How Pantone helped one designer make a distinct statement at NYFW

A lot was going on at New York Fashion Week this year. With a range of collections displayed on the runways, each designer sought to stand out. For seasoned designers like Bibhu Mohapatra, color was an integral part of making a statement.

Helping him in that endeavor was the Pantone Color Institute, which debuted its “Dualities” palette, featuring 175 new colors in the fashion, home, and interiors system.

The colors, which ranged from vibrant shades of pastels to “shadow” colors such as tints of gray, were created in response to consumer demand for “classic” and “foundational shades,” Laurie Pressman, VP of Pantone Color Institute, told Retail Brew.

“The colors that we put into any of the palettes, especially when we make color additions, it’s always about what’s happening in trend,” she said.

To put a distinct focus on it, Mohapatra incorporated Pantone’s colors into his Spring/Summer 2025 show, featuring a range of luxurious shawls created in partnership with Indian cashmere brand Janavi.

“The spring collection became about day-to-day life and the things as humans we deal with,” Mohapatra told Retail Brew. “I wanted to take nature and then see how the light changes between the sun’s arrival to the sun going down and the moon’s arrival. So, four different lights that would incorporate 175 shades of dualities.”

Color bind: For Pantone, too, Janavi and Mohapatra were perfect partners. Per Pressman, their designs helped “highlight the relevance” of the colors and go beyond just setting a trend by making it wearable.

Mohapatra believes the use of Pantone colors have been instrumental not just in making a statement but also in terms of differentiating his brand.

“For me, restraint in a color story or collection is the key, and when you have such a limited range of color, it’s important that you know exactly what’s the value and the codes of that color that you really want,” he said. “It’s extremely helpful to know, and depending on which fabric you’re dying those colors in, they also take on a different shade, different value of it…That allows us to translate it to our vendors.”

He added that Pantone color trends also act as a great “guiding tool” of sorts when he’s designing multiple collections a year. “It’s important for us to have specificity when we are working with 10 mills [that] are producing fabrics for three seasons at the same time,” he said. “So for us to be organized and be specific, these [color] codes really help.”

Show your true colors: Scott Markman, founder and president of MonogramGroup, a global branding agency specializing in private equity portfolio companies, added that beyond acting as a guiding tool or being a valuable source of inspiration, Pantone simply is great for designers looking to always be on trend.

“Pantone has evolved into the badge of honor/Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for the latest/greatest in color trends for those who need to and want to follow this closely,” he said via email. “It has a practical usage, but also is ripe for water cooler conversation and debate. It makes Pantone as a brand is forever newsworthy as trend setters, which is a very enviable position to be in for any brand.”

Pressman agreed, adding that brands “lose a big opportunity when they don’t leverage the power of color.”

“Think about it this way: If you saw the same color from everybody, then how do you have a point of view? How do people know what you stand for? Color helps you create a visually distinctive identity,” she said. “You have to be commercial, and I understand that at the same time, you have to do something that helps you to stand out; that’s what drives engagement.”