Cloud Dancer is minimalist and paradoxical and has become the center of a debate mixing fashion, politics and design.
Photo: Xataka
Pantone has a curious talent: every year it manages to transform a simple pigment into a global protagonist, like a sort of chromatic celebrity capable of driving trends, marketing campaigns and discussions that no one asked for, but in which suddenly everyone wants to participate. Since 1999, this ritual has set the tone (literally) for the year that begins. In 2024 we got the soothing Peach Fuzz; in 2025, the earthy Moka Mousse. For 2026, the company has decided to take a bold step – or, depending on your point of view, no step at all: the chosen one is Cloud Dancer, an “ethereal and balanced” white.
Yes, white. Which immediately opened the season of jokes, memes and outrages. After all, we’re talking about a color that many people don’t even think of as a color, and that others see as a symbol of purity, luxury… or something much more. complicated. As one user on Instagram summed it up: “I can’t prove it yet, but it feels like a microaggression.” And that’s just the calling card of the online reaction.
According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer would be an invitation to serenity, “a symbol of calming influence in a society that is rediscovering the value of reflection”. For Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, it is a “structural fabric” that allows other colors to shine. In other words: white would be the new black – neutral, versatile, minimalist, ready to become any type of product.
But if the intention was to bring peace, the plan backfired. Critics call for choice…
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