Ultrafabrics and Pantone Launch the Awakening Palette
Furniture World News Desk on
3/30/2023
Images: jformento | Styling: Olly Mason
Ultrafabrics, producer of high-quality performance fabrics in 11 global markets, has curated the Awakening palette, a collection of eight colors inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year, Viva Magenta.
“We are excited to work with Ultrafabrics to explore the application of the Pantone color of the Year in interior design and beyond,” says Elley Cheng, Vice President and General Manager of Pantone.
Ultrafabrics collaborated with British stylist, Olly Mason, and Brazilian digital visualisation studio jformento to envision five different, future-forward and highly imaginative spaces that demonstrate how color and the Awakening Palette can impact any interiors space.
Nicole Meier, Director of Branding at Ultrafabrics, says, “Pantone trusted Ultrafabrics to explore how their Color of the Year works in the built environment. Viva Magenta is a starting point and Awakening takes it further. This isn’t just about envisioning our fabrics in spaces, it’s about a chorus of materials that reference the depth and breadth of how the Color of the Year is used, combined with a design vision for the future.”
The Awakening palette incorporates the use of Pantone 18-750 Viva Magenta and marries it with hues found in nature. Each color in this collaborative palette represents the elements: air, earth, water and fire, bringing the happiness, joy and energy of the outdoors, in.
Kimberle Frost, resident color specialist at Ultrafabrics, says, “We want to inspire designers and encourage them to think a little differently about approaching bold colors like Viva Magenta. The palette is a collection of eight readily available Ultrafabrics products, closely matched to Pantone shades. They combine the beauty of warm, grounded neutrals with harmonious colors found in nature, all tied around Viva Magenta, which gives this palette a vibrancy and energy. Calling it ‘Awakening’ feels appropriate given that we have come out of a pandemic, and we’ll soon be emerging from winter hibernation. It’s about a moment when we’re suddenly aware and ready to reset.”
Barry Silverman, Vice President of Marketing and Branding at Ultrafabrics, says: “Pantone’s Color of the Year is a critical driver of design. Together with Pantone, we’re looking forward to helping designers bring cultural timeliness to timeless design. The collaboration will help the design industry connect to the color zeitgeist in a sustainable and enduring way.”
Ultrafabrics will deepen its collaboration with PANTONE throughout 2023 in a series of co-branded global, interactive events, sharing their expertise on how color can be implemented in almost any type of space and into Viva Magenta’s application possibilities across the world of interiors and more.
Ultrafabrics’ special edition color, Vivid Punch, is now available within its UF Select Montage collection. The shade can also be custom developed across its portfolio including, Brisa, Ultraleather and its bio-based fabric, Volar Bio.
About Ultrafabrics
Ultrafabrics is a range of premium, animal-free materials that are reshaping the world of performance fabrics. Crafted in its Japanese mill using the proprietary production process, Takumi (meaning artisan) Technology, the company’s passion is the creation of unrivalled sensorial experiences. Ultrafabrics’ continuous investment in innovation, research and development has resulted in a range of polyurethanes suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The brand’s growing client list of luxury brands spans many industries, from residential and contract furniture, to upholstery for cars, yachts, airlines and private jets. For more information, visit www.Ultrafabricsinc.com.
ABOUT OLLY MASON
Olly Mason is a London-based creative director and Head of Interiors at Wallpaper*. She is inspired by space, light and form and her fascination with these has pinned her to the world of set design, interiors and creative direction for digital imagery and photoshoots since 2015. Olly has created digital campaigns, directed photoshoots on 16,000m high mountain peaks, built exhibitions in Asia, and covered design weeks from across the globe.
ABOUT JFORMENTO
jformento is a London-based creative boutique under the direction of Jonathan Formento. The company works across the platforms of CGI, motion design, architectural visualisation, animation, VR, photography and directing. Jonathan is a leader in this industry. He studied interior and product design in his native Brazil before moving to the UK. He has collaborated with companies such as Moncler, Tom Dixon Studio, IKEA, Coachella, Spotify, Normann Copenhagen and Norwegian architects, SnØhetta.
ABOUT PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR
The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 24 years, Pantone Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. For more information and to see past selections for Pantone Color of the Year, visit www.pantone.com/articles/technical/what-is-color-of-the-year
ABOUT PANTONE
Pantone provides the universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization—leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customised color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System
into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce certified Pantone
values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. For more information, visit www.pantone.com.