Spotify Wrapped is out, the word of the year has been announced and now it is time for colour of the year.
The hue for 2026 according to design experts is a billowy white imbued with serenity known as "Cloud Dancer 11-4201."
The colour of the year is decided by the Pantone Colour Institute, which has described it as a "lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection".
Let's get into what this colour means for the coming year.
What is colour of the year?
Every year since 1999, the Pantone Colour Institute has declared what the specific shade for the following year will be.
The company has a trademarked system for matching colours that is used in print, manufacturing, marketing and design industries to reproduce exact shades of a precise colour.
It is a mixture of the company's preference and the predication of the colour trending in 2026.
What does colour of the year mean?
It means you could be seeing more celebrities wearing the colour on the red carpet and more brands using it this upcoming year.
According to fashion magazine Marie Claire, Cloud Dancer is already a trending tone.
"Usually, stars require a few weeks to integrate the Color of the Year into their regular rotation. Cloud Dancer, on the other hand, is already widely beloved by Jennifer Lawrence, Dakota Johnson, Chase Infiniti, Priyanka Chopra, and Laura Harrier [to name a few]," Marie Claire reported.
Dulux's colour and design manager Lauren Treloar told ABC News Cloud Dancer was a "bit of a surprise from Pantone".
"While the colour reflects consumer sentiment on a global scale, these macro trends are adapted to better suit the needs of the Australian market, which is where our annual Dulux Colour Forecast comes in," Ms Treloar said.
Who decides colour of the year?
The colour institute originally created the Colour of the Year to "engage the design community and colour enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around colour".
A team of "global colour experts" get together to make the decision, according to the company.
Pantone Colour Institute's executive director Leatrice Eiseman said "PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity.
In an interview with Pantone, Ms Eiseman said "it comes at a time of transformation when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world".
"The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences," she said.
Why Cloud Dancer?
Pantone Colour Institute's vice-president Laurie Pressman said "Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start".
"Peeling away layers of outmoded thinking, we open the door to new approaches. An airy white hue, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer opens up space for creativity, allowing our imagination to drift so that new insights and bold ideas can emerge and take shape," Ms Pressman said.
Australia's Colour Analysis Studio told ABC News, "Cloud Dancer is a delicate hue that stands in quiet defiance of the noisy, chaotic modern world, offering a message of calm and airiness".
"From a colour-analysis perspective, it is an ambiguous neutral, adaptable to many palettes, yet precisely for this reason neither deeply personal nor personalising," Alessandra and Giulia from Colour Analysis Studio said.
"It signals that we have not yet moved beyond the shadow of Millennial Grey and the trend of low-risk, universal, and increasingly depersonalised choices in fashion, interiors, and product design."
Ms Treloar said, "Over the last few years, we've started to see a shift in the Australian market from the use of cooler whites and neutrals, in favour of warm and neutral whites. This is alongside the emergence of neutral pastels including soft greens and pinks — which is really interesting and gaining popularity in Australian interiors."
"These whimsical tones exude an uplifting and soothing atmosphere throughout the home, as seen within the Ethereal palette from the 2026 Dulux Colour Forecast."
What was the 2025 Colour of the Year?
This year's colour of the year was a soft and chocolatey brown called Mocha Mousse.
It was described as a colour that reminded people of the comfort and quality of coffee or chocolate.
In an interview in 2024, Ms Pressman said, "The colour extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe."
The Colour of the Year has a large influence on what celebrities wore on red carpets and runways throughout 2025.
Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Bella Hadid all wore brown-coloured outfits when stepping out into the glitz and glam of award ceremonies.
