Forget red and blue, we are going green in 2017. Pantone, the 54-year-old global expert on more than 10,000 hues, announced Greenery, a yellow-green shade, as its next Color of the Year on Thursday. The natural hue, which appears in plants and foliage, is meant to invoke feelings of renewal and growth.
"Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, in a statement. "Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalize and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose."
After starting as a marketing initiative in 2000 by Carlstadt, N.J.-based Pantone, the Color of the Year program has remained an effective cultural influence in retail and design and represents a business opportunity for brands. Roughly 20 Pantone Color Institute staffers conduct research each spring, looking for trends in fashion, art and on the street. Last year, for the first time, Pantone, which works with agenchy Sub Rosa, selected two colors for the annual distinction--periwinkle Serenity and pink Rose Quartz.
Since Greenery may not be quite as fashionably flattering as its 2016 and 2015--the wine-colored Marsala--predecessors, Pantone has expanded its collaborations next year beyond tangible products into the hospitality realm.
For the first time in 2017, Pantone will partner with home-sharing company Airbnb on the Color of the Year initiative. The San Francisco-based company, which started as a home-sharing company but has now evolved into more hospitality offerings like customized trips, will offer experiences inspired by the Greenery shade beginning next spring. Such trips include a hike in San Francisco or an adventure with an urban zen master in Paris, according to an Airbnb spokeswoman.
Pantone is also working with appliance brand Keurig and cosmetics company Butter London on green-infused offerings. The company said the green color has already appeared in the runway designs of Michael Kors, Zac Posen and Cynthia Rowley.
