PURPLE DAZE: WGSN+COLORO IDENTIFY DIGITAL LAVENDER AS 2023 COLOR OF THE YEAR

Trend forecasting company WGSN and its sibling color trend company, Coloro, have chosen Digital Lavender as the Color of the Year for 2023. The dual prognosticators of pigment were seeing this shade on the ascension back in April of 2020 but now project that the imaginative color will converge across the virtual and physical worlds for next year. They see purple as a color that represents wellness, digital escapism, and stability, connecting with the growing focus on mental health. Digital Lavender has already become a popular choice within the youth sector, while some brands have embraced the hue for its gender-inclusive appeal.

WGSN’s data shows that pastel purple was on a growth streak during the S/S shows making steady gains in prominence throughout the Spring/Summer ’22 and ’23 seasons. Furthermore, WGSN’s TrendCurve+ data for S/S ’24 shows that pastel purple is forecast to remain the dominant tone of purple, and in the United States it’s currently on a continued growth trajectory.

WGSN’s 2023 Color of the Year will stay closely connected to digital wellness and escapism. The company forecasts a growing demand for health-boosting digital therapy and “calm-tainment.” As the pursuit of mindfulness becomes embedded in consumers’ wellness routines, immersive VR and micro-digital platforms will provide a gamified sensorial, self-care experience. Digital Lavender has a soothing and balancing property that connects it directly to this growing mental health movement.

Consumers will embrace the health and wellness attributes of Digital Lavender and use it for smart fitness, wearables, and training-led product categories. It’s also projected that we’ll see this restful shade being important for sleep products within the beauty, and interiors industries as well as fashion. (The hue is perfect for virtual beauty filters and digital fashion skins, especially when combined with luster and iridescence.) Digital Lavender is gender-inclusive and WGSN expects it to reach all product categories, including occasionwear, tailoring, and color cosmetics.