Pantone's Color of the Year for 2019 - Living Coral - and how to use it in your wardrobe.

Living Coral – Color of the Year 2019

Pantone has announced their “Color of the Year” for 2019 – a salmon, coral pink, or papaya color they call Living Coral. According to Pantone:

“Living Coral emits the desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of color found in nature. In its glorious, yet unfortunately more elusive, display beneath the sea, this vivifying and effervescent color mesmerizes the eye and mind. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.”

Living Coral is intended to inject optimism in an otherwise negative world and symbolizes a natural environment we need to be more careful to nourish. According to Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman, "Living Coral is a shoutout to the coral reefs around the world that are slowly dying off in warm waters."

How to use the Living Coral color

We're sure to see plenty of Living Coral apparel and accessories hit the runways in 2019 and into 2020. Living Coral (#FA7268) is a warm pink or coral hue with a golden undertone. It’s a few shades louder than pink but much softer than red. It fits perfectly against a light blue or teal (#058D97) background and goes well with gold (FABB69) and straw colors (#AD8249) and of course, neutral colors such as white.

Other Pantone colors for 2019 included fiesta, jester red, turmeric, pink peacock, pepper stem, aspen gold, princess blue, sweet lilac, terrarium moss, mango mojito, toffee, soybean, eclipse, sweet corn, and brown granite.

Last year’s Color of the Year (2018) was Ultra Violet – a combination of blue and red that were brought together “to create something new.”

About Pantone’s Color of the Year

For 20 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product, packaging, and graphic design.

The Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.

Living Coral color gallery

Below are a collection of Living Coral colored photos for inspiration.