Trend Toward Warm Earth Tones Grows During Pandemic Days

Archroma, one of the world's leading companies in colors and specialty chemicals for sustainable solutions, has reported that quarterly trends in color standards and recipe orders show increased consumer interest in earth tones. Archroma had launched its Color Atlas from Archroma® in 2016, a unique tool dedicated to providing fashion designers and stylists with ready-to-use color inspiration applicable in production with just a few clicks. Today, Archroma® Color Atlas contains 4,320 colors applicable on cotton poplin; this offers brands seeking more sustainable collections nearly twice as many purer material and lighter resource usage options compared to similar tools provided to textile and fashion experts. Alongside global technical support, Designed Color Standards powered by NFC technology provide seamless color management from color selection to production application.

The latest trend in colors emerges through the most frequently ordered color standards and recipes from the Archroma Color Atlas library and shows a strong shift toward warm earth tones in home textiles, apparel and fashion.

[caption id="attachment_104712" align="aligncenter"] Page 1 of Archroma's "Top 10 Neutral Colors Trending Now" shows a strong tendency toward warm earth color tones in recent months since the pandemic struck hardest. (Photo: Archroma)[/caption]

Earth tones have been on the rise for several years. The list of colors listed in Archroma's 'Top 10 Neutral Colors Trending Now' shows that since the pandemic emerged, which has greatly reduced social interactions for much of the population and forced them to stay at home or at least work from home, there has been much greater longing for warmer tones in recent months. Interestingly, in 2020/2021 trend forecasts designed two years before the COVID-19 crisis, creative trend agency Carlin had predicted that the need for individuals to refocus on things that give meaning to their lives would increase. Carlin's "Land" trend defined growing sustainability concerns, the desire to reconnect with nature, the search for authenticity and even greater moderation in consumption. Archroma links this trend to the growing success of EarthColors® biomass-based dyes synthesized from plant or agricultural industry waste such as almond shells, rosemary leaves or beet skin. Over the past year, EarthColors® has seen a rise in the market with strong interest not only from fashion or denim brands but also, particularly, from home decoration brands with bedding collections. Since people have been wearing more comfortable clothing at home in recent months, the company has also seen increased demand among Foron® dyes for quieter tones compared to normal bright colors in sportswear and athletics.

Archroma anticipates that some of its solution systems supporting consumers' desire for more natural and calming tones will see high demand in the coming months.

In particular, COLOR CARESS, a nylon dyeing system for skin tone tones especially in bodywear and underwear, or the upcoming CASUAL x SMART system developed especially for elegant wash effects in versatile work-to-office everyday wear. Edouard Keller, International Sales Manager at Carlin, said, "While the impact of confinement to homes on city dwellers catalyzes the desire to return to the land, this warm and comforting color trend is now strengthening. Whether imagined or real, the desire to reconnect with nature and healthier lifestyles is spreading and influencing the appeal of less ostentatious colors that carry meaning." Chris Hipps, manager of the Archroma Color Management business division, says, "Colors are known for their effects on our mood. Many people around the world are re-evaluating their priorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and earthy tones have the capacity to bring us a warm, comforting feeling amid the concerns and uncertainties surrounding us. The Color Atlas color standards ordered in the past quarter give us a very clear picture of the current mood globally. This mood calls for warm comforting colors in our homes and on our bodies. Because that is our nature."