The Color of 2021
For more than 20 years, the Pantone Color Institute has had a strong grip on the fashion industry with its annual color presentation. Each year, this division of Pantone reveals the “Pantone Color of the Year” for the current year.
The process of choosing the color itself involves research into various industries throughout the world. Pantone color experts search for elements of inspiration all over the world, combining aspects of art collections, fashion shows, beautiful travel destinations, and any division of the design industry to make their selection. In addition to these fun elements, there is also a close analysis of socio-economic conditions, everyday lifestyles, and cultures. The wide variety of inspirations and influences explored by the Pantone Color Institute are combined to create the color(s) that would best set the tone for the year in question.
Previous years have brought about trendy colors such as Serenity (2016), a soft and calming baby blue, and Living Coral (2019), a shocking and bright orangey-pink hue. 2021 has been named the year of Illuminating, a bright, lemony yellow, and Ultimate Gray, a medium-shade gray.
Pantone’s Color of the Year is a strong influence on product development within fashion and beauty lines. Product developers turn toward current and upcoming trends when innovating and coming up with new ideas to market to the public. Appearance and eye-catching appeal is crucial for pitching products and ideas to consumers, which is why these colors play such an important role across the board. Industries like that of fashion, home furnishings, industrial and graphic design and product packaging are impacted by the colors, as well. Many of this year’s collections have featured Illuminating and Ultimate Gray into their Spring/Summer collections, some even before the Pantone Color Institute’s official announcement.
Fashion designers use color psychology, trend forecasting, and emotion when creating a strategy and plan for their designs. With these things in mind, designers such as Prada, Balmain and Dolce & Gabbana developed amazing collections this year that incorporated Illuminating and Ultimate Gray. Elie Saab featured a flowing yellow dress with wide sleeves in a Spring/Summer 2021 show. Balmain’s Spring/Summer 2021 put Ultimate Gray in the spotlight. One outfit incorporated two shades of the color: a darker skirt with a criss-crossed waist and a lighter long-sleeve top with pointed shoulders.
Not only do the colors serve as statements within the fashion industry, but they also express a meaningful message. Each year’s colors coincide with a special theme. The pairing of Illuminating and Ultimate Gray highlights our human need to feel recognized, to have our voices heard and to be able to express ourselves through artistic mediums like fashion and makeup.
“The union of an endearing Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.” –Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute
