Colour of the Year 2026: The Pantone Colour Institute has officially chosen its Colour of the Year, and it’s a sweep away from the trendy pastels. An achromatic colour, the official shade of the year is the PANTONE 11-4201 – Cloud Dancer. They described it as “a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection” in an announcement on Thursday.
In the upcoming year, you can expect to see this colour and its Pantone trademark everywhere. From supercars to Post-it notes, Cloud Dancer might just become the next big colour in fashion. Laurie Pressman, Vice President at Pantone, echoes the sentiment behind the choice since it “reflects what people are looking for.”
What is Cloud Dancer?
Cloud Dancer, Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026, is a soft, airy, warm-tinted shade of white. Often associated with luxury, this shade is gentle and not a shocking or icy optical white. It evokes a sense of calm and cleanliness – thus, its name embodies the cloud-like softness. Cloud Dancer is also a ‘billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity,’ as noted by Pantone.
Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 will define not only what will trend, but also govern a consumer’s choice. It’s unlike Mocha Mousse (PANTONE 17-1230), 2025’s shade, as it has long been associated with the couture, celebrity aesthetic, and quiet luxury. A perfect neutral, this shade is an ode to minimalism.
Pantone’s Colour of the Year
The Pantone Colour Institute, founded by Lawrence Herbert, was an attempt to standardise the communication of colour. It aimed at creating a consistent inventory of shades across printing, design, fashion, and manufacturing. Achieving global dominance, Panton attained global authority on colour. The formal initiative of choosing a colour of the year began in 1999. In 2000, the first colour of the year was ‘Cerulean’ – commonly referenced in the fashion cult film, The Devil Wears Prada.
The chosen hue is not just about aesthetics or design; the experts at Pantone try to reflect the global trends in society, technology, fashion, art, travel, and cultural sentiment. This is the first time in 25 years that Pantone has selected a colour adjacent to white. The closest it ever came, before Cloud Dancer, was first in 2016 when it chose Rose Quartz and Serenity for the title. In 2021, Ultimate Grey and Illuminating were selected, while Peach Fuzz was a warm, peachy hue.
