WGSN | Buyers' Briefing A/W 21/22: Colour & Print
To keep assortments both commercial and inspiring in a challenging landscape, colour and print are the most achievable and affordable ways to deliver newness to the customer
Gemma Riberti & Bonnie Pierre-Davis
10.31.20 · 5 minutes
title
Applicata
Executive summary

A/W 21/22 will see a continued focus on more considered and long-term focused applications of both colour and print. Holiday assortments will offer room for more extravagant accents and new heirloom keepsakes.

  • Burnished Sunset: Tap into the dependable transseasonality of this earthy hue to bring crafted warmth to interiors
  • Layered Greens: These will play a key role across all palettes, from lush and rooted to more retro-tinted and tranquil hues
  • Teal Tints: The commercial appeal of teal will confirm for next season, exploring intriguing and rich depths
  • Nuanced Neutrals: Soften interior spaces with tonal arrangements of warm neutrals that have a tactile quality
  • Peachy & Bloodstone: Bloodstone appears this A/W and will rise to become a long-term colour in the upcoming seasons, complemented by Peachy pink across styling and ranges
  • Figurative Botanicals: Florals explore a delicately nostalgic vibe with muted palettes and detailed illustrative styles
  • Curated Collage: Update this longstanding pattern direction with plays on scale, overlays and a more artisanal approach
  • Abstract Nature: Nature's surfaces – including animal skins, vegetal and stone textures – take an abstract and alluring twist
  • New Heritage: Tap into Millennials' growing taste for antiques with archival pieces reinterpreted for a contemporary audience
  • Painterly Handwork: Meet consumers' appetite for expressive and personal accents with artistic motifs
Stylex
Stylex

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Analysis

The shifts in consumer lifestyles that are defining the transition of 2020 into 2021 will mainstream as next A/W arrives, requiring brands and retailers to focus on dependable, versatile colours and prints that work well across ranges and price points yet still feel uplifting.

Consumers will remain cautious in their spending due to the economic recession looming over many countries, and product development budgets will likely be impacted by the sourcing disruptions of the current season.

It will therefore be imperative to keep assortments both commercial and inspiring, and this is where colour and pattern play a key role in being the most achievable and affordable way to deliver newness to the consumer.

What does this mean for you? 
Invest in colours that are transseasonal and versatile first and foremost. They can present organic and reassuring qualities when worked in some ranges, or take on more surprising and glamorous traits when experimenting with unusual materials, juxtapositions and finishes.

This still allows room for escapism, along with aspirational, festive accent pieces that will define the holiday assortments.

For further direction, refer to our Buyers' Guide callout on each page highlighting whether to Test, Invest or Protect these trends.

&Klevering
&Klevering

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Burnished Sunset

Walls to furniture, bath linens to tabletop, natural to industrial – this transseasonal and timeless hue takes centre stage with bold interventions that convey a sunkissed glow to A/W ranges.

Further the ongoing conversations around sunbaked palettes by calling out Burnished Sunset as a key colour embodying the wholesome warmth and reassurance this pigment brings to interiors.

 

What to buy:

  • The appeal of real clay and terracotta remains strong: buy into clean-shaped yet tactile designs that expand beyond tableware – its natural porosity makes it ideal for aromatherapy and self-care ritual tools
  • Give an earthy twist to industrial styles with powder-coating structures in solid applications
  • Natural fibres and rougher textures work well for textile sets with an organic and crafted feel
 

+341% YoY

Pinterest searches for terracotta bedrooms

Society Limonta
Society Limonta
Tacto
Tacto
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Fermob
Fermob
Ming Design Studio
Ming Design Studio
Muuto
Muuto
Stylex
Stylex
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Layered greens

Greens are the most prominent colour family in our A/W 21/22 colour range. Their variety in tone offers room to complement diverse directions, bringing a grounding quality to interior spaces.

All themed palettes this season include natural greens. From lush and rooted to near-neutral and retro-tinted, greens are essential to comfort and reassure in 2021. Make sure to invest in them to build your A/W ranges.

Sage in particular delivers tranquility, as Pinterest reports a 105% YoY increase in the UK in searches for "sage green" interiors.

 

What to buy:

  • Layer greens of varying intensity to convey an overall nourishing feel - important for merchandising and lookbooks
  • Bring natural references into every room with accent touches of bed spreads, curtains as well as walls and floors
  • Surface work, whether it's stained wood grain, lush velvet, abstract prints or jacquard patterns, is key to add intrigue and tactility
 
Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof
Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof
Once Milano
Once Milano
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Fritz Hansen
Fritz Hansen
Cuckooland
Cuckooland
Kinnasand
Kinnasand
Society Limonta
Society Limonta
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Teal tints

Key colour to 2021 A.I. Aqua will come into the A/W season with smaller touches, while a leading role will be played by the richer, deeper hues of Deep Ocean and Ivy explored in Phantasmagoria.

According to Google Trends, the interest in teal is steadily growing over time. Buy into the versatility of these tints to convey an alluring and crisply modern look to interiors.

 

What to buy:

  • Give a statement makeover to furniture and decor by investing in texture with hyper-plush fabrics, intricate constructions and rich glaze or the metallic glint of Peacock Ore – perfect for a twist on holiday assortments
  • Work teals with saturated brights and clean lines for a luxurious yet freshly modern look
  • For styling, tonally layer them as tinted darks to create atmospheric settings, or pair them with natural colours and materials in highly marketable pieces that have a cozy feel
 
Donna Wilson
Donna Wilson

+90% YoY

Google Trends searches for teal palette

EMBLEM Paris
EMBLEM Paris
Image
Keiji Takeuchi
Keiji Takeuchi
Plutarco
Plutarco
Patricia Urquiola for Moroso
Patricia Urquiola for Moroso
Shigeki Fujishiro
Shigeki Fujishiro
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