THIRST FOR COLOR

With consumers continuing to thirst for color and play, the artistic use of color is currently showing up in some more unusual places. Body art, the ultimate in creative style, has risen to new heights of personal expression. Then we have hair care where, just as with face painting, vivid shots of color are are being paired with the more neutral and hot brights shades we are seeing in apparel. (Editors’ note: our 2010 Global Fashion Award winner Chris Benz has gone pink on top.) Capitalizing on this trend, world-renowned hair stylist Paul Mitchell has created Inkworks, a range of hair color products and salon color treatments for consumers; and British-based Superdrug introduced a new range of colored hairsprays so you can get color instantly. And of course then we have the company that started it all…..Manic Panic! www.manicpanic.com/dyepage1.html

Pantone Color Team

EDIBLE BRUSHING

As we learn in Viewpoint, edited by David Shah, over this past decade the gourmet trend has pervaded every industry, extending from food and beverage to hair care and beauty. Now it seems that toothpaste has become the latest area to be affected by this gourmet craze. Hoping to encourage people to brush their teeth, London-based dentists Susan Tanner and Andrew Dawood have introduced toothpaste in favorite food flavors. Dawood and Tanner’s tooth cleansers (www.deliciousteeth.com) contain essential oils – as opposed to the synthetic flavors found in many toothpastes – and are available in English peppermint, Sicilian lemon, Brazilian lime and garden mint. Moscow dental company Splat (www.splat.ru) takes a similar approach and uses natural ingredients such as chili and Russian berries in hopes that caring for one’s teeth will become more enticing. In the end, “toothpaste with taste” is proof that pervasive trends can continue to grow if applied to new fields.

David Shah
view-publications.com

HABIT MAKES
US BLIND

In Habit Makes Us Blind, a Valencia-based project designed by Spanish studio Espai MGR (www.espaimgr.com), installations of Lego structures are used to call attention to the vast amount of vacant space in urban neighborhoods. Demanding in their presence, these colorful displays have been created to inspire city dwellers to devise solutions that could transform these vacant lots into useful recreational spaces. Hoping to encourage passersby to look at their city with fresh eyes, the Habit Makes Us Blind project serves as a visual reminder of the importance of good design and how it can be used to provoke positive change.

Pantone Color Team

WHEN FOOD BECOMES ART

An often forgotten platform for creativity especially where color is concerned, food preparation is truly an art form, in everything from the combination of tastes to the way food is presented on the plate. According to Leatrice Eiseman (www.eisemancolorblog.com), executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, the natural design motif enjoying a big resurgence right now is mushrooms, both stylistically and color-wise. With more attention being brought to the fungi family as a result of the proliferation of mycoprotein meat substitute products derived from mushrooms, two key trends - one from the food industry and the other from the world of art – have converged.

Also impacting color trends is artist Wayne Thiebaud, whose collectible Pop Art paintings of baked goods and other sweets quickly tantalize our taste buds. With culinary events becoming big business, Ms Eiseman highlights how the English team of Bompass and Parr (www.jellymongers.co.uk) has broken the mold by reinventing Jell-o® into mouthwatering works of art.

Leatrice Eiseman
Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute
www.eisemancolorblog.com

JELL-O is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods.

A RETURN TO CRAFT

From straw hats and bags to crochets and knitted textures, crafted design is fast becoming a leading trend and is transforming our homes and wardrobes. With the world continuing to change at a rapid pace and our lives becoming increasingly dependent on technology, crafted design with its handmade appearance is appealing as it transports us back to a time when life seemed simple. But don’t be fooled: while this current concept of craft does take us back in time, these new designs clearly bear the look and feel of today. Highlights include a Biknit seating collection made of wool, steel and stockings which Patricia Urquilo created for Italian manufacturer Moroso; these wooden stools and chairs designed by Christien Meindertsma for Thomas Eyck; this wonderful crochet top from Vivienne Tam; and a traditional Sicilian basket.

Pantone Color Team

FUR: FROM FASHION TO FURNITURE The fur trend continues. First showing up in fashion and footwear in every color imaginable, now because of its emotional connection to nature and the feeling of warmth it exudes, fur both real and faux is making a bold statement in interiors. While Lund and Paarmann’s sheepskin chair has that real cozy feel, when it comes to grabbing the spotlight, it is the pink-stained plywood chair with a reindeer fur throw from Uglycute and the Cipria sofa from Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana that truly make the colorful statements. Completely covered in faux fur, the iconic Cipria sofa, introduced in 2009, just makes you want to tuck in and hibernate for the cold winter season. Pantone Color Team

AN OASIS OF PLENTY

In editor Keith Recker’s Hand-Eye Magazine (www.handeyemagazine.com), author Emma Bowen shines a spotlight on the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, which is now being visited not only for its historical relevance but also for its breathtaking landscape, burgeoning environmentally friendly hotel scene and local traditional crafts. Craft production is historically integral to Siwa’s culture and economy, and Siwa Creations (http://www.siwa.com/SiwaCreations.html) has spent the last decade focusing on the revival of the traditional Siwan crafts and design techniques. Recognizing its importance within Siwan culture, embroidery was also the first skill that Siwa Creations began to preserve in 2001, when a group of fifty-five Siwan women, including five elders, began teaching time-honored techniques to the other women and girls.

Reviving traditional Siwan crafts and design techniques, however, was just one goal of the organization, which started as an initiative of the Cairo-based environmental consulting and investment firm Environmental Quality International (EQI), led by Laila Neamatalla. Siwa Creations also aimed to revive a very specific arena of opportunity for Siwan women to actively contribute to the local economy, as well as to Egypt’s powerful design culture, while simultaneously gaining financial empowerment. Today, hundreds of female artisans have participated in the project, and the current number of active artisans hovers around ninety-five. The products created by the artisans of Siwa Creations, which comprise a line of home and fashion textiles and accessories, range from embroidered shawls and cushion covers to exquisite jewelry — utilizing skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Emma Bowen
From “An Oasis of Plenty”
http://handeyemagazine.com/content/oasis-plenty-0
Excerpted with permission from handeyemagazine.com

MAKING TREASURES OUT OF TRASH

The concept of fast fashion has enabled consumers worldwide to dress in the latest runway fashions without paying runway prices. Nicknamed “disposable fashion”, these products are manufactured quickly and inexpensively, and are available to the consumer at rock-bottom pricing minutes after the models have left the catwalks. With retail prices that make the purchase tempting and the disposal painless, the rate of clothing purchase and disposal has greatly increased over the last 10 years. The result? Landfills containing vast amounts of materials that have been discarded and toxic chemicals contained in these products invading the environment. An exhibition in London, “Trash Fashion: Designing out Waste” (http://antenna.sciencemuseum.org.uk/trashfashion/), looks at how design and technology can help to create wear without the waste and processes that can be used to reduce the environmental impact of throwaway fashion. Included are examples of bio-couture, where clothes can be grown; color created with nano-technology as opposed to dyes; creations made out of old newspapers; and technologies that create perfectly fitted garments. So, while fast fashion enables the consumer to always look stylish, wearing something that makes the most out of what we have can also be a fashion statement.

Pantone Color Team

THE SWAY OF THINGS TO COME

Australian-born designer Linda Pasqua recently introduced a new collection of handbags called “The Sway” (www.theswaynyc.com). Made with high-quality excess leathers that have been sitting unused in tanneries around the world, The Sway’s handbags are created using hand-crafted techniques that minimize waste. Because they are made with leftover materials, no animals are harmed in the production process. With a manufacturing facility powered using natural alternatives, and with recycled paper or cotton fibers used for handbag linings, hang tags and packaging materials, The Sway gives eco-luxury a whole new meaning.

Pantone Color Team

TRIBAL ART

VIEWPOINT editor David David Shah explains that in response to globalization which has resulted in anything being able to be bought anywhere, consumers are looking for localized alternatives to the ubiquitous bland brand. A renewed interest in the traditional skills and techniques of native craftspeople has driven an aesthetic which celebrates artisan tribal techniques. No longer satisfied with reproductions impersonating tribal styles, consumers are looking for the real thing. With authentic cultural stories becoming more important, these bold and beautiful products showcase a unique set of talent and materials, celebrating the individual hero behind the product. One example is Brazilian designer Rodrigo Almeida (www.rodrigoalmeidadesign.com) who explores his culture in order to discover objects and ideas that can then be transformed into new ones. In so doing Almeida achieves the cultural elements’ transmission to a brand new concept through a personalized manufacturing process and creates a magnificent and unique work of art.

David Shah
view-publications.com

FASHION COLOR REPORT, SPRING 2012

For spring 2012 designers are inspired by diverse influences, showcasing a range of styles and lifestyles – from free and playful to light and breezy, and contemporary classics. Colors likewise reflect these differing moods, encapsulating vivid brights, soft, muted tones and fun-loving pastels. “Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “They have learned how color can help them alter a mood, while providing the vitality and enthusiasm that enables them to experiment with new looks and color combinations.”

View the full PANTONE Fashion Color Report, Spring 2012
http://www.pantone.com/spring2012

A NEW ANGLE ON MODERN CLASSICS

Composed, a trend palette in Refocus – the PANTONEVIEW Colour Planner forecast for Autumn/Winter 2012/2013, displays a fresh perspective on tradition. Refocusing our creativity on the idea of subtlety, Composed turns a palette of nuanced colors that include muted warm or cool browns, foggy greyed greens, khakis and graphite into a vision of elegant moderation. With its roots in the tradition of old-school menswear aesthetics, Composed represents a delicate understatement, speaking quiet volumes for treasured, hand-finished forever objects, accessories and well-judged investment dressing.

www.pantone.com/vcpfw12

RESTORATIVE RESILIENCE

Resilience, a key trend for home furnishings in 2012, addresses the shift toward a more casual lifestyle direction. Representing a group of sturdy hues, Resilience speaks of hand-hewn objects of substance, sustenance and solidity in a range of natural, outdoor shades. There are nuances of the deepest browns, varietal mushroom tones, foliage green and a greenish yellow. A dash of flamingo orange adds an exotic touch to this otherwise organic grouping.

www.pantone.com/viewhome12

As the kitchen takes on ever more importance as a live-work-play space, our design and décor requirements for the kitchen are changing apace. TONES recently spoke with Tom Mirabile, senior vice president of Global Trend and Design at Lifetime Brands and Lifestyle Trend Forecaster for the International Housewares Association, about designing for the new livability of today’s kitchens.

TONES: You’ve stated that today’s kitchens are becoming more multifunctional, combining “eating and meeting spaces — bringing dining, cooking, meeting, and recreation all together in one large, open space.” Can you talk about how that evolution is influencing kitchen color palettes?

TOM MIRABILE: The kitchen is no longer simply a task-oriented space where we prepare food and store the groceries. Americans spend a tremendous amount of time there — conversing, working, gaming, and more than ever entertaining in the kitchen. That means we want that space to reflect our personal style as much as every other room does, and open floor plans make that visual synergy essential. In short, consumers are more comfortable with color in the kitchen than they’ve been in decades, and they’re smarter about it the use of color too.

The last time consumers were this adventurous with color in the kitchen was the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. It was the heyday for Harvest Gold and Avocado, accented with various (awful) yellows and rusts. Because these colors were used in the more “permanent” aspects of the kitchen, such as appliances, tile and countertops, these were mistakes built to last. Also figure into the mix that those colors were very driven by retail, not by the consumers themselves, so choice was limited and customization almost non-existent.

Today’s consumer is a lot smarter with color. By and large, we’re keeping the foundation colors of the kitchen in a broad range of neutrals, whether that is steel, stone marble or ceramic. We realize that our tastes will evolve, and that a kitchen with great color “bones” is the best canvas for our changing tastes. Midtones and more mood enhancing colors are reserved for walls, where they can be changed easily and at nominal expense.

More expressive and vibrant colors are reserved for small electrics, dinnerware, serveware and accessories. Bright, dynamic and energized colors are dominant in food prep products and gadgets — objects that bring fun to everyday tasks like mixing bowls, peelers, spatulas and the like. We love having these bright colors at hand, but don’t really want them to be on display all the time, so they tend to live in drawers and cabinets. Wall décor is another must-have in the modern kitchen, and that creates yet another opportunity for color.

TONES: The rise of anti-consumerism has affected functional choices in the kitchen, with people now opting away from the excesses of industrial-grade appliances toward more reasonable appliances. Has there been a parallel shift in design choices, as well – e.g. in colors and surfaces – that reflect this more austere sensibility?

TM: Well, austerity often brings with it concerns for quality and longevity… they are crucial elements in the perceived value of the consumer. That means that color will take a back seat to neutrality in high-ticket consumer items like appliances and countertop renovations. That said, the American consumer has developed a much more nuanced understanding of neutral colors and a great comfort in mixing them. If you asked consumers 10 years ago to define neutral, they’d say “black, white, ivory, grey, maybe brown”. Today’s consumer understands that mixing neutrals is important to add dimension, that warm neutrals create a very different mood and message than cool neutrals do. They know that neutrals can be just as trend-right (or wrong) as any other color family, and they want direction.

TONES: Are evolving food choices (e.g., increasing vegetarianism) affecting color choices in counters, tabletops, dishware and the like?

TM: In my experience, no. Generally consumers choose these things based on a rather immediate response to color or pattern, even texture. Secondary considerations are usually “How long will I own this?” and “Will I get tired of it?”. I don’t believe that they stand there imagining what they’re going to eat on it, or how it will look under a stack of dirty pots and pans, do you?

TONES: :: In general, consumers are placing more and more value on design. How is this trend expressing itself in the new kitchen/living environment?

TM: Retailers like Target and many others have taught the consumer that design is important in every room (and at every price point), and that has created a demand and expectation that manufacturer and retailer must respond to, or risk seeming irrelevant to a new generation of consumer. That said, the two most visceral expressions of good design are Color and Form... and of the two, color is paramount in my opinion. KitchenAid is a perfect example of this; look at the classic KitchenAid stand mixer. When you can’t make an item any better with regard to design form, how do you maintain relevance in the way they have? With color.

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