BENGALURU: It’s a new year, with a whole new set of possibilities. And colour experts at the Pantone Color Institute announced its 2023 Color of the Year as Viva Magenta. A shade from the red family, the colour is famous in Indian markets, giving a large bandwidth to fashion designers and interior designers to experiment with the colour.
Fashion
Fashion designer Laxmi Krishna has many ideas to play with the colour. “After two and half years of the pandemic, 2023 is the year we are doing things with a bang. It is a very bold colour. It is beautiful and doesn’t need any accessories to make it look larger than life. It is festive and a staple bridal colour,” says Krishna.Krishna points out there is a reason why the colour magenta is one of the most widely used colours in desi events. “It goes well with Indian evening wear. I have used magenta in so many of my creations and it really works for all Indian skin tones,” says Krishna, adding that if one notices directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, he uses a lot of shades of magenta on his sets to highlight the ‘Indianness’.
Home Space
Not just sets, it is a colour that can be used in home interiors as well. Punya Bharath, an independent interior designer, feels that this bold colour has to be used thoughtfully. “I would keep the wall paint neutral and earthy – whites or nudes, and make the space more interesting by having a splash of these Pantone colours in the form of accessories, statement furniture or fabrics like cushions, carpets and curtains.” Punya also adds that it is easy to get carried away by trends, and that it is important to have the right balance of colours to make your space feel vibrant and not visually overbearing.
Mane story
If you are someone who goes bold with hair colours, then Geeta Rao, founder of GlossNGlass
salon suggests trying out magenta as hair colour. “People love to experiment with reds in terms of hair colour. It goes well especially with the South Indian skin tone,” says Rao. Since hair dye in shades of red are quite often known for being bleached, Rao says a key to protecting hair is a careful regime. “It depends on how you use products. The colour saving shampoo, number of hair washes or using a good hair conditioner play a role. For instance, many people are used to washing their hair every day, which might lead to fading of colour faster,” explains Rao.
Original Story
Pantone Color Institute has chosen Viva Magenta 18-750 as its shade for ’23. The origins of the colour lie in the cochineal beetle, a tiny cactus-eating insect that was once found in Mexico and Chile and known for the rich red pigment it produced. The shade descended from the red family and is expressed as a new signal of strength.