Intercolor Congress Cologne 2019: What will be the colour trends 2021/22?

Colour researchers from 17 countries met on Wednesday at the German Fashion Institute (DMI) in Cologne to analyse colour trends for 2021/22 in an international exchange from 20th to 22nd November 2019. According to the motto "together and equality", the colour experts from various national trend institutes and organisations presented their national projects and future solutions in short video clips, particularly on global challenges such as sustainability, climate change, marine pollution, recycling, the millennials in relation to an ageing population, biodiversity and high-tech.

The approach to these challenges and which projects for the future they have resulted in is different in each Intercolor member country - China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and the USA. "The short video clips sketched a national and at the same time international picture of a necessary change, which is reflected globally with its multiple facets in contemporary moods and finally also in concrete colours, which will be discussed and defined here,” said DMI in a press release on Thursday.

Colour experts put together Intercolor colour map

During the three-day Intercolor Congress, delegates presented their zeitgeist research, resulting in seasonal colour suggestions, ideas and concepts from cultural contexts that have influenced their choices. The aim of the exchange is to filter out the most important trends and to put them together in a focused Intercolor colour map, which will then be published.

The extent to which geographical location played a role in the choice of topics was apparent in each presentation: For countries highly influenced by the sea, such as Portugal and Great Britain, water pollution and rising sea levels are at the top of the agenda, respectively, while in France, it was all about harmony with nature, and avoiding waste, the community garden and "tiny houses" in the Netherlands. In Denmark and Finland, it was about harmony with each other through the community and networking or similarities that connect people.

Tourism and its waste management - ecotourism - was of central importance to the Asian countries. Indonesia, for example, showed how cosmetic waste can be recycled and used to make crayons for children, while Thailand focused on thousands of flower baskets floating on rivers as well as insects as food. Japan's contribution dealt with biodiversity and circularity.

People and the environment were the central themes at Intercolor 2019

South Korea was interested in the life of millennials, especially aspects of ego, being single, work and work-life balance and pets being treated like children, while China discovered virtual worlds. The USA devoted itself to biology with the human genome and living systems. The Zeitgeist analyses from Italy revolved around " values of the old" - territorial values - and also addressed the integration of older people and the repopulation of villages.

Recycling, an important topic, was taken up by Hungary, especially the recycling of materials, with a focus on denim, as well as dyeing and new material compositions. Niels Holger Wien, representative of the German Fashion Institute, presented 14 different projects for Germany as solutions for the future. They ranged from recycled colours to how materials for shoes, bags or other consumer goods can be produced from bacteria, or how backpacks and other items can be made from banana fibres.

“The development of new materials, from natural fibres, from vegetable waste or from limestone, opens up new possibilities for product design - and shows a new colour image", concluded the press release.

The colour experts will continue to exchange their regional research until today, Friday, and based on this, will draw up colour forecasts for the years 2021/22. "The Intercolor trend forecast based on this polyphony reflects international trends and influences and will be translated into the participating countries' own colour concepts," promises the German Fashion Institute.

Intercolor was founded in 1963 with the goal to discuss fashion and colour trends internationally and to develop a common colour map. The Intercolor Congress is held twice a year with each Intercolor member country hosting the meeting in turn.

Photos: German Fashion Institute DMI