Pantone Unveils ‘Gentle’ Peach Fuzz as 2024 Color of the Year
On Thursday during Miami Art Week, Pantone, the design and color authority, declared “Peach Fuzz” as the color that will set the tone for 2024. Described as “gentle,” and “nurturing” in the official press release, Pantone 13-1023 TCX signals a departure from the bold hues of previous years.
Chosen by analysts and design authorities associated with Pantone’s Color Institute, a group that surveys trends across fashion, design, and advertising, Peach Fuzz makes its debut in the Color of the Year spotlight on the program’s 25th iteration.
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Peach Fuzz brings a subtlety that contrasts with the louder tones of its predecessors, such as the vibrant ‘Viva Magenta’ selected in 2022, a pink-red shade that the company produced last year using AI. Beyond its appeal for “comfort” noted in the company’s news release, this year’s hue has a range of associations.
Its marketing potential extends to plastic and cosmetics, where its neutrality allows for discreet usage—think vapes and contour sticks—often packaged in candy-colored allure and toy-like shapes, a trend that Callie Holtermann in The New York Times pointed out noticeably rose this year as retailers targeted a younger demographic. On runways in 2023, varying neutral tones trended also with the rise of sheer looks.
Artists like Ilana Harris-Babou have tapped into the recent prevalence of non-confrontational peach tones, to critique a ubiquitous aesthetic that saturates influencer culture. In a review of a 2021 exhibition at a Tennessee museum, one critic noted that her use of beige hues were reminiscent of Crayola peach—a shade once titled “flesh” until 1962; it bears a close resemblance to Pantone’s Peach Fuzz.
The company’s annual color announcement, meant to forecast trends for the coming year, arrives at a dark time amid a tumultuous war and a tense election year. In a statement, Pantone’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman, echoes a call that feels to invoke the wellness industry’s manifestos around self-care: describing the peach-toned hue as one audiences and consumers could draw “peace” from and suggesting its potential to impact “our wellbeing.”
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