I wrote this piece a week or so ago for a project for my Fashion Journalism course and thought i would show it to you, too. It's imagined for The Guardian G2. Let me know what you think!
Pantone Colour of the Year
As we hurtle round the final bend of 2008 with 2009 visible in the distance, try and cast your mind back eleven months. Do you remember how you felt at the end of 2007?
If you’re having trouble remembering what the world was like then, let me remind you of some of the events that had occurred that year. The Doomsday Clock advanced from 7 to 5 minutes to midnight. Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair to become Prime Minister of the UK. (Those two events weren’t related. I think.) Nancy Pelosi was settling into her new role as the first female speaker of the United States House of Representatives as Prathiba Patil was elected as first female President of India.
The Departed won Best Picture at the 79th Academy Awards. The Solomon Islands and Peru were both struck by massive earthquakes. Scouting celebrated its 100th birthday with worldwide celebrations. Pekka-Eric Auvinen killed 8 people at the Jokela School Centre shooting in Finland. Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Madeleine McCann went missing.
Live Earth Concerts were held in 9 major cities around the world. The final book of the Harry Potter series was released and became the fastest selling book of all time. Sydney in Australia turned its lights off for one hour between as a political statement about Global Climate Change. The Phoenix spacecraft launched toward the Martian north pole. A beautiful and rare calendar blue moon occurred in the Western Hemisphere.
Of course, these are just some of the things that happened that year. It's not easy to summarise a years worth of global events even after it's happened. Ok, now try compiling all that information on 52 weeks in a one word summary. Even with hindsight, that’s an impossible task. But what about giving 2007 a colour?
Pantone, the world famous colour communication brand, aim to do just that every single year, with a foresight they hope will be accurate. Pantone was founded by Lawrence Herbert in 1963, after his realisation that the colour spectrum is seen, interpreted and visualised differently by each person. This insight led to the creation of the Pantone Matching System, a book of standardized colour in fan format which solved many of the common problems associated with communicating and producing accurate colour matches in the graphic arts community.
Pantone now utilises their colour matching system concept over many other industries, including digital technology, fashion, interior design, plastic and paint. They also offer a biannual trend forecasting tool that offers seasonal colour guidelines and inspiration 24 months in advance for a range of usages, including menswear, women’s wear, cosmetics and industrial design. It’s this talent for colour forecasting that Pantone hopes to use successfully in their choice of colour of the year.
So, 2007’s hue? PANTONE 9-557 Chilli Pepper, a spicy orange-red.
“Whether expressing danger, celebration, love or passion, red will not be ignored,” explained Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute® in December 2006, when the Pantone Colour of the Year 2007 was announced. “In 2007, there will be an awareness of the melding of diverse cultural influences, and Chilli Pepper is a reflection of exotic tastes both on the tongue and to the eye. Nothing reflects the spirit of adventure more than the colour red.”
“In 2007, we’re going to see people making greater strides toward expressing their individuality,” said Lisa Herbert, executive vice president of the fashion, home and interiors division at Pantone. “The colour red makes a bold statement. We’re seeing shifts in people’s opinions on current events and major changes in the way they are expressing themselves through new technology. People are open to the possibilities of the future and Chilli Pepper celebrates that.”
And how would you sum up 2008 -- the international year of languages, sanitation, the potato and the frog -- in just one colour? If you picked purple, Pantone will be pleased.
"From a colour forecasting perspective, we have chosen PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris as the colour of the year, as it best represents colour direction in 2008 for fashion, cosmetics and home products," explained Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute® in December last year. "As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic."
It’s true that purple – sorry, Blue Iris – was a popular colour on many of the catwalks for Autumn/Winter 2008 but does the rest of the explanation ring true for you for 2008? The colour of the year for 2009 will be announced mid-December and I’ll be listening, interested to see how will Pantone attribute the various feelings of the world into one small swatch of colour this time.
Personally, I think they should pick PANTONE 17-6153, Fern Green.
The shade is a middle green, not too bright but still fresh and natural. Fern Green will remind us that action has to be taken to improve and restore the environment sooner, rather than later. In the fashion world, consumers, buyers and designers alike are all turning towards renewable sources, earth-friendly materials and green products and Fern Green will help promote that responsibility and sustainability.
Green is considered the official colour that represents Islam, as the prophet Muhammed had a green banner. Green for Muslims also represents paradise – the Persian word for garden. It would only be a small step, but choosing a hue close to the traditional dark green of Islam would be an important gesture towards religious tolerance, especially in the USA and UK – and perhaps even a tiny move towards making Paradise on Earth.
Green represents growth and hope, both of which have been key words during the electoral campaign of Barack Obama. With America’s first black president ready to take his seat in the White House at the beginning of 2009, a hopeful green of a fresh start would suit people’s positive moods the world over.
As the world is currently struggling through the biggest economic recession since the Great depression, we wouldn’t say no to another of green’s symbolic ideas. Green, of course, represents money - something that we could do with a bit more in 2009, please!
Last, but not least, green has been proven to be restful to the eye. Studies have shown that a green environment can reduce fatigue. After adventurous Chilli Pepper 07 and soul-searching Blue Iris 08, I think it’s time for a peaceful and calming Fern Green year, don’t you?
....But I wasn't right - although I don't think I was too far off! On December 3rd, Pantone announced that their colour of the year for 2009 would be PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa, a warm, engaging yellow.
The press release said:
In a time of economic uncertainty and political change,
optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance
more than yellow.
"The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the
sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,"
explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color
Institute(R). "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that
sparks imagination and innovation."
Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the
sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, the 2009 color of the year
represents the hopeful and radiant characteristics associated with the
color yellow. Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any
other color, has appeal for men and women, and translates to both
fashion and interiors. Look for women's accessories, home furnishings,
active sportswear and men's ties and shirts in this vibrant hue.
Ossie Clark (Spring/Summer 08/09)
Yellow is definitely not my favourite colour, but I think the reasoning behind this choice was apt and relevant to today. What colour would you pick for 2009? What colour did you feel should have been the colour for 2008? Let me know in the comments.
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