Open your wardrobe. Now count: How much of it is black? If you’re like me, the answer skews well past half.

We’re not alone. Walk into almost any clothing store and there’s a good chance the black version of a popular piece will be among the first to disappear.

There are obvious reasons for its enduring appeal. Black is easy to match, versatile enough to dress up or down and, as anyone who has ever spilled lunch on themselves knows, considerably more forgiving than lighter colours.

But speak to the people who design, sell and style clothing in Singapore, and a broader explanation emerges.

Black does something few other colours can: It takes some of the risk out of getting dressed.

It can make shoppers feel less self-conscious about their bodies, stains or wrinkles. It can make an adventurous silhouette feel easier to pull off. It is unlikely to look inappropriate at work or overly conspicuous at an event. And when shoppers are deciding whether something is worth their money, black offers another reassurance: chances are, they will wear it again.

In other words, its popularity may not simply be about playing it safe. Black gives people the confidence to buy.

WHY BLACK CLOTHES TOP SALES

At Singaporean womenswear label Rock Daisy, the data speaks for itself. Black accounts for 32 per cent of total sales – nearly triple its nearest rival, green, at 11 per cent, with cream trailing at 9 per cent.

The colour is consistently the brand’s best-seller regardless of product type, a pattern reliable enough that it now shapes production budgets, said founder Rachel Liou, in an email interview.