The New Black

Ever wonder how one day you wake up to find that pink is the new black?? How does the fashion industry flip on a switch and push something so blatantly onto us? Is there a science to it or just some fashion Svengali’s whim?

Well… there is actually a job designation termed ‘color forecaster’. That tangerine orange, that’s so on trend right now? Predicted by Pantone, the quietly ubiquitous American company that maintains color standards for publishers, designers, and the fashion world two years ago for the color of summer!

Color forecasting is almost as old as the fashion industry itself. In the late 19th century, color cards issued by French textile mills were snapped up by their American counterparts, eager for ideas and direction as to what might be the next color of the season.

In fact:  color forecasters get together twice a year in a super hush-hush meeting at the Pantone HQ with colorists that have traditionally worked with textile companies and others to set color standards. Over two days, these ‘colorists’ will each pitch a palette concept, organized roughly around a theme that has been chosen in advance.

The debate results in finding something more concrete: a story paired with a color and based on the cultural diversity of the forecasters who pick up on local trends that are seen on the streets and merged together to give a more global outlook.

And in case you are wondering: the results are published in Pantone View, a publication that is purchased by companies across a broad consumer landscape, from fashion designers to supermarket chains to the floral industry (yes, you read that correct: the floral industry) to see what word on the ‘new black’ is. A fine art, indeed!

Oh and while we are at it, enjoy this marvelous clip from Meryl Streep’s the Devil Wears Prada and the color cerulean!