Pantone names Mocha Mousse, a warm brown, as the color of the year for 2025

Pantone’s color of the year creates anticipation for 2025.

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, describes the newly crowned COTY, Mocha Mousse, as a “soft brown with a sensual and comforting warmth.”

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When selecting the color, the Pantone Color Institute placed particular emphasis on harmony and thoughtful processes, Pressman said. The color is intended to inspire what the organization calls “mocha moments” – a quick respite from the deluge of stress people face in everyday life.

“That moment could be a call to your mother, a call to your girlfriend, a walk with your dog, a call to your sister. It could mean baking someone a cake and bringing it over. “It’s about tapping into something that fills you up again (and brings you back to that point of center that brings harmony),” Pressman told Rivet.

The company celebrated its newly announced shade at an event at the Altman Building in New York City on Thursday evening, complete with espresso martinis, table-sized chocolate mousse, and activations from some of its major partners: including Motorola, Post-It and Ipsy, among others.

Pantone considers a number of different cultural and social aspects when selecting COTY annually, Pressman said.

“What is happening in the world and how is this expressed in the language of colors? What is bubbling in all areas of design? It’s a global view. It is related to macroeconomic trends,” she explained.

And while the way culture finds expression has changed since Pantone began sharing COTY — originally planned as a one-off release of Color of the Millenium — Pressman said the selection process has remained the same, with additional input .

In recent years, social media has helped drive trends – both macro and micro – and influence consumer shopping habits and moods. This year has been no exception to this pattern, and brown has had its own “mocha moment” in recent months, with accessories like Adidas Sambas in the Earth Strata colorway and Coach’s brown Brooklyn Shoulder Bag (with the brand’s signature cherry). . Charm, of course) dominates the fall fashion inspiration videos on TikTok.

Creators like Frederick Espinet (@frederickespinet), Alicia Staples (@aliciabstaples), and Henna Ali (@thehennaali) have racked up hundreds, if not thousands, of likes on TikTok videos showing them unpacking their latest purchases and their bags Adorn with statement pendants and gold necklaces or pair your brown sambas with other neutral basics like loose, medium-wash denim; beige cardigans and trench coats.

More traditional pop culture figures have also embraced Pantone’s mocha-centric daydream. Celebrities and trend influencers like Kim Kardashian, a lover of neutral colors; “It Girl” Hailey Bieber; fashion blogger Nina Sandbech; Pop icon Rihanna and TikTok favorite Alix Earle have all been spotted stepping out in brown in recent months, adding to fashion enthusiasts’ interest in making brown tones a central part of their wardrobe.

The same affinity has extended to the design and manufacturing industries, and brands have already worked to incorporate the audience’s favorite color into their Spring/Summer 2025 collections. Models from Coach, Diesel and Saint Laurent walked the runways dressed in mocha earlier this year.

But Pantone looks far beyond fashion when selecting COTY, and the music industry also had its finger on the pulse before the institute was announced. This year, listeners loved pop princess Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso,” another unintentional ode to Braun. For some, drinking an espresso martini with friends at a cozy bar has become the kind of “mocha moment” that Pantone executives talk about.

As Mocha Mousse’s popularity continues to permeate consumers’ lives in 2025, Pantone expects it to complement a variety of other colors – from last year’s COTY, Peach Fuzz, to pale florals, to vibrant, exotic ones colors and more.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said part of Mocha Mousse’s appeal lies in the endless ways it can be paired with other colors — be they neutrals or bolder, bolder colors.

“We refer to (Mocha Mousse) as a color that has a rich neutrality because it is a color that we can combine with many other colors. And I think we’re going to see it in 1925 in a way that maybe we’ve never seen before,” Eiseman said.