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Each year since 1999, Pantone<\/strong>, a company founded in the United States in the 1960s and known for its Pantone Matching System made up of several thousand colors, reveals the ultimate trend shade<\/strong>. A color expected to be seen everywhere, one that could inspire all artistic fields\u2014from design and decoration to fashion and lifestyle in general.<\/strong> Inspiring and popular, this shade is also meant to reflect the overall mood of the coming year, whether soft, joyful or understated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2025, Pantone highlighted Mocha Mousse<\/em><\/strong>, a warm brown that embodies a sensory refuge<\/strong>. The previous edition celebrated Peach Fuzz<\/em><\/strong>, a soft shade between pink and orange, evoking the velvety peach. In a period of uncertainty, it symbolized tenderness, kindness and togetherness<\/strong>. In 2023, Pantone celebrated Viva Magenta<\/strong><\/em>, a bold, joyful and stimulating carmine red representing “a new world” after COVID<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While all these recent colors evoke specific themes tied to their time – along with evocative emotions\u2014the 2026 shade<\/strong> has not convinced the public. Pantone has chosen Cloud Dancer<\/em><\/strong>, a soft, pure and slightly felted white<\/strong>, somewhere between classic white and a subtly creamy white.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is the first time the American company has chosen a white as Color of the Year<\/strong>. Pantone 11-4201, the shade\u2019s code, is associated with ideas of purity, letting go of the superfluous and a neutrality linked to the pursuit of balance<\/strong>. It suggests the need to create visually calm and soothing spaces, and represents a blank page, a fresh start. <\/p>\n Shortly after its presentation on December 5, the color attracted harsh criticism from part of the public<\/strong>. Many people were not inspired by the shade, even preferring Ikea\u2019s Rebel Pink<\/strong>, a bright pale pink. Many reacted on social media by mocking the fact that it was simply\u2026 white. Some even concluded that Cloud Dancer was not a color at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that the Color of the Year is colorless is a sign of recession<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>; \u201cAt a time when color is used to express culture, diversity, emotion and innovation, choosing a white-based shade feels, at best, disconnected\u201d<\/em>; \u201cAlso the color of abandonment<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>; \u201cPantone\u2019s worst choice, so boring\u201d<\/em>\u2026 On social platforms, users didn\u2019t hesitate to criticize the blandness of the shade and what it represents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nPolitical controversy<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cPantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer symbolizes a soothing influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection<\/strong>. A bubbling white imbued with serenity, it invites relaxation and true focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe,\u201d<\/em> the company explains on Instagram.<\/p>\n