Blue has become an it-color within the fashion industry—as predicted—as seen across the runways, splashed in activewear assortments, and in nods to heritage styles that have led to a nostalgic color palette. Below, discover the journey blue has taken from 2023 to now and how this color will continue to evolve through 2027.
With the ‘60s aesthetic trending last summer, cerulean blue emerged as a top trending hue, leaning into a retro color palette. Cerulean made appearances on the Resort 2024 runways and quickly became a top color within swimwear. The splashy shade was the perfect complement to other trending hues like hot pink and bright green last year. This hue continues to be a favorite for the summer season and is especially making an impact within the Contemporary market, up +6% in searches to last year.
Cobalt began to resonate well during the Fall/Winter 2024 season, notably seen by Saint Laurent, Jil Sander, and Marc Jacobs. This bold hue became popular within “businesscore” for a juxtaposed pop of color within neutral suiting and has also worked well within occasionwear. Plus,cobalt has saturated the activewear market as consumers hunt for bolder and brighter colors that are still dark enough to hide sweat. Cobalt is up +41% in searches to last year with an “extreme” average weekly search volume.
Coming into the Spring/Summer 2025 season, punchy blues started to fade into the background as a soft color palette emerged. Powder blue was a mainstay at Spring/Summer shows like Chloé and Rabanne. This airy blue is a consumer favorite for the season, pairing well with other trending colors of the moment like butter yellow, powder pink, and matcha green. And, this shade has made frequent celebrity appearances on red carpets and campaigns; for example, Sabrina Carpenter has impacted the popularity of this color, thanks to her pastel, sequin outfits during the "Short 'n Sweet Tour" that started last fall. Powder blue is currently up +23% in market adoption to last year.
Notable on both the SS25 and FW25 runways, navy blue emerged as a wardrobe staple as seen at Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, and Ralph Lauren. Navy (+15% to LY) feels vintage inspired and true to the heritage styles that we saw across runways. We’re forecasting this to be the standout neutral color for Fall/Winter 2025, especially as the current economic state––and fashion––mimics that of the ‘30s and ‘40s.
Looking towards the next evolution, the industry is slowly turning towards royal blue. The shade is currently up +51% in market adoption and was a point of interest during the Fall/Winter 2025 season with many designers integrating this color into their collections, such as Carolina Herrera, Dries Van Noten, and Christian Siriano. We’re noting this as an early indicator of what’s to come. After the “depression era” styles that we are seeing flood the market, royal blue is going to bring rise to a regal, opulent era in fashion as we turn the corner into the back half of 2026. Not only that, but Coloro has named “luminous blue” the color of the year for 2027, solidifying what’s to come.
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