Have you ever wondered how the big fashion, beauty supplies and even electrical appliances brands decide which will be the next “it” color? It’s a little more complicated that you may think, and it’s a decision that might seem unimportant to some, but in some cases, it guides to consumer-products industry for years at a time.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Pantone, a world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of color across a variety of industries. Pantone, for those who work in design and communication, is the closest thing for a standard language for color communication for the designer-manufacturer-retailer-customer supply chain.
As part of Pantone, the Pantone Color Instituto (PCI) helps companies make the most informed decision about color for their brands and products through color trend forecasting, brand color development and product palette selection.
Each season, the Pantone Color Institute creates the Pantone Fashion Color Trend Report, a general overview highlighting the top colors fashion designers will feature at the New York Fashion Week and will be an integral part of their next seasons. Also, each year’s end, the Institute considers the trends for the coming year and selects a Color of the Year, which in their own words is “one moment in time that provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design, reflecting Pantone Color Institute’s year-round work doing the same for designers and brands”.
For 2018, the Color of the Year is Ultra Violet 18-3838, which is the number we can look-up in Pantone’s swatches. Ultra Violet was selected as Color of the Year as it is considered unconventional and full of creativity and also related to spirituality and mindfulness. In Ultra Violet, we can find the vast and limitless night sky as a symbol of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.
As for seasonal colors, the Pantone Color Institute has developed 12 colors that are sure to become the headline of the fashion brands collections for 2018. This year’s palette is energetic, fun and quirky; it conveys optimism and confidence leading to a cast array in design and fashion trends.
Following the trends from the Pantonte report is no easy feat, as designers have to adequate them to different mediums. The wide array of fabrics and materials is a blessing in disguise, as combinations are endless and possibilities almost infinite.
Even though high-fashion such as Balenciaga or Versace, may not be easily attainable around the world, look around stores as this palette is sure to make its way down to prêt-à-porter – or ready to wear – collections in all sizes.
Article written by:
Fashion Designer Anahalí Azúa
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