The colour palette has had a long-standing, passionate affair with the fashion industry. After the lockdown and the pandemic year (read 2020) got over, the industry’s colour experts had a lot to share through their research for the coming seasons and fashion trends. For those unaware, Coloro – the universal colour system and WGSN – the global authority on trend forecasting together have designed an inventive, ultra-contemporary color system that decodes colour as the human eye sees it. They assure the analysis is based on centuries-old colour mythology, the Munsell colour model, refined with 20 years of applied science. For the new year, making a transition from last year’s goals, the key colours for Spring-Summer 2021 are all about freedom, motivation, and subtlety.
GOOD GRAY Labelled as the counterbalance colour, it dials down the season’s more vivid hues. It’s an ideal partner for an array of tones and accentuates minimalism when used on its own. Good Gray also has a sustainable outlook, illustrating the raw, amalgamated hue of recycled materials combined. With medium saturation and subtle blue tint, it is both grounding and calming.
LEMON SHERBET Yellow – often deemed a risky colour – has been making solid steps into commercial territory over recent seasons. Olivier Rousteing flaunted bright shades of the same family through his new collection of Balmain and being his favourite colour for the season, it will later shift to the softer hue of Lemon Sherbet, encapsulating the feel-good factor of the sun, but also desaturating enough to have a calming effect. It will have broad appeal across genders and product categories.
OXY FIRE Our extrovert colour for the season – a fiery, saturated hue guaranteed to spark reactions. It builds on the commercial success of red and orange, with a complexity that fuses elements of both. It energises and enlivens products and collections. Many brands are working on the fire family colour palette to give the upcoming summer a zesty boost and a sense of shimmer, like Guerlain’s beauty range Mon Guerlain extravagantly exhibiting oxy fire!
A.I. AQUA This is our tech-inspired hero colour for the season with a digital quality that’s set to have key relevance. A.I. Aqua will offer true versatility, working brilliantly in summer and just as amazing in transitional and winter collections. It can look both sporty and trend forward, making it perfect for designs that inhabit the blurred space between active and fashion, and it has a level of saturation that is ideal for aiding focus before intense activity. As seasons become more unpredictable and fashion styles synthesize more rapidly, this colour would have huge commercial appeal. Case in point, Perrin Paris are already setting their window display with the new arrival – a juxtaposition of wood, strasse, and aqua-mint leather resulting in contemporary, defined lines.
QUIET WAVE Greens have been gaining ground for several seasons – and in a broader range of hues – the freshest tones will gravitate towards cooler levels. Quiet Wave has an optimistic and futuristic quality, making it a perfect mood-setter for the start of a new decade. The inspiration here is less about nature and more about technology, and its pale, solitary character makes it perfect for mental stimulation before physical exertion. When the world is turning more towards sustainable ideas and encouraging organic affirmations, it only seems right to see more soothing shades of green.
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BREAD BROWN The pandemic inspired many of us to dabble in baking bread and using our cooking skills in the kitchen for unwinding our passions. The autumn colour palette has kickstarted the season, but it seems to go on to a lighter shade of brown for spring-summer, depicting chocolate milkshake tones, or the shades of bread-baking being the colour of the upcoming summer season. Ralph and Russo adding softness and mild milky-browns give an interesting impact to the ready-to-wear collection carried out next.
It’s astounding how colour experts manage and understand the dynamics of the retail market and decode human perceptions, resulting in the most logical, joyful choices of fluid communication that colours have with us, through fashion, prints, and silhouettes. Let’s explore this unparalleled vision of highlighting dreams, hopes, and confidence that gets spelled out through nature’s spirit.