Pantone’s choice for the 2026 Color of the Year has sparked a widespread backlash online.
According to Fox News, the media company that specialises in naming colors on Thursday, December 6, announced “Cloud Dancer,” a discreet white hue, as its Color of the Year for 2026.
The company describe Cloud Dancer as a “symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society."
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a press release, "A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences."
The announcement received backlash from designers and people, and by the weekend the criticism had become so strong that it drew comparisons to the controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad.
Anthony Bruno Interiors wrote, “Friendly reminder that design and art is and has always been political..."
Rheefined Company designer Jason Rhee commented, “Choosing the colour white during this social and political climate really says something.”
"Choosing an almost-white shade as the Color of the Year right now is hard to separate from the broader cultural context we’re living in. When White supremacy is resurfacing loudly in national leadership and policy, elevating ‘white’ as the symbolic color of the year feels painfully tone-deaf,” Mx Domestic Fabric Shop owner Matthew Boudreaux expressed.
Meanwhile, the Pantone vice-president Laurie Pressman, speaking to the Washington Post following the backlash, insisted that their color of the year has nothing to do with skin tones.
