“Designing Emotion” is the colour trend forecast for Spring Summer 2020/21.
The trends for sportswear feature feel-good mid-tones that are versatile enough to work across multiple categories, from outdoors to wellness.
This palette sees yellows hit mass appeal after gaining popularity for the past few seasons.
Blues become less saturated and more true to nature, while neutrals are more earthy.
Key colours for 2020/21
Birch is versatile enough to work across genders and categories and signals a shift away from the concrete grey neutrals of previous seasons towards more natural earthy tones.
Purist Blue marks the continuing transition of blue from a core to a fashion colour and is relevant for outdoors and wellness. This is one of the Key Colours for SS 2020/21 – a softer, sunnier shift from the cobalt colours of recent seasons, with a cool, crisp quality that still feels contemporary.
Mellow Yellow will hit mass commercial appeal in 2021, tapping into the continuing popularity of earthy baked hues. Use this feelgood hue – one of the Key Colours for the season – for summer sports, performance fitness, and casual youth sports apparel.
Soft Grass is simultaneously soft and gritty, making it suitable for both women and men. While once associated with wellness, this shade will diversify into more rugged training apparel and outdoors designs for SS 2020/21.
Enriched Earth Tones
This palette of commercial earthy tones is a natural fit for outdoors items, with peak-to-pavement versatility. Use these colours with technical knits and functional woven garments for:
- hiking
- trail running
- city sports
The gender-fluidity of these colours taps into a wider push towards sustainable designs with broad appeal.
Sun-Drenched Brights
Drawn blind, these artistic designs delve into this warm, upbeat commercial palette will appeal to both men and women – especially young men.
These energetic hues are a natural fit for:
- running
- surf and fitness
- youth-focused casual sportswear
After years emerging as a fashion hue, yellow will hit mass-market appeal with the shade of Mellow Yellow.
Power Pastels
This pastel-focused palette has a gritty edge that will appeal to men as much as women.
For women, these hues are relevant for the wellbeing category – think energising mineral-infused base layers.
For men, pastels move into training and on the pitch. Use strong summer darks of Deep Jade and Wild Blackcurrant to add weight to the softer colours.
Grounded Neutrals
These calm, grounding colours demonstrate the versatility of the Designing Emotion palette and the growing importance of wellbeing colours across active.
These tones are essential for fitness categories such as yoga and pilates, and also feel fresh and contemporary for men’s and women’s outdoors designs.
