Trend forecasting website WGSN has predicted digital lavender as 2023’s color of the year. Trends like this are not chosen at random, and every color of the year reflects trends in the world around them. The projection of digital lavender indicates an increasingly digital society. Since 2020, virtual spaces have become an integral part of how we achieve social connection, and these spaces have now integrated themselves into many of our routines for escapism. COVID-19 is a leading cause for this; navigating through a global pandemic resulted in society as a whole relying on technology as a way to interact with people, whether it be on a personal level or on a wider scale like with social media.
Because of this progression technology has made into becoming an extension of private life, corporations are leaning into lighter, more smoothing colors. To remain successful, technology must shift from a cold, detached aspect of life into something more personal. Many of us may recognize digital lavender as a color introduced for the iPhone 12, and this phone color is a tangible representation of how technology is aiming to become more personable and promote feelings of calm and stability.
Digital lavender first appeared in Valentino’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection. ince then it has been seen in the collections of other major designers, including Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo. Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2023-24 menswear collection featured multiple combinations of digital lavender with pastel yellow, another trending color with a similar origin. Digital lavender across the designer world transcends gender binaries and has proven itself to be incredibly versatile.
This color has not been confined solely to the fashion world, lavender accessories and makeup have been on the rise and lavender is slowly making its way into mainstream consciousness. Google trends have indicated searches for lavender having almost doubled in the past five months. This color proves to rise above the limitations of a microtrend and will continue to grow throughout the year.
By Liese Devine, Contributing Writer
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