You’re correct if you thought you’d seen a lot of tonal looks and warm neutrals this year. Despite the cultural ubiquity of Brat green, it turns out that what we were actually wearing and wanting was something quite different. Pantone has selected its 2024 colour of the year, ‘mocha mousse’ – a shade of milky espresso described by Pantone as a ‘warming, brown hue imbued with richness’.
Whether we noticed it or not, this taupe brown (with a slight reddish undertone) has been living rent-free in our brains this year, along with other earthy colours.
Whether it’s the taupe and caramel brown designer bags, from Miu Miu and Prada spotted all over fashion week to ash-brown colours at Max Mara and Hermès the muted tone felt ubiquitous. So what’s in our attraction to this gentle colour?
It’s all about comfort and simplicity, according to the Pantone. “Underpinned by our desire for everyday pleasure, Mocha Mousse expresses thoughtful indulgence,” said Leitrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
‘The everlasting search for harmony filters through into every aspect of our lives, including our relationships, the work we do, our social connections and the natural environment that surrounds us,” added Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute.
What Is Pantone Colour Of The Year?
Pantone is a company that provides “a universal language of colour”. It’s dedicated to documenting shades that everyone from graphic designers to interior decorators and marketers. Each year, Pantone collates data across fashion, beauty, entertainment and the economy to bring us a colour trend forecast for the next 12 months that companies use to inform product development (Motorola has already created a custom version of its Razr+ phone in celebration).
While we’ve seen a trend for chocolate shades in beauty, arguably thanks to Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Espresso lip tint, plenty of designers dipped their toes into Mocha Mousse with the shade making appearances at Hermès, Wiederhoeft, Gabriela Hearst, Miu Miu, Gucci and more.
Why Are We All About Mocha Mousse?
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For many, it’s been a tough year characterised by chaos. While we started 2024 bold with Brat green, the shade, and social movement, started to feel a little abrasive following the US election (and possibly Brats’ failure to sway things for Kamala Harris’ campaign). As we enter 2025, it makes sense we’re looking for a little sweetener and some much-needed softness.
An experiential colour, like the off-shades of spicy caramel and green Gucci-dressed celebrities like Paul Mescal and Gabbriette Bechtel this year, mocha mousse carries comforting food associations.
“We call it sensorial warmth because it does warm the senses,” said Eiseman, “when we look at a colour like Mocha Mousse, we can smell that warm, delicious aroma of chocolate – we can certainly taste it! – and in addition to that, our eyes tell us that it has this inherent sensorial warmth.” Mocha Mousse’s textural and tonal, suede and shaggy fabrics trended in accessories this year with the resurgence of boho. Runways, where tactile contrasting fabrics with knits characterised the colour-dominated collections, layered over sheer silks and leathers at Hermès and relaxed cotton suits with rough rope belts at Max Mara resort. Unlike artificial colours like Brat green, mocha mousse feels like a colour you can curl up in.
So, give your eyes a rest and take in some examples of Mocha Mousse from the runway this year.
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Read the original article in ELLE Australia.
