2023 has seen a flood of pink flowing across the fashion and beauty sectors, but it appears that this dominance may be (finally) coming to an end. Barbie's favourite colour is about to be dethroned by red — in a wide swath of various shades, according to numerous reports and outfits shown on the catwalks of major luxury labels.
2023 is a year that has largely been seen through rose-coloured glasses, in particular in relation to the release of the film 'Barbie', starring Margot Robbie and its influence across a host of areas. The phenomenon was a boon for numerous diverse brands, who had a field day redesigning their iconic products in the famous doll's signature shade of pink. In fashion, this deluge of pink has even given rise to the Barbiecore trend, dominated by the iconic hue and ultra-feminine pieces. A source of inspiration that, along with "quiet luxury", clearly dominated conversations in the fashion sphere over the last 12 months. But a new year is on the horizon, and with it a desire for change. Pink will soon be pushed out of the spotlight by red — the colour of passion, love and energy.
By definition, a bright, dramatic colour, red is set to slowly but surely make its way into our closets as we head into the New Year. In fact, this trend is set to begin at the start of winter, that is in just a few days' time, with the launch of the new ready-to-wear collections. As seen on the catwalks of the Autumn-Winter 2023 shows, red will be one of the most popular colours, along with yellow and grey. This trend was spotted in New York, London, Milan and Paris, and notably seen in collections by Valentino, Balmain, Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana, David Koma and Bottega Veneta.
A red-letter year
Judging from the trends buzzing on social networks, red will also make its mark in our make-up routines. Two particular make-up inspirations are making waves: red wine make-up and cherry make-up, both of whose popularity continues to grow on TikTok, with 10 million and 48 million views respectively. All these examples testify to a growing taste for this colour associated with passion and romance and which is set to grow even more throughout the course of 2024.
According to 'The Fashion Recap 2023' by global fashion search engine Stylight, demand for pink-coloured clothing and accessories has gradually declined over the last few months of the year, while demand for red and burgundy red has grown by 21 per cent over the same period.
"Anyone who wants to invest in new bags or items of clothing now should not definitely reach for the red colour family, because this tone will continue to accompany us into 2024," say the experts in the latest edition of this annual report.
It's the same story at Etsy, whose latest report shows a 58 per cent drop in searches for hot pink items over the last three months, compared to the same period a year earlier. Over the same period, it's the colour "berry", a rich red with a hint of blue, that seems to be winning fans and making its way into the world of fashion. All that remains is to await the verdict of Pantone, which should be announcing the colour of the year 2024 shortly. Last year, the colour experts selected Viva Magenta — a cross between red, violet and pink.
