Inside the partnership: how Coloro powers the Colour of the Year
Coloro is a colour system, developed to help the design industry execute colours with accuracy. With an innovative suite of physical and digital tools, teams are equipped to communicate colour from design through production, ensuring consistency and accurate execution across global supply chains. As WGSN’s chosen colour partner, the Coloro system underpins their annual Colour of the Year forecasting process.
Defining Colour
Each season, WGSN forecasters draw from Coloro’s library to inform the selection of the Key Colours. The standard library’s range of 3,500 hues provides a nuanced colour palette that enables the team to precisely define their forecasts. Central to this process is the Coloro Code, a seven-digit code that organises colour according to hue, lightness and chroma – the way the human eye perceives colour.
This logical system enables the WGSN forecasters to navigate the library intuitively and empower design teams to make confident, adaptable decisions when building colour palettes. The Coloro Code also ensures every shade can be clearly identified and consistently communicated across teams. They are brought to life through Coloro’s physical swatches, a standardised reference point that supports accurate colour matching across the supply chain.
Delivering Colour
Not all colours can be achieved consistently across fabrics. Understanding these limitations early is critical. By testing and engineering palettes ahead of production, brands can optimise their supply chains and avoid costly, last-minute challenges.
As colour is both creative and technical, WGSN leverages verified data from the Coloro Feasibility Intelligence platform to ensure the Key Colours translate as intended across materials, enabling practical, cross-industry application.
Coloro Feasibility Intelligence delivers:
- Verified feasibility data of colour performance across fabrics
- Data-driven validation under different lighting conditions, reducing the risk of metamerism
- Greater confidence in collection and category planning
- Improved efficiency through reduced time, cost and resource outputs
Coloro transforms WGSN’s strategic future insight into industry-ready colour, enabling brands to bring products to market with confidence. As Coloro’s VP, Global Thorsten Traugott notes,
“Colour of the Year 2028 translates confidently across textiles and contrasting material finishes, reinforcing its versatility across product categories. We look forward to helping brands bring the Colour of the Year 2028 to life with precision.”
Executing Colour with Confidence
In a fast-moving industry, the ability to translate inspiration into execution is crucial. With Coloro, brands can act on WGSN’s colour forecasts seamlessly, overcoming dyeing challenges to execute commercially viable products. The Coloro system supports best practices throughout the colour process, supporting confident decision-making at every stage. By working from an industry-leading standard and validating feasibility in advance, brands can bring products to market with clarity and control.
Explore how Coloro can help you bring Radiant Earth to life.