Color Feature Extraction and Clustering Map Construction of Bai Women’s Traditional Costumes in Dali Using Deep Neural Networks

The colors of ethnic costumes encode rich cultural meanings, yet conventional approaches often struggle to extract color characteristics objectively and quantify relationships among colors. This study develops a digital analysis framework integrating deep neural networks, K-means clustering, and color network modeling to examine Bai women’s traditional costumes in Dali. A total of 210 valid samples (n = 210) were collected and selected, covering three regional types (Erhai lakeside, basin, and mountainous) and two groups (young and middle-aged, and elderly). Color and visual features were extracted from costume images using deep convolutional neural networks, and geographic-region and age-group classification tasks were designed to test their ability to distinguish geographical origins and group membership. Unsupervised clustering was then applied to the high-dimensional color features, while a color network model was used to characterize the structure of color combinations through measures including color co-occurrence and node centrality. Models incorporating the color modality achieved accuracies of 83.33–88.89% in regional classification and 68.42–78.95% in age-group classification, indicating that color features can help distinguish the groups. Clustering revealed clear regional differences, suggesting possible associations between color choices, natural environments, and livelihoods, as well as distinct color combinations between younger and older groups. Network analysis identified stable, multilayered color combinations and group differences in core-color substitutability and the diversity of auxiliary-color clusters. The integrated sequence of feature extraction, classification validation, clustering, and network modeling offers a reusable framework for quantitatively comparing regional and group differences and supports the digital preservation and systematic documentation of traditional costume colors.