FlowerFashion: Marsala colour of the year 2015

Pantone, worlds main authority on colour, has declared “Marsala”, a naturally robust and earthy wine red colour, as colour of the year 2015. The colour is derived from the Italian region of Marsala that produces fortified wine of the marsala colour since 1773.

Colour Of The Year

Once a year Pantone selects the colour of the year, a colour that reflects current Zeitgeist best and overall best addresses people’s mood & mind in the world. The colour is chosen after careful research accross the globe.
Pantone takes into consideration colour influences from various design industries and trends, such as the entertainment industry, travelling, art collections, technology, sports, socio economic conditions etcetera.

Marsala

Pantone motivated Marsala as colour of the year 2015 as follows:

Much like the fortified wine, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors. Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability. It is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us in to its embracing warmth.

Floricultural Products with Marsala Colour

Some flowers, plants & vegetables naturally have a marsala colour. Examples:

Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ (leaves)
Chrysanthemum ‘Navary Red’ (flowers)
Coleus ‘Kong'(leaves)
Daucus carota ‘Purple Haze’ (purple carrot)
Dahlia ‘Natal’ (flowers)
Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ (leaves)
Hippeastrum papilio hybrids (flowers)

Hydrangea cultivars (dried flowers)
Miltonia ‘Jambalaya’ (flowers)
Oxalis triangularis (leaves)
Paeonia ‘Buckey Belle‘ (flower buds)
Rodgersia podophylla ‘Rotlaub’
Rosa ‘Black Baccara’‘ (flower buds)

You can find some inspiring plant photos here.

Marketing Value for Floriculture

The marsala colour will be promoted in fashion and interior. The colour is stylish, universally appealing and accepted, and blends easily. Therefore, the colour has marketing value for growers in floriculture.

Some ideas for SME’s in floriculture to ride a piggyback on:

Register “Marsala” as a brand or cultivar name for a cutflower or pot plant.
Sell pot plants in pots of the marsala colour.
Anticipate on Pantone’s marketing campaign and present your product on (their) social media channels, using the hashtag #marsala.
Use it for packaging materials and printwork.
Use decorative ribbon (linen, cotton, jute or nylon) of marsala colour.

Colour Combinations with Marsala

Marsala can be used on its own, for an elegant grounded statement, or as a strong accent when combined with many other colours.

This highly varietal shade combines dramatically with neutrals, including warmer taupes and grays. Because of its burnished undertones, sultry Marsala is highly compatible with amber, umber and golden yellows, greens in both turquoise and teal, and blues in the more vibrant range.

Pantone selected a series of colour pairings with marsala.

Marsala, Colour of the Year 2015 by Pantone.

Colour codes

World’s colour authority Pantone introduced Marsala with their standardized code Pantone 18-1438. For different applications converted colour codes are available:

CMYK 25, 77, 64, 11 or CMYK 10, 67, 49, 23 (for printed matter)
HEX #955251 or #AD655F (for website and digital media)
RGB 150, 79, 76 or RGB 173, 101, 95 (for website and digital media)
PQ – 18-1438 TCX (for plastic, textile paper, wallpaper)

Standard reference for plant and flower colour identification is the Colour Chart of the Royal Horticultural Society. The RHS colours that match Marsala best are: RHS 46A and RHS 41D.

Hope this article can boost your horticultural business.

Do you know a cultivar with a marsala colour?
Please, write it as a comment below!

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