Coloro and WGSN reveal the five key S/S 21 colors for the sportswear & athleisure market

Coloro, the revolutionary color system, and WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecaster, have come together to release the five colors that will be key in S/S 21 for the sportswear and athleisure markets.

The active and color teams at WGSN have worked together with color experts at Coloro to look at major influences in the sports space and map out how the key colors can be used to positively affect people’s mind and body performance. They have then aligned each of the five colors to the different stages of a workout experience. While consumers can use colors to achieve more and feel good when doing sports or meditation, brands need to be aware of the color choices consumers are likely to be making and ensure that the colors used in design support and guide that consumer choice and ultimately sales of apparel.

Clare Varga, Head of Active, at WGSN says: “The active industry has always understood the power of color and its effect on performance, but as we head into 2021, we will move beyond the primal basics of color psychology, using hue and chroma to turn it into a true performance technology.”

Coloro, with its logical 7-digit system, built cleverly to make it seamless to not just work with hue but also lightness and chroma, makes it the perfect system to work more precisely with all color dimensions to elicit different human responses. Joanne Thomas, Coloro’s Head of Content, comments: “Coloro is an intuitive, accurate approach to both defining and communicating color. Choosing and delivering the colors that consumers want will help drive better product design and drive consumer demand.”

The key SS 21 colors, with the relative Coloro codes (hue, lightness, chroma) are:

Quiet Wave: Preparation (072 69 24)

Quiet Wave has an optimistic and futuristic quality, making it a perfect mood-setter for the start of a new decade. The inspiration here is less about nature, and more about technology, and its pale, detached character makes it perfect for aiding mental preparation before physical exertion.

A.I Aqua: Focus (098 59 30)

A.I Aqua is the tech-inspired hero color for the season, with a digital quality that’s set to have key relevance in 2021. A recent survey of the tones used on the world’s 10 biggest websites found blue easily outstripped others, and with the introduction of 5G, and the rise of eSports and virtual influencers, our relationship with tech – and colors such as blue, used prominently in tech – is set to become more immersive and emotional.

Oxy Fire: Endurance (015 50 36)

Oxy Fire is the extrovert color for the season – a fiery, saturated hue guaranteed to spark a reaction. This bold hue signifies intense activity, calling to mind the surge of red blood cells during peak performance. Use it to energize and enliven products and collections.

Lemon Sherbet: Victory (046 85 28)

Yellow – often deemed a risky color – has been making solid steps into commercial territory over recent seasons. It represents the afterglow of post-exercise achievement, and will have broad appeal across genders and product categories.

Good Gray: Recovery (122 66 02)

Good Gray is the counterbalance color for S/S 21, dialing down the season’s more vivid hues. It has a sustainable outlook, calling to mind the raw amalgamated hue that comes from recycling different materials together. With a medium saturation level and a subtle blue tint, it is both grounding and calming, offering a sense of rebalance after activity.

Jane Boddy, Head of Color at WGSN, states: “Colors for S/S 21 harness the essence of nature through a digital lens, resulting in familiar hues that are refocused with an artificial edge.”

About WGSN

WGSN is the world’s leading trend authority. Our services cover consumer, fashion and lifestyle forecasting, data analytics, crowd-sourced design validation and expert consulting. Together, we Create Tomorrow. WGSN Limited comprises market-leading products including Insight, Fashion, Lifestyle & Interiors, Instock, Barometer and Mindset, a custom advisory business. WGSN is part of Ascential plc. WGSN.com

About Coloro

Coloro is a truly universal, intelligent and logical color system that allows more accurate and faster communication throughout the color process and manufacturing chain. A sister brand of WGSN, the global trend forecaster, Coloro helps reduce waste and time in color decision-making and manufacturing by bringing creativity and science together. Coloro was created through collaboration with leading global textile and fashion companies. Coloro’s extensive library of 3,500 contemporary colors can be accessed through color books, and by purchasing swatches online. A free digital color tool, the Workspace, is also available on coloro.com