Peach is our mood in 2024, and here’s why

By now everyone knows peach is the colour of the year 2024 – termed Peach Fuzz this shade is already dominating fashion designers’ mood board for Spring Summer, be it couture or casual dressing, not to mention interiors & make up trends. With wedding season in full swing, the colour is dominating the wedding collection as well

Does the colour once announced, begin to dominate the fashion & lifestyle industry or is it the dominating trends that influence the colour?  – Kanchan Agarwal explores the frenzy.

The Colour of the Year 2024 – Peach Fuzz once announced is being embraced by the fashion enthusiasts and the designer fraternity with gusto. In fact, it has been the fashion designers that have led the Peach brigade in India as well – including the likes of Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna, Tarun Tahiliani and JJ Valaya. Not to mention the colour that is found in roads to interior design, make up…

Pantone, the world masters in colour standards, has chosen ‘Pantone 13-1-23’ Peach Fuzz from its colour system as the Colour of the Year as an expression of the present global cultural mood to nurture self and others, and to grow within a space of connectedness. 

WGSN, a business trend forecasting company also chose a similar shade called Apricot Crush as a reflection of a rising interest in holistic lifestyles in search of awe as we tend to the uneasiness about the future. 

Pantone is an authority for providing the universal language of colour, and WGSN (World Global Style Network) is a leader in the business of forecasting trends. 

Colour of the year Influenced by Global Turmoil
Both companies come with an intention to tend to the recent past of global turmoil and recognise the global awareness to nurture self, connect deeply and meaningfully, and proceed softly. 

Taking this sentiment forward, there has been a rush of youtubers who capture the simplicities of their daily home life, aesthetically presenting moments of their lives, rituals of self-care like early morning routines, after-work skin routines, daily meal preparations, night time winding down rituals, quality of time spent with family and connecting with friends via letters and cards of affection. These videos, in addition to the innumerable, useful, comprehensive posts about mental health, and emotional intelligence posted by professional mental health workers are doing the rounds of the digital socials. 

The pandemic drove the world to prioritise wellness, and it seems like a fuzzy time to explore the colour peach.  

The Art and Science of Listening to the Language of Colour
Not surprisingly, Pantone and WGSN have forecasted the Colour of the Year based on data from: 

• Online consumer behaviour
• Product demand 
• Product forecasting
• Observation of cultural influences beyond the space of fashion.
  

How do they predict fashion trends?
While WGSN uses image recognition technology to study photos of influencers on social media, product design and demand on eCommerce websites, and data from search engines, from on-ground trade events, catwalks, and large size consumer surveys, to assess strength of trends and arrive at a conclusion, Pantone relies on the intuitive ability of its team, in addition to its macro-level product forecasting. 

The team of global colour experts at the Pantone colour Institute thoughtfully consider influences and analyse trends at play in and beyond all areas of design, including the entertainment industry, socio-economic environment, art and aspirations of travel, technology, and sports. “Anything and everything taking place in our culture during the year can influence our selections”, says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of Pantone Colour Institute in an interview published on the official Pantone website on the occasion of 25 years of Colour of the Year program. 

The Reality of Our Shared Human Experience
As the team is able to articulate the global cultural zeitgeist through the lens of colour, it feels appropriate when she refers to them as Colour Anthropologists. 

In describing the work process of the team members whose daily conversations are rooted in colour and design, owing to their professional contribution to design studios, key trend forecasts, brand colours and visual identity, Laurie muses “It is one long, continuously flowing conversation among a group of colour-attuned people. They come from a wide range of design, cultural and geographical backgrounds. They have an intuitive ability to connect all that is taking place in the world and translate it into the language of colour.”

“The emotional aspect of colour is also a large aspect of our decision-making. Colours they select should reflect the emotion of what is taking place in our global culture at a specific time. What’s especially fascinating to me about the Pantone colour of the Year selection process is that although our Pantone colour Institute members reside in different locations and are involved in differing areas of design, we are always able to come to a consensus,” she adds.

Colour, Context and Consciousness
On a political level, a colour can mean starkly different to people of each political community. For example, red denotes love and passion in New York, but is a reminder of communism in Russia. On a personal level, colours and moods often go hand in hand. In the public sphere, colours also align with purpose. Be it colour of the skin, hair, attire, home interior, or brand packaging, colours have a non-verbal but powerful way of communicating. Famous Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung has been known to describe colours as the “mother tongue of the subconscious.”

Good Vibes Only
Peach is a blossoming hue between pink and orange, and invokes feelings of warmth and cosiness all over transcending regions.

The colours forecasted to be the most preferred in 2024 also comes with a story of inspiration.
WGSN recognizes Apricot Crush as a psychological mood booster, a reminder of the vitamin- and antioxidant-rich properties of apricots and oranges, and a reminder of the beauty of nature in the orange clouds of sunset. It positions it as a warm, restorative hue that will attract those who feel the need to nourish mind and body. 

Pantone has described Peach Fuzz as a velvety, poetic, romantic and subtly sensual colour with a vintage vibe, that inspires belonging, and provides a sanctuary to heal and tune to who we are, togetherness with others, and recalibrate our movement amidst the hustle and bustle of life towards a peaceful future. 

Colour Me Peach says the Indian Bride
“When it comes to the Indian bride, apricot crush with an off-white, or a red works; however, apricot crush with a gold tissue saree would be fantastic; apricot crush goes very well with metallic colour palettes. For a regular day, if it is an outdoor event, apricot crush is a day colour, if it is an indoor event, it is a night colour. As I see, colours of the Spring/Summer 2024 are deep emerald, midnight plum, cool mocha, meta mauve, tidal teal, and pollen yellow”, chimes Indian haute couture designer Shravan Kumar. 

The Cycle of Influence
Last year, Pantone forecasted Viva Magenta as the colour of the year was Viva Magenta, and 2023 turned out to be a ‘Girl Year’, starting with the summer blockbuster Barbie influenced comeback of pink to signify feminism and existentialism all at the same time, followed by the rise of purple influenced by the black women-centric; the Color Purple, as an expression of power, creativity, luxury, peace, ambition and independence.

It’s an interesting time to be in as we walk into the momentum where we participate in the creation of, as much as we observe in the unraveling of our very own future.