Baylor Fashion Forecasting Expert: The Business and Power of Color

December 6, 2022
  Viva Magenta

2023 Color of the Year Viva Magenta

Media Contact: Kelly Craine, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-297-9065
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WACO, Texas (Dec. 6, 2022) – Every December for 20 years, the global color management company Pantone reveals its Color of the Year for the upcoming year. For 2023, Pantone has chosen a color that “vibrates with vim and vigor”: Viva Magenta. More than just a pretty color for fashion, Viva Magenta 18-1750 is the result of years of research into trends in technology, entertainment and fashion.

But what does the Color of the Year mean to the average consumer? According to Baylor University fashion forecasting expert Lorynn R. Divita, Ph.D., retailers with this information can offer products that will resonate with their customers.

“Color is the most important factor in whether someone is going consider a purchase,” Divita said. However, “Retailers have to get it right.”

Pantone collaborated with diverse group of industry leaders such as Motorola, Lenovo, Spoonflower fabrics and Artechouse Studio to ensure they correctly identified emerging consumer tastes by making connections beyond the boundaries of fashion.

“Fashion change happens because people demand novelty,” Divita said, “and retailers want to make people happy.”

Using color forecasting is a low-risk way for retailers to provide that novelty. Unlike changes in skirt lengths or pant styles, color is a trend available to everyone.

“You can choose how you do it. It is through a garment? Is it through an accessory? Color will translate to multiple categories. So, everybody can participate in a way that feels comfortable to them,” Divita said.

Color Forecasting is typically a reliable way to predict trends, but it isn’t always sure thing. Consumers won’t purchase something they fundamentally don’t like. To be successful, color forecasters must be mindful of that.

Divita points to the words of cultural reporter and author Virginia Postrel on the two criteria needed for a trend to takeoff: “Do I like that?” and “Am I like that?”

If the answer to both questions is yes, the trend is more likely take off. If not, retailers will be stuck with warehouses full of unsold merchandise. 

Pantone began in 1963 as a color matching standard for the printing industry offering uniformity of color throughout the design and manufacturing process. The numbers behind each color are a recipe for creating an exact match.

According to the Pantone website, “Pantone’s color language supports all color conscious industries; textiles, apparel, beauty, interiors, architectural and industrial design, encompassing over 10,000 color standards across multiple materials including printing, textiles, plastics, pigments, and coatings.” Using this industry knowledge, the company branched out into color forecasting in 1999 with its first color of the year, Cerulean. Today, the Pantone Color of the Year is an eagerly anticipated announcement for the fashion forward.

Only time will tell if Viva Magenta will be embraced or become footnote in pop culture history.  Until then, be on the lookout at your favorite stores for the next big thing.  If you are looking for the correct Pantone Baylor colors, they are Baylor Green 3435 and University Gold 1235. 

ABOUT LORYNN R. DIVITA, PH.D.

Dr. Lorynn Divita is an associate professor of apparel design and merchandising in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University, where she has taught since 2002.

Divita teaches courses on principles of art and design, merchandise planning and control, retailing trends and issues, fashion forecasting and apparel quality analysis. Her academic research focuses on fashion forecasting and the influence of contemporary culture on trend contagion. She has presented her research at the annual conferences of the International Textile and Apparel Association, the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes and the Popular Culture Association and for private clients.

Divita is the U.S. editor of the Bloomsbury Fashion Business Case Studies series and the author of the textbook, Fashion Forecasting (Bloomsbury).

Her publications have appeared in academic journals, including the Journal of the Textile Institute, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management and Journal of Textile and Apparel Technology and Management, as well as international journals Clothing Cultures (England), and International Journal of Costume and Fashion (Korea).

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University seeks to prepare leaders in health and quality of life through science, scholarship and innovation. Together, the departments housed within the Robbins College – Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Public Health; and a number of Army-Baylor graduate programs – promote a team-based approach to transformational education and research, establishing interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving quality of life for individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit robbins.baylor.edu.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.