Pantone Colour of the Year
If you are into Fashion, you are probably aware that Pantone has announced the Colour for the ear 2025 back in December 2024. This year, the chosen hue is Mocha Mousse, a colour described as "a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort."
By what is Pantone and why selecting a colour of the year matters?
Black denim pants - Numero Uno
Slingbacks - Thrifted
Clutch - Nanawax
Pantone is a global authority on colour and a company best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a standardized colour reproduction system widely used in design, printing, fashion, and manufacturing. It provides a universal language for color communication, ensuring consistency and accuracy across different industries.
Founded in 1962 by Lawrence Herbert, Pantone originally focused on creating precise color matching for the graphic arts industry. He wanted to solve the problem of lack of standard language to describe different shades in the printing industry. He created his own mix of colors, and gave them them unique names. The result was a book of swatches of different colors, each of them with a number and a name. The book is called Pantone Matching System or Pantone Guides. The book being a huge success across industries, it became digitalized in the 80s. By the end of the 90s, the Pantone Colour Institute was created to educate about colour. The same institute is responsible for choosing the colour of the year since 1999.
Pantone's selection process is a mix of art and science. Their team studies global trends, from fashion and design to social and cultural shifts. The chosen color is a response to what the world craves, whether it's calmness in chaos or energy to propel innovation. Designers and creators worldwide eagerly incorporate Pantone's Color of the Year into their work. In fashion, it might define seasonal collections. In interior design, it could inspire palettes for homes and offices.
Nowadays Pantone offers more products that its basic PMS, from digital guides, to cotton swatches. You can even buy mugs with the color of the year on their website.
Pantone is not the only color guide available in the market, but for some reason it is the most popular. As a designer, you can look for the guide that suits you the best in terms of price and function.
As a designer, I do not rely on the Pantone colour of the year to set the tone of my designs. I have always been attracted to vibrant colours, therefore I always incorporate them in my collections. It does not impact my personal style either. I tend to get dressed based on colours and I know about Colour Theory. But mostly, I choose clothes based on my mood, and the weather. Nevertheless, it is ignorant to think that the Colour of the year may not affect our style this year. Even during my trip in December 2024, I have seen many items in Mocha Mousse from outerwear to accessories. One only has to watch The Devil wears Prada to understand how the fashion industry works in terms of colour.
I actually like Mocha Mousse as a colour. I do not own many clothes in Mocha Moussa except for a blouse I purchased in December 2024. I prefer the richness of Leather brown, Peach brown and Honey ginger as browns. And I cannot wait to purchase a nice pair of slacks in that colour with matching pumps.
What about you? Do you think that the colour of the year will affect the way you dress?
Comments