How the Digital World is Influencing Colour and Fashion
With increased popularity in the metaverse recently, its recognition has become very visible within the fashion industry. Very Peri, a Blue-Purple Periwinkle has been named the Pantone Colour of the Year 2022 which is said to embrace the uncertainty and cautious optimism of our moment according to Leatrice Eiseman (Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute) and Laurie Pressman (Vice President of the Pantone Colour Institute). Brands such as Gucci, Valentino, and Alberta Ferretti have embraced the colour on runways for their Spring/Summer 2022 collections.
Technology was the inspiration for the company last year, ranging from NFTs, space shuttle joyrides, and CEO of Facebook’s promise of the metaverse, which has just recently occurred due to the name change from Facebook to Meta. The relationship between colour and technology provoked the partnership between Pantone and Microsoft for the launch of Colour of the Year where Very Peri will be incorporated into apps through screensavers and interface options for PowerPoint, Teams, Edge, and Windows.
“It is a colour that really places the future ahead in a new light. We feel this was the perfect colour to get those feelings about the future across.” – Laurie Pressman, VP of Pantone Colour Institute.
We look at so many areas, from sports to fashion, to see what people are talking about. There is just no question that gaming influenced the continued usage of Very Peri and we really want the colour of the Year to be reflective of what is happening in the world around us.” – Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of Pantone Colour Institute.
It's no surprise that technology and the metaverse has influenced colours, as it has already had an exciting impact on the fashion industry. There are new advancements very regularly, including one of the latest from German start-up Beawear. After launching just last week, the company used a 3D body scan which creates a digital twin of the customer that can be taken anywhere with a smartphone and involves gaming features to transform the digital twin into an avatar that offers customisation. This then allows the twin to pick appropriate sizes from partner shops and the products that are recommended for the customer are based on an algorithm for their individual body shape. Online retailers gain an advantage from the technology as they save on returns as well as understanding their customer’s preferences which they can use to tailor their products and advertisements. The brands are kept up to date regularly with anonymous statistics of purchasing behaviour, body shapes and sizes. With technology like this being available to consumers, it is to no surprise that the colour of the year has been influenced by the metaverse, as there are so many opportunities for consumers to dive into the digital world and avoid physical shopping which is possible through Beawear.
“The fashion industry has a data problem: the human body is not standardised and manufacturers are fishing in the dark when it comes to the actual measurements of their customers. A linear mass production cycle established over decades, which produces an oversupply of clothing on a stockpile basis, is one of the reasons why the textile industry is now one of the world’s biggest polluters.” – Beawear press release statement.
Do you think that there are any areas that the metaverse and technology is yet to influence?
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(Information sourced from: vogue.com, edition.cnn.com, fashionunited.uk)
Featured image sourced by: Robynne Hu, Unsplash
Image 1 sourced by: AcidAshes, Pixabay
Image 2 sourced by: Zoltan Tasi, Unsplash
Image 3 sourced by: Anton Maksimov Juvnsky