your team can measure retroreflection, hand feel and colour before committing. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks from order confirmation.
