For the first time, the Pantone Color of the Year for 2016 is not one color, but two blended together. Each color is a soft pastel: “Rose Quartz” and “Serenity.”
The international color authority chose the two hues to represent society’s increasing acceptance of gender equality and fluidity, according to its announcement Thursday. Says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute:
“In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted color trends throughout all other areas of design. This more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer’s increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to color usage.”
The two colors also symbolize wellness and tranquility. Pantone said they are “welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security.”
The Pantone Color of the Year is an annual tradition by the color systems company, intending to provide a “color snapshot” that taps into the zeitgeist of the year. For 2015, Pantone chose marsala, a “tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness.”