2023 SPRING/SUMMER COLOR TRENDS & DIRECTIONS | PRODUCT INTELLIGENCE – 2021 OCTOBER

by Mimi Sia

2023 SPRING/SUMMER
COLOR TRENDS & DIRECTIONS

IN-Design | PRODUCT INTELLIGENCE

2021 OCTOBER ISSUE

Curious about what colors are popular in the underwear market two years later? In fact, the popularity of color is closely related to the current consumer's mentality.

PLANNED BY | IAJ & STEAMDesign
EDITOR | OBILIVATE
WRITTEN | LOLA

Quote from WGSN

Coloro + WGSN | Key Colors S/S 23 and Color  the Year 2023

Courtesy of: Coloro + WGSN | Key Colors S/S 23 and Color of the Year 2023 Apr 15, 2021 | 1min

Courtesy of: Eres

In the raging environment of the pandemic, the world is still in the stage of recovery and adjustment. People are still eager to travel and explore the fascinating world outside. At the same time, they also hope to be in a peaceful and healthy environment to heal the negative effects they have suffered during this period. As a result, the unconventional color collocation of vitality,
innovation and calming body and mind came into being.

Courtesy of: Eres

As a global professional fashion trend forecasting and analysis platform, WGSN recently launched the 2023 spring and summer underwear color forecast report. The report predicts that unconventional color themes will appear frequently, such as dark colors with tropical bright colors, technology gray with sandy neutral colors, and digital wind saturated pink wax colors, all of which reflect the balance of vitality and stability.

Quote from WGSN

Intimates colour Palette S/S 23

Our 30 seasonal colours for intimates are an edit of the broader S/S 23 Global Colour palette. To encourage more seasonless styles and rflect a growing focus on longevity and more thoughtful design, a selection of these colours are carried over from previous seasons, including Verdigris, Honeycomb and Atlantic Blue.

This palette includes energising brights, saturated pastels and grounding neutrals. Pink is refreshed, while orange expands into soft peachy tones. Vanilla Cake replaces Butter as a pastel yellow update, and blue shifts to lighter and brighter hues. Purples are another important colour group for the season, representing wellness and digital escapism.

Courtesy of: WGSN2023 spring and summer underwear color forecast report

On the basis of 30 seasonal colors, WGSN predicted 10 core colors of underwear.

Courtesy of: WGSN2023 spring and summer underwear color forecast report

Exquisite and romantic bridal powder, light and neutral peach pink sand color, gender-inclusive zinc color, and the key color of 2023-gorgeous green, people have to wonder, which style can this color match?

01

Playful Boho

The Bohemian

WGSN forecast and comment: Playful colors add joy to the plain and neutral color design.
The bohemian style represents freedom, romance and folk customs.
Usually, the bohemian style uses a plain neutral color as the base color, mainly linen cloth, and is matched with complicated patterns to create a free and easy beauty.

Courtesy of: Eres
Courtesy of: Eres

And in this free and easy tone, if you add bright colors with higher saturation, and apply bright colors to hand-painted prints and flowers, as well as jersey underwear, cotton pajamas and vacation wear,
you can create a playful bohemian style.

Playful Boho Palette
Courtesy of: Bimby + Roy
Courtesy of: Eres

The slightly energetic raspberry powder and honeycomb color, combined with peaceful tranquil blue and midnight blue, not only breaks the inherent style of Bohemia, but also presents a sense of vitality and stable balance visually, which is playful and yet atmospheric.

Courtesy of: Eres

02

Desert Sand

WGSN forecast and comment: The golden hue revitalizes the sandy palette and combines the splendid pastoral theme
with the desert style.
The vast desert is bleak. The yellow tone of the desert has a barren and majestic momentum.

Courtesy of: La Perla

If the yellow tones of the desert are added with golden tones that symbolize a bumper harvest and full of vitality, a warm neutral color that complements various skin tones is created.

Desert sand palette

In this neutral color palette, the combination of bay leaf and dark sundial yellow, and plant natural dyes as the presentation material, can achieve a natural texture that is back to basics.

Courtesy of: Ema Hill
Courtesy of: Bimby + Roy

The natural-color florals are used to embellish the simple linen and linen fabrics with a natural texture, as if adding a little color fun in the majestic desert, introducing the theme of the splendid pastoral style.

Courtesy of: Bimby + Roy

The golden hue, which symbolizes the pastoral harvest, awakens the vitality of the desert with its lively color tone. Under the majestic, seemingly barren desert, there is an infinite vitality waiting for the flowers to bloom.

Courtesy of: Bimby + Roy

03

Tropical Bright

WGSN forecast and comment: Simple, fresh and bright colors are matched with rich natural deep tones to create an innovative color combination of vitality and natural style.

When the high-saturation fresh and bright tones collide with the slightly mature natural deep tones, they compose a passionate tropical rhapsody.

Courtesy of: Ema Hill

Tropical bright colors, with its rich color charm, add fashion appeal to consumers’ daily underwear models, making underwear not only a functional garment, but also an aesthetic fashion item.

Tropical bright color palette

In the tropical bright color palette, the bright colors represented by the halo red and the partial fluorescent color of celery juice form a series of contrasting colors with the natural deep tone of palm color and rich tan. This “bright and deep” color contrast collocation has laid a happy tropical tone.

Courtesy of: Ema Hill
Courtesy of: Coutille

The printing craftsmanship presents the unrestrained tropical style with color blending, which is reminiscent of juicy tropical fruits, which makes it hard to feast on. And the embroidery craft, through the craftsman’s stitches, carves exquisite patterns, reminiscent of the luxuriant tropical plants, fresh and full of vitality.

Courtesy of: Martine Elise
Courtesy of: Naait Loungewear

This tropical rhapsody not only reflects the vitality of bright colors, but also highlights the mature charm of natural style. In this color world where young and mature are matched, it is a tropical paradise that makes people forget to return.

Courtesy of: Boy Smells

04

Technological Neutral Color

WGSN prediction comment: the combination of minimalist colors such as warm neutral colors, fashionable black and masculine gray, highlights the interest.

The sense of science and technology with metallic attributes gives people a cold,
“never close” sense of distance.

Courtesy of: Hajime Sorayama

On this basis, even adding a little warm neutral color can alleviate this sense of distance. In fact, the combination of a sense of technology and fashionable fabrics in neutral colors can constitute a minimalist futuristic aesthetic with a sense of technology.

Technological neutral color palette

In the palette, zinc color, fashionable black and unbleached primary colors with its own technological texture have laid the tone of minimalism. After adding a slightly lively warm neutral color ( such as peach pink sand ), it not only enhances the technical texture, but also brings a calming and soothing feeling.

Courtesy of: Eres
Courtesy of: Il Felino

Soothing feeling is a rare balance point in color matching. The warm tone not only neutralizes the overly cold technological sense, but also retains the comfort in the neutral color. The soothing balance created by this palette is suitable for stretch underwear and satin homewear that emphasize comfort, creating a comfortable and private world for consumers.

Courtesy of: Stella McCartney

Technology Neutral color, calm and warm. It not only maximizes the minimalist aesthetics, but also creates a sense of balance and relief, excluding a low-key light.

Courtesy of: Stella McCartney
Courtesy of: Il Felino

05

Pink Wax in Regency

WGSN prediction comment: A series of sweet pastel colors add an exaggerated
surreal texture to the romantic style.

The British Regency era costume drama “The Bridgetton Family”, which was released in 2020, used a lot of super feminine bright pink wax costumes in the play. These bright-colored costumes make people shine, and the retro and bright style is also popular in the fashion circle.

Courtesy of: "Bridgetton Family" stills

The bright colors of the Regency continue the retro dream theme mentioned in the 2022/2023 autumn and winter trend forecast report by WGSN. And the sweet pink wax color under this theme is unforgettable.

Regency style pastel color palette
Courtesy of: Daphale Studio

The pastel color palette, led by bright colors such as wild rose, apple mint, and blue sea blue, presents a dreamy style of “Alice in Wonderland”, and its super-saturated tones give the underwear full of girly feeling, sweet and playful . The wearer will be transformed into Alice, diving into a surreal dream.

Courtesy of:Mentionables

And the key seasonal color—digital lavender—is also integrated into the pastel palette,  soft and vigorous.
In addition, optical white can reveal pure beauty, and charm red can be used as detail embellishment and decoration, adding sexy temperament, suitable for lace fabrics and light underwear.

Courtesy of: Delanikka
Courtesy of: La Perla

The retro dreamy style of pink wax color creates an exaggerated surreal texture, leading people back to the playful, romantic, and gorgeous regency era.

Courtesy of: Mentionables
Courtesy of: Mentionables

06

Virtual Storm

WGSN prediction comment: Spiritual lavender, metallic cyan and black are matched to create a striking and charming color theme.

The psychedelic neon lights, the dark-tuned technological atmosphere, and the cold metal
feeling remind you of a cyberpunk-style virtual world?

Courtesy of: Rui Official

Inspired by the virtual world, the combination of metallic technology and colors with spiritual vitality reveals the futuristic theme under the virtual storm.

Virtual storm palette
Courtesy of: Bordelle

In the virtual storm palette, the gorgeous green and patina symbolizing the sense of science and technology seem to shroud people in a cold sci-fi world. At this time, the digital lavender with spiritual power is added to form a dramatic match with two green tones, creating a striking and charming futuristic style.

Courtesy of: Rui Official
Courtesy of: Bordelle

The shiny patina and purple tones are suitable for fashionable tights in dance wear style, or for gorgeous embroidery on black background. The white color can be used as a print embellishment, and it can also be used as a single color to add a simple and technological atmosphere to the series.

Courtesy of: Bordelle
Courtesy of: Bordelle

The future wind under the virtual storm hides spiritual power. The future wind is not only a hardcore science fiction, but also a smart light flashing secretly.

Courtesy of: Bordelle

The optimism and self-confidence of bright colors, the health of natural colors, the soothing feeling of neutral colors, the retro dream of pastel colors, and the eye-catching and charming sense of science and technology all reflect that consumers are seeking vitality, innovation and a stable physical and mental balance. Under the state, feel the vitality and vitality of the world to the maximum.

Courtesy of: Ema Hill

In the post-pandemic era, more personal product designs, including underwear design, will enter consumers’ hearts with an understanding attitude, bringing closer companionship, and even spiritual fit and resonance. And the diversified status of consumers will definitely bring richer and more flexible product designs. If you can, you might as well use color to open up the communication bridge between the brand and consumers~

Reference materials:
WGSN: “Underwear Color Forecast for Spring and Summer 2023”
Eres/Ema Hill/Bimby + Roy/ Boy Smells/ Delanikka/ Rui Official/ Bordelle and other brand official websites

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