The color of the year that the Pantone Color Institute chooses is designed to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation of color, the company states in its announcement of the 2025 Color of the Year. The Institute aspires to draw attention to the relationship between culture and color; to highlight to its audience how what is taking place in global culture is expressed and reflected through color.
The color selected as the color of the year is one that the Pantone Institute sees as building importance across all areas of design. It is a color that has the ability to communicate the color message that best reflects what is happening in global culture at a specific moment in time; one that can be seen crossing all areas of design and serving as an expression of a mood and an attitude; a color that reflects what people are looking for, and what qualities they feel they need that color can hope to answer.
This year, the Pantone Color Institute has chosen Pantone 17-1230 as its color of the year — better known as Mocha Mousse. Mocha Mousse is an evocative, soft brown designed to transport our senses into the pleasure and deliciousness it inspires. A warming brown hue imbued with an inherent richness, Mocha Mousse nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort, the company says.
"Underpinned by our desire for everyday pleasures, Mocha Mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence. Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, Mocha Mousse extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe," says Leatrice Eisman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. " Infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement, Mocha Mousse presents a discrete and tasteful touch of glamour. A flavorful brown shade, Mocha Mousse envelops us with its sensorial warmth."
The Institute continues that there is a growing movement to align ourselves more closely with the natural world and surround ourselves with organic products, materials and colors tied to pigments that help us to feel more closely connected to our environments. Mocha Mousse, it says, honors and embraces the sustenance of our physical environment, synchronizing with nature, which promotes balance, nourishes the soul and positively impacts mental well-being.
With rend cycles are slowing and seasonless shades broadening the definition of core colors, Mocha Mousse is a trend-led fashion color and a neutral all rolled into one, illustrating a desire to harmonize with an ever-changing world. Its inherent sophistication and earthy refinement allow it to stand alone, yet its versatility creates a strong chromatic foundation, allowing it to complement diverse palettes and applications.
