The colors & trends for 2003

An interpretive summary of international commercial colors and trends deduced from predictions by the world’s respected colorists and forecasters is now open for viewing at the Colors & Trends 2003 Exhibit, according to the Philippine Development and Design Center of the Philippines (PDDCP).

Held annually since 1985, the exhibit provides the industry with updated design and market information on what is currently "in" in the international market, PDDCP executive director Minerva Franco said.

"For the past two decades, PDDCP has been providing advance information on product trends, consumer preference and worldwide tendencies that have helped the industry and designers design, create and sell products that respond to shifting consumer lifestyles and market requirements," Franco said.

The initial Colors & Trends exhibit dubbed "Spring and Summer Colours of 1986" was held in 1985 and has been held every year since.

The colors exhibition provides local producers and manufacturers with new ideas in color application for Philippine products. It also provides the industry with a coherent overview of upcoming colors and trends.

The exhibition likewise allows viewers to participate in the further analysis and cross-referencing of the matrix of colors and trends vis-a-vis the Filipino interpretations.

Colors representative of this year’s trends are expressed in dyed local materials such as raffia, sinamay, buri, loofah, bamboo and rattan split. Samples of product applications developed with local manufacturers are staged at the exhibit.

Five themes were identified to represent the colors of 2003: New Luxury, Floral Renaissance, Sophisticated Fun, Camouflage and Cross Culture.

New Luxury is based on the concept of "expressionism." Emphasis is on combining natural elements with sophisticated technology – these are metallic colors, neutral colors and grays applied to natural materials and combined with industrial themes.

Floral Renaissance is inspired by the timeless concept of elegance, romanticism and intensity of the rose as it transcends eras and styles. These are hues of reds and pinks and violets combined with motifs and patterns of the Renaissance.

Sophisticated Fun is a fusion of summer and fun colors dominated by oranges, yellows and browns.

Camouflage features the range of green tones – light and dark, warm and cold, with accents of yellow and bright.

Cross Culture is a convergence of the colors and shades of ethnicity. Cross Culture is an eclectic image that is both rough and sophisticated, ethnic and cultivated and where vivid colors, natural materials and traditional crafts combine.

Stressing that trends are continually forecasted worldwide, Franco said, "Tracking trends through extensive product, market and consumer research on influences of global events is one way to anticipate market preferences and consumer demands, thus helping the industry meet them."

According to Franco, PDDCP subscribes to an array of foreign forecasts and trend books each year for its designers to have reference on the existing international trends. "These books are also readily available for the industry at our library," said Franco.

"Forecasts are also made in order to project a look and to indicate both continually appealing and new or adventurous design details – such as pattern, shape, form, material and color. With forecasts, designers and manufacturers are in a better position to design, create and supply products that respond to shifting consumer moods and requirements," she further stressed.

Directions, movements and changes in trends and colors likewise draw inspiration from or are influenced by art and culture, history, economics and politics, ecology, social issues, science and discovery, and prevailing consumer goods," Franco concluded.

The Colors & Trends 2003 exhibit is open to the public from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the PDDCP Exhibition Hall, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. For more information, call the PDDCP at 832-3650 and 832-1112, locals 118 and 120.