Santa Claus’s suit is red in the most widely recognized modern version of the character.
Red clothing became strongly associated with Santa through 19th-century illustrations, poems, greeting cards, and advertising. Thomas Nast’s drawings helped establish a robust, bearded Santa in fur-trimmed clothing, while later commercial artists refined the bright red coat, trousers, and cap seen around the world.
A common misconception is that Coca-Cola invented Santa’s red suit. Coca-Cola advertising from the 1930s made a particular red-and-white version exceptionally famous, but red-clad Santa images existed decades earlier. The company helped standardize and globalize an already developing design.
Santa’s clothing also reflects older winter and Saint Nicholas imagery. In different countries and periods, gift-bringers have worn green, blue, brown, or bishop’s robes, so the red suit is dominant rather than universal.