A shade that manifests the power of quiet

Pantone's annual pick of a colour of the year might be a marketing tool but a blank canvas seems like just what we need at the moment

- SUJATA ASSOMULL

A Schiaparelli dress; and (right) a bag by Hermès.

Pantone, the self-styled colour expert, has announced the 2026 Colour of the Year: Cloud Dancer (Pantone 11-4201, to be specific). It is a soft, billowy off-white that the platform describes as “a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society” as well as “a blank canvas” on which we can all start again. It is the first time Pantone has chosen white since it began naming a colour of the year in 1999.

Many people have reacted with surprise. Others with disdain, calling it a non colour, scrolling past it on social media, or even reading political undertones into a pale white being elevated to a trendsetter.

While Colour of the Year is more of a marketing tool for the company, could there be something poetic in the choice? After a chaotic, oversaturated fashion season, a blank canvas feels not just appropriate but necessary. Perhaps a reminder that noise is not necessary to stand out?