Collaborating with Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, who dedicated his entire autumn/winter collection to bright pink, Pantone declared viva magenta their colour of 2023. Ahead of the release of the Barbie movie in July, get ready to witness the ultimate hot-pink flash this summer.
A major topic of discussion a few years ago, millennial pink lost some of its popularity due to overexposure, creating a path for a bolder and more vibrant shade: bright pink. The bold shade became a sensation on social media and red carpets, capturing the attention of fashion enthusiasts worldwide.
Describing hot pink as a “fearless” colour, Malvika Sheth, stylist and content creator, said: “Bright pink almost always has its moment at least once a year. This time, however, the craze hasn’t just sprung up and gone away; it’s been carried forward due to various pop culture-based events that kept it on top of the trend charts.”
The trending hue draws inspiration from the hot pink universe of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie, aptly dubbed the Barbie-core trend, which eliminates the need for neutral colours altogether.
With over 340m views on TikTok alone, the Barbie-core trend spread across social media like wildfire for A/W 22/23, taking over the market with brands like Valentino, Balenciaga, Jacquemus, and Loewe. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Zendaya, Lizzo, Florence Pugh, and Saweetie are at the forefront of fuschia-drenched pink-spiration.
Analysing the hot pink movement, Samantha Hince, contributing editor at Pantone and trend forecaster at HUBO International, says, “Millennial pink has come around from events like the Valentino show and Barbie-core, which played a massive part in its popularity. It has grown and evolved, allowing its fiery big sister to take charge.”
Samantha believes the colour pink has found new meanings in the post-pandemic world. “Colour holds so much energy. In terms of psychology, pink has always had the ability to make us feel good. Hot pink, though, is different from millennial pink in terms of what it represents; it’s quite brave, daring and holds different colour abilities,” she says. “The excitement and passion hot pink brings with its mood-boosting energy might be exactly what people look for as the world moves on and events change.”
According to WGSN TrendCurve+, three of the five fastest-rising colours for the season are pinks, with bright pink up by 138% year-over-year in the colour mix for A/W 22/23.
Despite being classified as a slow riser, bright pink is expected to make up 24.2% of pink apparel choices. As we move into the metaverse and digital realms become more integrated into our daily lives, it is believed that pink will maintain its impact and brightness for A/W 2023/2024 with luminous pink being a significant shade.
Additionally, pink is expected to expand into warm and cool hues for spring-summer 2024.
And it’s not a fleeting trend for summer, according to Samantha: “Colour is impacted by all sorts of things, with how the world evolves and what changes. Pink is not just here for the summer; it will slowly transition into colder seasons. For winter, we look for rich, saturated, bright colours, and hot pink slips right into that.”
She predicts hot pink going to the dark side soon, evolving to the next segment of the rainbow: “Red is a colour that’s one to watch.”
She adds: “Pantone releasing Viva Magenta as the colour of 2023 shows pink’s longevity, as it is shifting from a hot pink into a slightly deeper shade. As we move from dopamine, bright colours to rich, saturated winter shades, pink might develop into a jewel tone for the next season. Undoubtedly, we might see more of a ruby shade trend in autumn.”