Overview
- Announced on Dec. 4, Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11-4201) is the program’s first white selection since the initiative began in 1999.
- Pantone describes the hue as serene and clarifying, signaling a fresh start and a balance between a digital future and human connection.
- Online reaction has been divided, with critics calling the pick boring or tone‑deaf and some raising political optics concerns, even as a number of creators welcomed the neutral.
- Laurie Pressman said skin tones did not factor into the decision, Leatrice Eiseman rejected the idea of “defaulting to white,” and Pantone president Sky Kelley said the choice was expected to be contentious.
- Pantone outlined 2026 collaborations with Motorola, Play‑Doh, Post‑it, Joybird, Pura, Mandarin Oriental, and an Emiliano Ponzi tote, as industry watchers anticipate broad use across fashion, interiors and consumer products.