Pantone colour of the year is Peach Fuzz

Colour specialist Pantone has unveiled its latest Color of the Year with Peach Fuzz (Pantone 13-1023) coming out on top for the 25th anniversary of the annual colour pick programme.

The velvety gentle peach that’s “softly nestled between pink and orange” has an “all-embracing spirit” that “enriches mind, body, and soul,” we’re told. The company said that in “a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does our imaginings of a more peaceful future”. 

That means a “warm and cosy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary this creates” is the clear pick for the accolade.

It added that Peach Fuzz “presents a fresh approach to a new softness. Subtly sensual, [it’s] a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of tenderness and communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration”.

The company first introduced a Color of the Year back in 1999 (with Pantone 15-4020 Cerulean Blue) and since then it’s made a major impact, in some ways becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. While Pantone clearly does its research to pick the key colour that multiple industries are already embracing for the year, the fact that it calls out the particular shade with a major promotional campaign and product link-ups also means the momentum behind it grows.