Ultrafabrics x Pantone Launch: The Sanctuary Palette
Ultrafabrics amplifies the Pantone 2024 Color of the Year ‘Peach Fuzz’ with a dynamic textile palette and poetic conceptual spaces
New York-based Ultrafabrics, global leader in high-tech performance fabric in 11 different markets, has hit the ground running in 2024 with the launch of the Sanctuary Palette, a collection of its products inspired by its partnership with Pantone and the 2024 Color of the Year ‘Peach Fuzz’.
This is the second year Ultrafabrics has partnered with Pantone to bring its iconic Color of the Year to life in the minds and projects of its global audience. Nestled between pink and orange, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul. Nicole Meier, Director of Branding at Ultrafabrics, says,
“We have seen an incredible response to our partnership with Pantone’s Color of the Year with a worldwide audience of creatives in architecture, furniture, automotive, marine and aviation. That continues to be the purpose of our collaboration, to inspire conversation with people building our collective future.”
The Sanctuary palette, like all color-focused exploration, was developed in Ultrafabrics’ Color Lab, the internal brain trust of experts led by Kimberle Frost. She says of the collection,
“The Sanctuary palette incorporates Peach Fuzz and grounds it in a mineral-based color palette that is warm, enveloping and conveys a sense of refuge and protection. In a world filled with uncertainty, consumers are collectively seeking refuge and striving for more meaningful, intentional lives, centered on positive connections. As we re-evaluate what success and purpose mean to us, we’re embracing a slower, reflective approach that’s leaving its mark on the ever-changing landscape of design and color.”
The Sanctuary Palette marries colors found in Pantone’s universe with fabrics in Ultrafabrics’ own extensive collections to elevate PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz and give it real-world applications for a built environment. The muted pink, deep maroon, apricot, rusted yellows, and mellow neutral are a cohesive world of color that can be used in any interior, be it residential, healthcare, office, or hospitality.
Building the Nest: Bringing the Sanctuary Palette to life.
Ultrafabrics asked Belgium-based WeWantMore Studio to bring its Pantone partnership to life using future-forward AI. The result is peach-colored Brisa gently twisted into a delicate bird’s nest, symbolizing the essence of the Color of the Year as a warm and enveloping tone that gives a sense of refuge and protection. Ultrafabrics will be executing multiple brand activations in North America and Europe based on Pantone’s Color of the Year and themes around ‘The Nest’.
WeWantMore has evolved ‘The Nest’ concept into two ethereal and almost idealistic spaces, a lounge and meditation space, which reflect the essence of the Sanctuary Palette, colors that inspire a slower, reflective approach to daily life and which tactility, comfort and warmth and togetherness as themes.
The Lounge
The Lounge concept is a relaxed, treehouse-like space that could be a hospitality environment, a waiting room in a healthcare facility or a luxurious house that is cocooning and warm. Elements of nature provide a sense of wellbeing, light floods in through high windows and the organic Ultrafabrics-covered furniture is inviting and the perfect place to relax and read, or indeed socialize with friends and family. The room is expertly styled with peach as the core color, with the Sanctuary Palette adding a deeper, elegant feel to the space.
The Meditation Space
This room is very much designed for focus, relaxation, and well-being. The textural chair is the centerpiece of the room and the surrounding cushions are there for comfort and coziness. The curved benches allow space for socializing and the cut-outs of the windows offer an interesting way for light to flow in.
25th Anniversary
Both Ultrafabrics and Pantone’s Color of the Year are celebrating their 25th anniversaries in 2024, and this year’s announcement embodies the creativity and possibility of the year to come. Pantone has long set the global benchmark for color trends and Ultrafabrics has made equal strides as the top performance fabric brand across 11 markets around the world, including partnerships with brands such as MillerKnoll, Fitbit, Jaguar Land Rover, and Virgin Galactic. Both iconic brands are celebrating a quarter century of inspiration and innovation, with bold initiatives.
“The Pantone Color of the Year 2024 in its essence fosters community and collaboration. We are excited to continue our work with industry leader Ultrafabrics to explore the application of the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 in the interior design world and beyond,” says Elley Cheng, Vice President and General Manager of Pantone.”
This coming year, while celebrating both the brands’ mutual milestones, Ultrafabrics will continue to explore the intersection of color, culture, and emerging technology that will create a buzz around Peach Fuzz.
ABOUT ULTRAFABRICS Ultrafabrics creates premium, high-tech materials that are reshaping the world of performance fabrics. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, the company is the trusted resource when creating beautifully designed and comforting spaces. Rooted in Japanese craftsmanship, Ultrafabrics’ continuous investment in innovation, sustainability, and development has resulted in a range of polyurethane materials suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The brand’s growing client list of luxury brands spans many industries, from residential and contract furniture, to automotive, recreational vehicles, and aviation. ABOUT WEWANTMORE WeWantMore is an Antwerp-based, award-winning design studio that works across Benelux, France, UK and beyond. Its strong design thinking uses authentic storytelling across branding, art direction and interior design, to create inspiring projects that creative desire. Founded by Ruud Belmans and Thomas Vanden Abeele, WeWantMore has an established reputation for its innovative design direction and a growing network of international clients across the retail and hospitality sectors, including HEINEKEN Group, McDonalds, Hilton, Exki and Accor. The studio operates at the forefront of a new wave of creatives who blur the boundaries between the junctions of design, art and entertainment, to create intricate work that is comfortable in the context of contemporary design culture. ABOUT PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. For more information and to see past selections for Pantone Color of the Year, please visit www.pantone.com/articles/technical/what-is-color-of-the-year ABOUT PANTONE Pantone provides the universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization—leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customised color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce certified Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories.