The anticipation is in the air. When December rolls around, that means something big is coming in our world…Pantone will soon announce their Color of the Year!
The choice for 2024 Color of the Year represents the 25th anniversary of the Pantone Color Institute’s program. While the specifics of how colors are chosen are not always clear, what is known is that experts are brought together from around the world and across different disciplines. They look at influences from film and fashion to current events and global trends as they search for a color that expresses what they’re seeing, drawing attention to the relationship between color and culture.
For 2024, Pantone Color Institute VP Laurie Pressman presented a color that speaks to our growing need for nurturing and kindness. “It needed to be a color whose warm and welcoming embrace conveyed a message of compassion and empathy,” she said in Pantone’s announcement webinar. “One whose gentle lightness and airy presence lifts us into the future.”
The color they chose is playfully-named Peach Fuzz – Pantone 13-1023 – and the “appealing peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange” certainly rises to the challenge of enriching body, mind and soul.
Pressman emphasized that it’s important to look at how Peach Fuzz pairs with other colors. You can use it to craft a sense of cocooned warmth by adding layers of buttery yellow and cream colors, or add a pop of color with beautiful contrast against indigo, navy blue or black.
Trend expert and futurist Vicki Ostrom also looks toward how Peach Fuzz can be applied. “You use the Pantone Color of the Year in various shades of light to dark depending on what substrate you’re coloring,” she says. “Is it a new Peach outfit on your online avatar, saturated to pop onscreen in a digital space, or is it a vintage-inspired Peach tee or fleece that you’re wearing to a game or to hang out with friends and discuss the latest read for a book club?”
Peach can bring that warmth to any outfit as a base layer, creating a foundation of compassionate calm. The garment-dyed Beach Wash collection from Port & Company is a great place to start, with a V-Neck Tee or Sweatshirt, and a Tank option also. BELLA+CANVAS brings a plethora of Peach to the table with a Flowy Scoop Muscle Tank, Triblend Short Sleeve Tee and Heather CVC Short Sleeve Tee all in Peach, as well as a Sponge Fleece Pullover Hoodie and Cropped Hoodie.
For that vintage Peach vibe, the District Perfect Tri family has several styles in Heathered Dusty Peach, including a Tee, Womens V-Neck Tee, Racerback Tank and Sleeveless Hoodie. The Very Important Tee family also includes Dusty Peach in the Boxy Tee, Women’s Fitted Tee and Women’s V-Neck Tee.
As an accent color, Peach adds its touch of natural warmth on the sleeves of the Women’s Perfect Tri 3/4-Sleeve Raglan from District.
However you use it, Pantone’s choice of Peach Fuzz for Color of the Year of 2024 is sure to bring a sense of warmth and compassion to any outfit you and your customers create.
Do you already have some ideas for how Peach Fuzz might work into your 2024 plans? Share them with us and join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.