Every year, the Pantone Color Institute declares a singular hue as the colour of the year. The highly anticipated announcement impacts design and cultural trends, besides creative and fashion industries around the world. This year’s Colour of the Year, a soft, pinkish-orange shade officially named ‘13-1023 Peach Fuzz’ is ‘velvety’, ‘gentle’ and ‘subtly sensual’, according to the design and color authority. A complete contrast to last year’s brave and fearless Viva Magenta, Pantone claims this pretty peach “captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others”. In short, it is a ‘shade of empathy’. How does this resonate in the fashion world?

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute, says, “In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a colour radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”

Now, that’s exactly why Pantone’s Color of the Year is highly regarded – for its ability to be both current and timeless.

Think fashion, it always takes the lead. The spring/summer 2024 collections have let loose a volley of peach tones from Jil Sander’s jumpsuits, Azzedine Alaïa’s reflective fabric trench coats and pencil skirts, to Balmain’s endearing pleats. Viktor & Rolf to Ulla Johnson preferred to pay homage to the soothing tone, even as the red carpet rolled out for British actress Greta Bellamacina and Robert Montgomery at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, and Magda Swider at the Cannes Film Festival, all sporting the soft color with panache.

A walk down memory lane brings to life the first suit that Diana, Princess of Wales, wore the day after her wedding. It was a peach silk skirt-suit, which the People’s Princess accessorised with a pearl choker and feathered hat. That honeymoon suit, now on display at the Royal Style in the Making exhibition at Kensington Palace, was designed by Bellville Sassoon, then owned by David Sassoon. The iconic suit ignited an enduring relationship between the fashion salon and the royalty. It’s true that most memories are made of people.

Indian costume designer Nidhi Yasha says, “Humanity has gone through one of the most difficult times, recently. It only becomes more important now than ever to highlight a sense of warmth and home, adopting colours that instil stillness. For us, it has happened rather organically, since we have been through the same journey as a brand. We have felt the blues and greys and have yearned to come back to a safe place, and a feeling of sanctuary, as creators. Hence, the color reflects childhood nostalgia, flower blooms and the warmth of nurturing memories of a beloved late grandparent.”

While dwelling on fashion, it’s notable that the younger generation of designers and consumers is increasingly aware as to why it matters to ethically source materials and manufacture the products. Basically, creative minds have transformed into sensitive individuals conscious of the earth they inhabit. “We just need to stay true to our core character and nature, and nurture the same. The industry at large is only a reflection of how responsible, and empathetic, we are as creators and trendsetters,” says Yasha.

There are many ways to team up a peachy shade – a retro olive, or forest green, a warmer green reminiscent of the comforting shade of a banyan tree in the countryside, the magic of the sky at sunrise and during ethereal sunsets, a teal blue… the options are endless.

Mumbai-based designer Aniket Satam, founder of Palette Design Studio, believes that Peach Fuzz is affirmative and brightens up any palette with its cozy warmth. Instead of keeping the pastel for daytime, it can be incorporated in the evening with a tinge of iridescent shine. “It is whimsical and dreamy at the same time. Looks luminescent when paired with lilac, and seafoam green. One can also experiment and go monochrome by pairing it with pop citrus tangerine. Or, you can pair it down by layering it with shades of nude such as tan, beige and cocoa brown,” he says.

On the other hand, the beauty industry is not far behind with MAC’s Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eye Shadows, which has launched ‘Strike a Pose’, a shell peach shade. If you are a lover of glitter, e.l.f Cosmetics’ Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow in ‘Flirty Bird’ offers sparkle just like Charlotte Tilbury’s liquid blush ‘Peach Pop’.

New Delhi-based menswear designer Pawan Sachdeva, who has worked with the colour extensively for many seasons now, believes it brings a sense of belonging. “Peach speaks volumes and gives the outfit a different upshot when used in Western and Indian wear. We made an entire ensemble in the same colour, which makes it stand apart, and obviously appealing,” he says.

Kochi-based Sreejith Jeevan, who runs boutique Rouka, admits that Peach Fuzz indeed has a glam appeal. The color lifts a celebration space – from weddings and baptisms to summer get-togethers – lending a tropical feel to the locale. “I feel it is the new neutral – a colour that pairs well with metallics, shine and sparkle, as much as it does in a rustic handmade space. There is a certain rootedness to the flamboyance. Post-pandemic, we have started featuring it in our collections more often, for its mood-lifting effect,” says Jeevan.

So, what really is all the fuzz about? Fashion, during the COVID-19 years, went off on a positive tangent instilling awareness of the environment, which gives us possibilities to succeed and opportunities to payback what we have gained. That measure of good in a really hard time was more than valuable. But, steadily we are drifting away from the lessons learnt. All the theories on consumption, dialogues about ethical manufacturing, and credits to producers, however, linger on amidst areas of discord. Mindfulness is back to being just a word. In this scenario, what can a colour that stands for empathy do?

It’s time the world of fashion evolved into an inclusive space, where people are not viewed as promotional commodities. If Peach Fuzz is meant to inspire feelings of community and collaboration, the glam industry must wake up to some forgotten truths. How happy is the customer? And the creator, not forgetting the space that is used to create? When the answers align with the definition of Peach Fuzz, the colour is indeed worth celebrating.