What colour would we choose if we could see the coming year? The abstract notion is a yearly consideration for Pantone Colour Institute specialists, who sift through high-fashion runways, interior design trends, pop cultural events, and human psychology to determine their selection.
According to their findings, the colour that will come to characterise 2024 will be "Peach Fuzz" - a soft, fruity tone that evokes calm and tranquillity. "We're going through a lot of turmoil in our lives, and we have a need for a colour that's nurturing," Pantone colour consultant Leatrice Eisman told CNN via video conference. "It's a warm and inviting colour."
It's also quite tactile. We believe that at this moment, tactility is critical — to touch other people and welcome them into our homes."
Peach tones have been a staple of the Spring-Summer 2024 runways, notably in Milan, where Italian companies like Gucci, Jil Sander, and Sportmax have led the trend.
Hilary Duff wore a lingerie-inspired, peach-hued Dolce & Gabbana gown at the Oscars Vanity Fair Afterparty in March. Soon later, Uma Thurman attended the Women Making History Awards in the same colour Prada Fall-Winter 2023 gabardine gown.
However, the study process for colour selection is cumulative, and looking at the most recent variations of peach isn't adequate, according to Eisman.
Giorgio Armani, the king of greige, created a spectacular collection for Spring-Summer 2016, with the majority of items skewing salmon over the label's typical suit-gray.
The last time we saw Beyoncé at the Met Gala, she was dressed in peach. While the audience panned the puff-sleeved, embroidered latex Givenchy gown at the time, it was a watershed event for Eisman and the Pantone team. But what does a red carpet moment in 2016 have to do with the 2024 zeitgeist?
“We felt that (Beyoncé’s look) was something that really still had life today,” she said. “If we see it in 2016, and we feel that it’s a valuable idea that’s going to grow, we draw on that idea as well. We don’t forget what we’ve seen before.”
Peachy pop culture moments grew as well. Since then, several significant players have donned the colour on the red carpet. For the French premiere of "Little Women," Florence Pugh donned a Spring-Summer 2020 Chloé dress in the shadow, while Zoe Kravitz's peach Oscar de la Renta column gown drew headlines for its timeless, vintage charm.
“We think of peach as being a significantly nostalgic colour,” said Eisman. “More frequently a woman’s colour. And yet it has been adapted and gathered into men’s wardrobes and surroundings. I think that speaks to the modernity of the shade.”
Look no further than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Oscars 2023 costume for visual proof of masculine peach adoration. His Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket was the ideal shade of Peach Fuzz in an intrinsically tactical satin fabric.
Take a lesson from Rihanna and the peach leather dress she wore while pregnant at the Off—White runway show in Paris in 2022 for inspiration on how to further update the tone to current preferences.
Pantone's Colour of the Year project is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The colour psychology underlying Eisman and her team's previous three picks has been founded on endurance, hope, courage, and strength, all of which speak to our ever-changing times.
Pantone, on the other hand, is no stranger to capturing the collective mood, even in the midst of uncertainty and worry.