This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Described as a warm, cozy shade that highlights our desire for togetherness and the feelings that come with it, Pantone Peach Fuzz 13-1023 presents a new approach to softness. The color of the year 2024 subtly invites itself into our daily lives. Although it has a great influence in fashion and interior and graphic design, it is rooted in a much deeper movement.
The buzz of Peach Fuzz
“A warm peach shade between pink and orange, Pantone Peach Fuzz 13-1023 inspires belonging, centering and the possibility of growth. It evokes calm and gives us a space to be, feel, care for ourselves and thrive while spending time with others or taking a moment for ourselves,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Managing Director of Pantone Color Institute and world authority on color psychology, during the highly publicized unveiling last December.
Marie-Chantal Milette, founder of Kryptonie, is not surprised by this choice. She recalls, with a touch of pride in her voice, that she announced her own version of the color of the year two months before Pantone. “I named it Peach Quartz and I used the exact same words as Pantone… The pandemic has been very dehumanizing. Strangely, we experienced an oppression of the sense of touch. And afterwards, we imagined ourselves living through the crazy years, celebrating, but the dramatic news kept coming. We needed tactile, comforting colors […] Choosing a skin tone, orange, becomes an antidote to everything negative you receive. »
Everywhere, the color peach
This color, which is intended to be soft and empathetic, we will find it in decoration and interior design, in cosmetics and hairdressing, in fashion accessories and clothing. We will also see it in a range of small everyday objects, from the mixer to the ceramic flower pot. We must not forget that this shade guides trends, but also invites introspection on our values, our aspirations and our relationship to the world around us, emphasizes Marie-Chantal Milette.
The one who is a master in predicting color trends for several large companies warns those who opt for Peach Fuzz with the sole aim of following the wave. “For interior colors, people need to think about the psychology of their needs. If the attributes of the peach color and the narrative behind this choice meet a real need, it is worth integrating it. But if this is not the case, I will instead suggest going for shades that provide a certain balance. We need to find [avant tout] colors that compensate for our weaknesses. »
However, from a business perspective, many creators, designers and marketers see an advantage in partnering with Pantone and Peach Fuzz 13-1023. The Japanese company Ultrafabrics, a leader in high-tech performance textiles, the cosmetics company Shades by Shan, Ruggable, with its rugs and doormats, Spoonflower, which designs surface patterns… All have already unveiled collaborations with the authority on color. Motorola has also launched special versions of two of its iconic models in certain markets in the Pantone color of the year.
A quarter of a century in color
The presentation of Pantone Peach Fuzz 13-1023 symbolizes the 25the anniversary of the Pantone Color of the Year program. Once again this year, this unique shade captures the spirit of the times on a global scale and reflects the state of mind of a society in constant transformation. Over time, the Pantone Color of the Year program has become an iconic cultural reference taken up by the greatest designers, across all disciplines.
“It was at the dawn of the year 2000, when we feared the bug, almost the end of the world. It is in this context that Pantone decided to offer a brand new shade to calm general anxiety. Cerulean Blue [bleu azur] represented a message of hope: we don’t know much in life, but one thing is certain, the sky always turns blue again. It was intended to be a message of hope that needed to be heard,” recalls Marie-Chantal Milette.
The Pantone color of the year is much more than a simple aesthetic choice or a publicity stunt, it is the mirror of an era, the reflection of a collective consciousness which is expressed through colors. “Year after year, it is a representation of what we need, based on the social, economic, political climate of the moment,” she continues. Color affects us, so how can we use it to better cope with what we are experiencing? This should be the celebration of the color of the year: making us aware of its power in our environment. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.