Color forecasts: Spring/Summer 2021

Color trends don’t arise from today to tomorrow, they are the result of a continuous process of analysis and daily study. Thanks to the meeting among different professionals of the sector, what will be the future trends are defined.

Please note, we are talking about forecasts and as such they will not necessarily materialize 100%.

However, some trends will emerge more than others. This is important to define well in advance those trends, that will trace the paths of tomorrow, giving rise to common directions.

About a year and a half ago, on April 2019, during a comparison with a well-known Italian color trend association, I proposed my color forecasts for the Spring/Summer 2021 season.

My idea was focused on the Human Being, on the concept of well-being and comfort, on the importance of social relations. In what way? Let’s proceed in order and discover the path that led me to define the colours for Spring/Summer 2021.

“HUMAN PROJECT 

The proposals for Spring/Summer 2021 are born from the idea of putting the human being at the centre of every design field. If you design for the human being, taking into account his psycho-physical well-being in the long term, you will necessarily also have to take care of the surrounding environment.

The human being and the environment

It may seem obvious and banal, but when designing any product, we can no longer take into account only its life cycle in the classical sense. We must carefully consider the resources used for its realization and the consequent environmental impact, from the beginning to the end of its existence.

During the last edition of Salone del Mobile 2019, one of the widespread slogans, “Help the Planet, Help the Humans”, encapsulates the intrinsic relationship between the human species and the planet Earth that hosts it.

The destiny of one is closely linked to the destiny of the other.

Many projects, presented at the exhibition “Broken Nature” at the Triennale, help us to understand how this link exists:

“…Although positive or negative transformations cannot be attributed exclusively to individual choices, changing daily habits can contribute to the development of restorative measures directed towards the environment and other species and communities. By acting on everyday life, designers are able to promote far-reaching ecological and social changes. Design is a fundamental tool.”

Well-being as a lifestyle

We have been talking about physical well-being for a long time through the combination of healthy eating and sport. In particular, in the city of Milan, with the inauguration in 2019 of the Running Festival, the first fair entirely dedicated to the world of running and wellness, in conjunction with Milan Marathon and other running events, a strong trend is emerging that involves an increasingly large number of participants.

We run to feel good, to be part of a “community”, for charitable purposes, such as solidarity relay races or marathons organized for fundraising, to be allocated to research centres and non-profit organizations.

Even the laziest person is easily involved in these running events. Not only professionals but also a lot of ordinary people of any age who are approaching this sport for the first time.

Psychic wellbeing, on the other hand, is also fuelled by social relationships, the real ones…an example of technology at the service of “real connections” is the Nextdoor App, which arrived in Italy a year ago.

There is a growing and strong sense of belonging that is manifesting itself among people and more generally among neighbourhood communities in large cities.

Color forecasts: Spring/Summer 2021

My personal perception and interpretation of current events have led me to develop a color range for Spring/Summer 2021 that is inspired by the following key concepts:

 ALLIANCE

INNOVATION – TRUST – SOLIDARITY

The predominant colors are blue, with bright and positive tones, together with acid green.

⇒ SYNERGY 

AGGREGATION – UNION – RELATIONSHIP

The blue-green tones intertwine with a calm red and a chromatic grey, with the intention of creating an affiliation between colors.

⇒ NEW LIFE

PLEASANTNESS – COMFORT – WARMTH

The soft colors of beige-pink and delicate orange tones blend and find energy alongside a warm yellow.

Today more than ever we feel the need to achieve a state of well-being, domestic comfort and social relations more real and tangible than ever before. My color predictions for Spring/Summer 2021 are pervaded by optimism and confidence in human bonds, which we all, or almost all, feel the need for.