The internet is agog. Some complain about this “boring” choice while others speculate on the consumer trends that will champion the cause of the hitherto unremarkable brown.
Dec 10, 2024 05:12 IST First published on: Dec 10, 2024 at 05:12 IST
Forget fairytales. If there is one rags-to-riches story worth telling, it is that of the colour brown. For the first time since Pantone began its colour trend forecasting in 1999, a shade of brown — Mocha Mousse — has been chosen as its colour of the year 2025. The fact that this “warming, brown hue imbued with richness” has been picked as the tone that will define the coming year is one of fashion’s one-of-a-kind moments. Brown has risen from its common association with swamps and slush to represent “quiet luxury” and, in the case of Mocha Mousse, “delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee”. Perhaps this is the demure response to Charli XCX’s “Brat Green”.
The internet is agog. Some complain about this “boring” choice while others speculate on the consumer trends that will champion the cause of the hitherto unremarkable brown. At a time when storytelling shapes marketing strategies and entire films are dedicated to increasing sales (hello Barbie and The Lego Movie), rest assured, luxury brands will release more tans, more walnut browns, more beige.
And yet, when Pantone began the colour of the year programme, it was meant to be educational — “to draw attention to the relationship between culture and colour” and promote the “language of colour” to describe the world. While its previous picks have largely been staid, with shades of blue and pink dominating the roster — 2024’s “Peach Fuzz” also fought allegations of bias against non-White people — Mocha Mousse defies status quo. Brown, with its many textures and tones, denotes diversity. Brown is also the colour of reality: In a world reeling under wars and climate change, what could be more representative, than brown? And then, on a foggy winter morning, there’s no greater comfort than a well-worn brown cashmere shawl and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
