Why maroon and saffron?

Question

Buddhist monk robes are usually these colors. Is there any significance/symbolism to the colors?

Answer 1

DARK RED color for dying used to be cheapest the robes were made in this color and it has become tradition to were Maroon, Dark Red, yellow or saffron colored robes. There is no other specific reason.

The special dress of ordained people, the robes, comes from the idea of wearing cheap clothes just to protect the body from weather and climate. They shall not be made from one piece of cloth, but mended together from several pieces. Since dark red was the cheapest colour in Kashmir, the Tibetan tradition has red robes. In the south, yellow played the same role, in East Asia, robes are yellow, grey or black.

The robes of getshül novices and gelong monks differ in various aspects, especially in the application of 'holes' in the gelong dress. Some monks tear their robes into pieces and then mend these pieces together again. The rabjung novices shall not wear the 'chö-göö', the yellow tissue worn during Buddhist teachings by both getshüls and gelongs.-

Answer 2

There is a significance to the colours, however not exactly a spiritual significance. The red was primarily used in Tibetan and Kashmiri monastaries as red was the cheapest dye available and therefore made the cheapest material. Their robes were supposed to be made of several piece of cloth mended together, never from one piece.
The Saffron was mainly seen in the southern monasteries for the same reason, although there is some cultural significance to it as well.
It is interesting to note that in Eastern Asia robes are generally yellow, grey or black.