It happened tomorrow For Leslie Harrington, one of the world’s leading color forecasters, next year is already old news
Twice a year, Leslie Harrington Ph.D, executive director of the New Yorkbased Color Association, gathers her advisory board, comprised of retailers, manufacturers, interior designers and consultants, to talk about the future. Specifically, the group ponders what the world will look like 24 months down the line. They began talking about the environment seven years ago, and — guess what? — they’re still talking about it, though the issue has evolved to include a greater focus on gardening, the soon-to-befelt impact of skyrocketing food prices and, of course, the darkening economy. She spoke to us shortly before the Fall/Winter 2010- 2011 forecasting meeting, which, given the uncertainties in the marketplace, promised to be livelier than usual.
COUTURE International Jeweler: What will impact our color choices in 2009? Leslie Harrington: One of the topics we had discussions around was the whole organic movement. We’ve seen a resurgence of gardening, and the consequence of that is we started seeing more vegetable-dyed colors, which will be something consumers will be looking for, like beets or saffron or ginger. A lot of that harkens back to olden times, when we used to use vegetable dyes to dye fabric.
CIJ: What other color trends do you see for next year? LH: Overall, we see a very strong warming of the palette into reds and oranges. Purple is quite strong, and blue is a constant. In women’s fashion we see a lightening of the color palette — lots of blues and greens and watery mid-tones. Another color emerging is teal. We consistently talk about the rebirth of coral, an evolution of orange.
CIJ: Has any color become passé? LH: We’re not seeing deep chocolate brown. It’s not so much that it’s passé, but it’s evolved to a more mid-tone, like a cigar-brown, a tobacco-brown or a chestnut brown.
CIJ: What’s with all this lightening? LH: Sometimes colors don’t change, but we see an overall lightening of the palette or a change in contrasts. For example, in the ’90s we saw sea foam green and peach paired together when that warm/cool combination was in. But today we see more warm/warm and cool/cool contrasts, like blues and greens together, or oranges, yellows and reds. We talk about the world flattening, becoming much more global, so cultural influence is becoming more significant in our world, and those color palettes tend to be warm/warm combinations that remind us of southern latitudes, or Mexico.
CIJ: And China and India? LH: Absolutely. In 2008, we had two color palettes, the Far East and Indian Markets, both much bolder and richer and more intense. When we started to talk about China, we knew the Olympics were coming in and we’d see a lot of national pride — a big ball of cultural experience — that was coming and would influence people, if on an unconscious level. You can’t help but love those opulent reds and yellows.
CIJ: So what’s brewing for 2010? LH:We just did 2010, and in November we’ll be doing Fall/Winter 2010-2011. I can hardly wait to see what everybody brings to the table. I know the economy will be at the forefront. By fall ’10-’11, are things going to be better? And if not, how will consumers be feeling? Will they be looking to buy color? We’ll be meeting post-election, so we’ll talk about what the impact of the next president will be. We’ll talk about the evolution of past influences, and new ones on the horizon.
CIJ: Are all colors destined to come back? LH: All colors are cyclical, but not all run in the same cycle pattern. Hot pink will cycle faster — say, a year. Dark brown will last longer, maybe four to five years, because it’s got longevity, more uses and can be combined easier.
CIJ: Since you’re gauging the future, what issues do you see that consumers might not? LH: There’s tremendous inflationary pressure on food, and that will eventually become one of the greatest issues, when a sack of flour goes from $10 to $40 or a slice of pizza that used to be $1.50 is now $3. The staples are increasing: flour, rice, cheese. We’re not 100 percent sure how it will go — will it have an impact? What does it mean? We want to eat healthy, but when it becomes cost-prohibitive, what do we do? Pasta used to be considered a value meal — you could feed a family of four on it. But people in the restaurant business say margins are gone with the cost of flour going up. And it becomes almost a luxury.
CIJ: Are your forecasts always right? LH:Some people accuse forecasters of being the color mafia. They say we put out yellow and now I have to buy yellow because that’s all that’s available. But consumers are the ones who ultimately decide what to buy. As it becomes more expected and gains traction, yellow becomes the color until it reaches a point of saturation and nobody wants it anymore. We look to infuse newness in the market. Consumers want something different — they just don’t always know what it is.
CIJ: Finally, I can’t help but ask, do you have a favorite color? LH: I have been on the orange bandwagon for a while. I’m reluctant to get on the purple bandwagon, and I used to love red but have dropped off that bandwagon. So it’s interesting to see how things change. I’d say the biggest direction for me is wearing lighter colors. I’m trying not to wear black all the time.
