Twenty-five years of colour choices bring to life the trends and global mood through one distinct hue. We’re bringing together the full list of colours selected in Pantone’s Colour of the Year since the very beginning. Get inspired and read our styling tips to stand-out with this year’s exciting new colour pick.
A Stylish Journey: Pantone’s Colour of the Year
Setting The Scene
For the last quarter of a century, Pantone’s Colour of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, interior and industrial design, as well as the creative and artistic world through graphic design. The Pantone Colour Institute unite the science and emotion of colour.
Pantone’s Colour of the Year tradition started in 2000, celebrating a sky-blue beacon of hope for the new millennium in the form of Cerulean 15-4020. But where did the colour of the year idea come from? In short, Pantone wanted to distil global mood, culture, design and events into one hue that speaks to our collective mind. Since then, thousands of design decisions have taken their cue from these specially selected hues.
Recognised globally as a leading source of colour expertise, Pantone provide colour insights and solutions – collaborating with clients to strategically address colour challenges and develop a colour and design approach consistent with unique brand vision.
Celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary last year, each year’s colour choice reflects the current mood. It is now recognised as a strategic asset for designers and artists alike. Based on trend analysis, the colour of the year forecasts seasonal themes, psychology and predicts what is needed for the year ahead, as well serving as a reflection of what already exists in the world of design.
The Pantone Saga
Imagine a world where colours speak through collective language. Lawrence Herbert, hired by a small New Jersey printing firm in the 1960’s, streamlined pigment chaos into a standardized system. This system became known as the Pantone Matching System (PMS) – the universal colour language that industries still rely on for print, fashion, product design, and beyond.
Fast-forward to 1999: Pantone’s Colour Institute kicked off a tradition by declaring the first Colour of the Year – a way to spark global design conversation and reflect cultural sentiment. Twice a year, a hush-hush summit unfolds where colour experts, trendwatchers and cultural curators all meet, pitch, debate, and distil the mood into one colour that’ll echo across industries in the coming year.
This isn’t colour for colour’s sake. Each choice, carefully considered from the calm promise of Cerulean in 2000, to the gentle reunion of Rose Quartz + Serenity, are powerful symbols of hope. With Illuminating against Ultimate Grey to 2024’s Peach Fuzz, they all lead us to feel, reflect, and respond.
Recent Colour of the Year Highlights:
2016: Serenity & Rose Quartz
Bringing together two subtle, yet distinct hues for the first time. Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between the warmer embracing rose tone and a cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.
2023: Viva Magenta
Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration. It welcomes you to the magentaverse with a fearless, pulsing red-crimson bursting with energy and confidence.
2020: Classic Blue
Celebrating two decades of colour selections, and almost as a throwback to the very first choice – classic blue is timeless and enduring. It brings a sense of peace and tranquillity, a reflective tone, suggestive of the sky at dusk.
The Star of 2025: Mocha Mousse
Capturing a global mood, seeking connection, comfort and harmony. The Pantone Colour of the Year 2025 is Mocha Mousse (17-1230). This indulgent hue brings a mellow yet delightful earthy brown reminiscent of coffee, chocolate and a sense of composed calm. Mocha Mousse is a unique choice, marking the first time in the history of the colour of the year programme where the colour experts have ventured into brown tones.
Why brown?
Pantone Colour Institute’s Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman calls Mocha Mousse “Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic.” She continues, explaining that PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse extends our perceptions of browns from being humble and grounded to embrace the aspirational and luxurious.
Meanwhile, in the world of fashion and interiors, another hue is trending boldly in parallel. Spring saw fashions come alive with tones of Butter Yellow – a delicate, flattering and surprisingly easy to layer tone that complements Mocha Mousse. A pale, creamy yellow is taking over where the beige aesthetic left off: namely, operating under the guise of colour, but in actual fact offering a quiet luxury and a more streamlined, timeless and expensive-looking style.
The Complete Pantone Colour of the Year Line-up (2000–2025)
Want a full list of every colour of the year? From that inaugural millennial blue to this year’s indulgent brown – here’s the full run down of Pantone’s Colour of the Year. To help designers, we have also included a resource that matches the hex code for all of the colour of the year choices too! From pantone to hex code:
| Year | Colour Name & Pantone Reference | Hex Code |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Cerulean 15-4020 | #9CB7D4 |
| 2001 | Fuchsia Rose 17-2031 | #C64376 |
| 2002 | True Red 19-1664 | #BF1A32 |
| 2003 | Aqua Sky 14-4811 | #7CC4C5 |
| 2004 | Tigerlily 17-1456 | #E3583E |
| 2005 | Blue Turquoise 15-5217 | #52B0AE |
| 2006 | Sand Dollar 13-1106 | #DFCDBE |
| 2007 | Chili Pepper 19-1557 | #9B1B2F |
| 2008 | Blue Iris 18-3943 | #5B5B9F |
| 2009 | Mimosa 14-0848 | #EFC05A |
| 2010 | Turquoise 15-5519 | #46B5AB |
| 2011 | Honeysuckle 18-2120 | #D95070 |
| 2012 | Tangerine Tango 17-1463 | #DE4124 |
| 2013 | Emerald 17-5641 | #009572 |
| 2014 | Radiant Orchid 18-3224 | #AC5F99 |
| 2015 | Marsala 18-1438 | #96504C |
| 2016 | Rose Quartz 13-1520 & Serenity 15-3919 | #F7CAC9 & #92A9D1 |
| 2017 | Greenery 15-0343 | #89B04C |
| 2018 | Ultra Violet 18-3838 | #5F4B8B |
| 2019 | Living Coral 16-1546 | #FF6F62 |
| 2020 | Classic Blue 19-4052 | #0F4D81 |
| 2021 | Ultimate Grey 17-5104 & Illuminating 13-0647 | #939597 & #F5DF4E |
| 2022 | Very Peri 17-3938 | #6767AB |
| 2023 | Viva Magenta 18-1750 | #BB2648 |
| 2024 | Peach Fuzz 13-1023 | #FEBE98 |
| 2025 | Mocha Mousse 17-1230 | #A47764 |
Styling Through the Pantone Lens
Looking at 2025’s Colour of the Year – it’s time to slow down and ponder: how can we style this colours in men’s fashion and design? Overall, it’s all about effortless luxury – a good fit for the theme on this site! Take a look below for some specific points to help you to look on-trend with autumn around the corner.
@StayFoxx, @huntervought & @taylorstitch
Mocha Mousse in Menswear
2025 Styling Summary:
Outerwear & Knits: Think textures of leather and suede jackets, tweed and relaxed blazers, or chunky cable-knit sweaters. Mocha Mousse offers it’s soft, rich, and effortlessly elegant palette. Basic Base Layers: A mocha vest under a crisp flannel gives classy coherence. You can create a textural mix by pairing basic tees and oxford shirts with raw denim, charcoal trousers, or chinos for a tactile, grounded look.
Mocha Mousse for Menswear brings tailoring with ease, think double breasted suits in soft wool or brushed cotton or trench coats that tell a timeless tale. Think old-world heritage patterns, and streetwear crossovers with gilets, hoodies and tonal layering. Accessories are key to the colour of the year, adding coffee-coloured leather backpacks, belts and cardigans, tortoise shell eyewear, wristwear and ties will keep you understated, but in keeping with the best stylists on Instagram.
Pantone colours don’t just live on runways or in mood boards. They seep into men’s wardrobes, tailoring and even grooming. Let’s decode a few of the recent highlights to see how the colour has translated through the menswear scope.
2024 – Peach Fuzz
Light Layers: A peach overshirt thrown over a white tee feels soft but fresh, especially paired with navy chinos. Consider statement knitwear, crewnecks in peach fuzz paired with grey wool trousers or chinos to bring warmth to office staples.
2023 – Viva Magenta
Accents and Accessories: A magenta pocket square and knitted ties against a charcoal blazer. Think oversized hoodies or varsity jackets with magenta sleeves, toned down with black denim, creating youthful energy without tipping into neon territory. Pair it up with bold footwear with mesh or suede.
2021 – Ultimate Grey & Illuminating
Mix and Match: Grey tailoring offset with a pop of yellow socks, ties and accessories. The contrasting mix in athleisure – with gym fits updated with grey joggers and lemon zip-ups can make sure your look is casual but trend-aware. Expertly styled by Hugo Boss in their Summer 2021 campaign. This was the season of layering charcoal wool coats with mustard scarves and the early signs of that butter yellow.
Colours of the Future
The Ongoing Question…
The beauty of the annual Colour of the Year story? It’s a palette of cultural snapshots and a mirror into our own evolving needs. Is the trend for colour in men’s fashion finally breaking free from black, grey and navy? We agree with the colour and trend experts here, maybe Mocha Mousse is the proof. Brown, once dismissed as boring now signals understated luxury.
Future Colour of the Year Trends
It’s interesting to keep an eye on the trend-watch when it comes to colour of the year. We’ve already had a sneak preview into what hue could be chosen for next year, with Dulux announcing three shades of blue as their hero colours for 2026. Mellow Flow, Slow Swing and Free Groove are reminiscent of Pantone’s 2020 selection and bring us back to a sense of serenity and calm.
Personally, for Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 I think we’re going to see a shift towards something similar to a more muted version of 2013’s Emerald 17-5641 – with a look back to nature, building on the earthy undertones of this year’s pick. We have already seen Pantone take up inspiration in this area with the launch of their recent bespoke colour selection for the Mandarin Oriental’s Celadon Green. However, with a full spectrum to select from, its is in the hands of the colour experts for the time being! Keep your eyes peeled to find out which shade come out soon.
Remember you can leave me your thoughts below, so why not comment which colour choice is your favourite. There’s also a way to pin this article below. Get involved, join our conversation and share the inspiration.
