January 1, 2020, or as that day should’ve been known: the beginning of the end. We put all of our hopes and dreams and ambitions into the New Year. We mark our calendars, make our plans, and strive to submit the changes in our lives, and we succeed… at least for the first few weeks. The New Year is always filled with exciting new prospects and the promise that this year will be different - that this year will be better. Last December, Pantone decreed that the color of the year was going to be a “calming shade of azure,” a “classic blue,” and as usual they were right, just in more ways than one. 2020, in every sense of the word was a blue year. The color blue symbolizes serenity and stability, inspiration and wisdom, it’s also seen as a peaceful color that symbolizes reliability. What most people forget though is that the color blue also has some negative associations with it as well. Blue is a symbol of depression; suspicion and sadness, melancholy, all of which I would use to sum up the year 2020.
It’s companies like Pantone that remind us of how important and influential the fashion industry can be. When Pantone decides the “Color of the Year” there is no arguing. From fashion to furniture, soon you start to see that color everywhere without even realizing it. The latest fashions you see on the runway will heavily feature this color, the furniture stores and home-improvement shop’s top selling merchandise will all feature this color as well. You will start to see this color more apparent on your favorite TV shows and in advertisements. Your favorite clothing stores will dress all their mannequins with it and it’ll be heavily featured on their website. Want to know the easiest way to tell what the Color of the Year is? Go on any clothing store’s website and see what color is available for every single product. That is the impact of the Color of the Year and Pantone is never wrong. Blue was an accurate choice. It’s a strong color that stands for perseverance and optimism, it’s masculine, but also feminine, it is a hopeful color. Although, it is also the color of dread and sadness, loss and tears, and that most certainly sums up 2020. 2020 is proof that history repeats itself. 100 years ago, in the 1920s we were hit hard by a pandemic - sound familiar, thousands loss their lives and what has that taught us? What have we learned?
Well, the fashion industry certainly learned a lot. Just like art imitates life, so does fashion, and nothing has disrupted the fashion industry quite like the COVID-19 pandemic. It has birthed an entire new trend, started a movement, and redefined what modesty means. It also propelled an already existing trend into the stratosphere in terms of popularity. I am specifically talking about the athleisure/athluxury trend. Matching sweat suit sets and designer sweatpants are on everybody’s Christmas wish list. Moreover, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the most important trend of 2020, masks. Everybody knows that the most important articles of clothing serve more than just one purpose. Masks not only help protect ourselves, but the people around us. At first, they were worn strictly out of necessity, and it showed. The masks people wore were temporary, disposable. Now, they’ve become more of a statement piece, a way to showcase our personalities. Masks have become our way of speaking without saying a word. So, what does your outfit say?
Sincerely,
Don Davis
Nu View Editor in Chief