The trend watchers and trendsetters at Pantone have revealed their 2018 pick for colour of the year: the "dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade" known as Ultra Violet.
The colour authority describes the blue-based purple shade, more specifically named 18-3838 Ultra Violet, as one that "communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us towards the future."
Pantone links the colour - and "enigmatic purples" more generally - to "counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance," especially when associated with icons such as Prince, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix.
The company notes that Ultra Violet is increasingly used in packaging and can also be found in "it" foods such as purple-hued cauliflower and carrots; in fashion, it brings a sense of the theatrical, while in home decor it makes a variety of statements, from tradition and elegance to boldness and spirituality, says Pantone.
According to experts at the colour authority, Ultra Violet is the perfect shade for creating beauty looks, due to its complex nature and the ease with which it can be blended and combined with contrasting hues. "A singular matte purple on the lips or nails makes a bold statement of non-conformity, while softly blended metallics and shimmers in Ultra Violet transform the eyes into windows to the cosmos," Pantone declares. "On the palette for every beauty medium, Ultra Violet complements and emboldens every other colour, adding complexity and mystery."
