Pantone’s Color of the Year, in what marks the 25th anniversary of the programme, has been announced to be Peach Fuzz, for the year 2024. The colour, entitled PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, is a warm hue that conveys the importance of nurturing compassion, empathy and kindness amongst all. “First introduced by the Pantone Color Institute in 1999 with the Pantone Color of the Year, PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean Blue, the Pantone Color of the Year captures the global zeitgeist, serving as an expression of a mood and an attitude on the part of the consumer. Through the years, the Pantone Color of the Year program has become a globally iconic cultural touchstone, drawing attention to how what is taking place in our global culture is reflected and expressed through the language of colour,” Pantone shares in their official release.

At a time when agitations across the globe have managed to permeate through the smokescreen of passive and apathetic displays, revealing the bigotry that lies at the heart of global turmoils, Pantone summons all to a state of being that is characterised by a compassionate, all-embracing ethos that can subvert prejudice and promote a sense of healing. The warm and cosy shade highlights our desire for togetherness. It represents the idea and feeling of sanctuary and the desire for a peaceful future. 

“A cosy peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from whether spending time with others or taking the time to enjoy a moment by ourselves,” shares Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute. “Drawing comfort from PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our wellbeing. An idea as much as a feeling, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth,” Eiseman adds.

Peach Fuzz’s velvety gentle peach hue also aims to inspire the recalibration of one’s priorities in a world that values productivity over kindred connections and leisure activities. Its subtly sensual tone bears the potential of bringing a feeling of tenderness and calmness and communicating the message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration. While on the one hand, the cosy sensibility of PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz conveys a sense of community and togetherness, on the other hand, its lightness metaphorises the act of lifting individuals into the future that is better planned is more empathetic.

“With this year’s Pantone Color of the Year 2024, we see an increased focus on community and people across the world reframing how they want to live and evaluating what is important – that being the comfort of being close to those we love. The colour is one whose warm and welcoming embrace conveys a message of compassion and whose cosy sensibility brings people together and enriches the soul,” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “In the spirit of PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we reflect back on the last 25 years of the Pantone Color of the Year program grateful to provide an avenue where designers and colour enthusiasts all over the world can engage in a conversation about colour, be inspired by colour and showcase their creativity within their communities. We look forward to continuing this for many more years to come,” Pressman reveals.

The institute also further highlights the ways in which Peach Fuzz evokes a new modernity. Citing the sophisticated nature of the hue, as well as its gentle lightness, Pantone spotlights the impact that the colour can have in the digital world. On the other hand, its poetic and vintage aura references the bygone era. The versatility of the colour is apparent in its easy presence across products and spaces, as well as in contemporary and archaic objects.

Its usage in apparel and fashion accessories is characterised by a visually arresting and inviting aura, one where the tone attracts us to reach out and touch it. Its application in hair and beauty products succeeds in adding an ethereal and reflective touch that is youthful. On the other hand, Peach Fuzz in home decor and interior design creates a welcoming ambience that conjures up an air of calmness and healing and a space from where one can flourish. Its usage in packaging design and multimedia design exudes a nostalgic aura, while also sitting in line with the clean and vibrant shades preferred in the digital space. Some brands that Pantone partnered with for the current iteration of the Color of the Year programme include Motorola, Shades By Shan, Ruggable, Ultrafabrics and Spoonflower.