Just as every year is the International Year of something (the United Nations has declared 2024 the International Year of Camelids), each year has one or more colors chosen to capture a mood, sentiment, or hope for that year. This year, Samsung Fashion Institute (SFI), part of Samsung C&T Fashion Group, has selected two hues and the Pantone Color Institute has chosen one, giving us a choice of three tones to style with in 2024.
Two from Samsung
In 2024, the year of the Blue Dragon according to the Oriental zodiac, it’s not surprising that blue has been chosen by SFI as one of its two focus colors for this year. SFI chose this color because of its ability to deliver healing and stability in an uncertain situation.
The second color that SFI has chosen is green for its power to soothe the feeling of tiredness from the climate crisis and precarity. Both these colors are expected to be significant in the fashion industry in 2024, which is expected to undergo some degree of economic uncertainty and downturn in consumer sentiment.
Blue is traditionally a very easy color to pair with, both in formal wear, with navy such a common color for work attire and suits, and in informal wear, evidenced by blue jeans as a staple in nearly every wardrobe.
Head of the Samsung Fashion Institute Lim Ji-yeon said, “In 2024, with an uncertain future and the ongoing climate crisis looming over us, people feel drawn to the color blue for its gentle and calming feel of relaxation, and green for its sense of stability,” adding, “As it is the year of the Blue Dragon, I hope that the fashion market gets recharged with positive energy by using these cool key colors in its garment items.”
One from Pantone
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Pantone Color Institute has continued its almost quarter-century-long tradition of selecting a Color of the Year, with the choice this year going to “peach fuzz.” Explaining Pantone’s reasoning, Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman described it as being “radiant with warmth and modern elegance.” She adds that peach fuzz is “A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”
The color peach fuzz resembles both pastel pink and salmon, and has a delicate, subtle tone. It can be easily paired with much bolder colors, even with stronger or brighter shades of pink. Alternatively, peach fuzz always looks good in combination with black or white.
This year, if you feel anxious because of uncertainty or looming crises, look out for these calming, soothing colors to help you feel a little calmer: blue, green, and peach fuzz. Whether on an item of clothing or an accessory like a hat or a bag, blue, green, and peach fuzz will inject a little hope and respite from the cares of the world.
