5 new key color trends for 2022

YES you read the title correctly 2022… we are starting to plan for the future! While this year color trends for spring and summer have fallen by the wayside in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Coloro, the universal color system, has teamed up with WGSN, the global trend forecasting group, to unveil five tones they expect to saturate everything from design projects to Instagram feeds two years from now. For the partnership, Coloro carefully combed through the system’s 3,500 different color tones to find substrates that WGSN then analyzed for relevance in the market.

The centerpiece of the five selections is Orchid Flower, which is joined by Olive Oil, Butter, Mango Sorbet, and Atlantic Blue.

“Orchid Flower has an intense, hyperreal, and energizing quality that will stand out in both real-life and digital settings,” Coloro head of content Joanne Thomas said in a statement. “It is also versatile enough to work across seasons and continents. In a challenging time, this saturated magenta tone will be a great way to create a sense of positivity and escapism.”

Olive Oil was chosen for its restful and balanced quality. Green is a consistently important hue, according to both companies. And with its link to the natural world, it is also projected to be an important aspect of color trends to come. The group expects Olive Oil to gain popularity in outdoor apparel and footwear, as well as in interiors.

For 2022, Butter is predicted to be a trending color, compared to the last three years of yellow tones, which leaned in overly bright or muted directions. The tone selected through the partnership reads as soft, warming, luminous and is expected to be popular in luxury womenswear and interiors.

A vivid color that offers a pop to the quintet, Mango Sorbet blends the popularity of orange with the brightness of yellow, according to Coloro and WGSN. It is also expected to evoke feelings of health and well-being.

As blue is a consistently popular color, this aspect of the announcement comes as no huge surprise. (Remember Pantone’s 2020 pick?) Atlantic Blue is a deeper, more saturated tone that leans toward an indigo. It reads as sustainable, and suitable for heritage pieces. It’s expected to be popular in menswear and in interiors.