Digital Lavender's journey to Colour of the Year 2023
WGSN and Coloro called out Digital Lavender as a shade to watch in 2021, and named it Colour of the Year 2023. Embodying a crisp coolness and soft femininity, this purple hue gained momentum throughout the seasons.
Explore our trend confirmation to see how WGSN has been tracking the rise of Digital Lavender since 2018, and discover what’s next for this trend.
By 2023, as we predicted, Digital Lavender was everywhere.
The purple pastel has infiltrated our everyday lives, appearing in products from the clothes in our wardrobe to the devices we use, and the songs we listen to.
Urangoo Samba, Head of Colour, WGSN, said:
“Up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on colour alone. With Digital Lavender coming into force in 2023, we forecast it at first for references of stability, serenity and digital escapism. It’s a sensorial shade that connects to holistic wellbeing and digital optimism we’re speaking a lot about these days.
“This shade poses that much-needed cautious optimism and escapism people are craving post-pandemic and during this polycrisis era. And even in times of budget crunch, it gives an imaginative and creative outlet, but also speaks of hope and balance.”
From 2018 to ...
2018
WGSN Fashion Feed starts reporting the #lilac hashtag, after seeing the colour pop up in multiple catwalk collections and street styles globally. As the hashtag gains volume, we introduce purple shades into our China forecasts for S/S 20, spanning Frosted Lilac, Purple Nitro and Violet Spectrum tints.
2019
Purple shades start to appear on A/W catwalk collections. As we see its growth through our data analysis, we back lilac as a key colour for S/S 20, having identified the hue across several Milan shows. A versatile punchy shade, its application on leather feels particularly fresh, as seen in Gabriele Colangelo’s catwalk collection.
2020
WGSN identifies colour as an opportunity to enhance wellbeing, as the global pandemic forges a re-evaluation of wellness towards a more holistic view. For S/S 22, we advise designers to harness the restorative and energising effect of warmer hues, and the therapeutic appeal of cooler hues, such as Digital Lavender.
2021
WGSN and Coloro name Digital Lavender as the Colour of the Year for 2023, declaring that this hue will reflect a more hopeful view of the future.
Digital Lavender pops up across different product types, traversing into outdoor apparel, as seen with The North Face Purple Label. On the catwalks, purple becomes one of the fastest-rising colours, especially in the cooler pastel levels (+55% YoY).
2022
After announcing it as a key colour, we continue tracking Digital Lavender in retail. Dominating on the S/S 23 catwalks, it makes up 61% of purple shades, up from 57.2% the year before.
Online searches for #DigitalLavender are rising by 36% YoY. TikTok is buzzing with #DigitalLavender hashtags, accumulating 2m worldwide views from April 2021.
2023
Colour of the Year 2023 Digital Lavender is everywhere, from gracing the catwalks and nail polish collections to car and iPhone shades, to even featuring on Taylor Swift’s album.
WGSN e-commerce data shows Digital Lavender rising in new-season dresses and emerging across skirts. Pastels dominate the S/S 24 catwalks, with #GelatoPastels overtaking #DopamineBrights, as identified by WGSN’s Colour Vision AI tool.
2024 and Beyond
Pastels were the standout colour direction on the A/W 24/25 catwalks, and Digital Lavender continues to make an impact on the runway. Dusted pink and lilac shades made a statement across puffer jackets and padded coats at London Fashion Week. In 2024 we see the continuation of youthful pastels and rejuvenating tones with Apricot Crush, our next Colour of the Year.
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