From Energizing Yellows to Empowering Pinks – The Colors Inspiring Asia in 2020

Entering a new decade can inspire different emotions as we appreciate the past, peer into the future, and think about both whilst we focus on the present. Emotions connect us to a world of colors that reflect our hopes, dreams and fears. So, in 2020, what hues will be hot in Asia, and why?

The Asia Pacific region is full of diversity. Exciting, vibrant and vastly different cultures make up a booming area of the world that is home to around 60% of the world’s population or more than 4-billion people¹. It’s also a young continent full of Gen Y and Millennial consumers who are driving the global impulse for change – environmental, social and cultural. Against this backdrop Milliken has developed a color palette for Asia and the Pacific to capture the region’s confidence, strength of spirit, and increasing individualism.

Yellows for Energy and Growth

Yellow is a color that radiates energy to the beat of Asian pop – at the heart of the continent’s iconic and growing music scene. From the nightclubs of Tokyo to the beaches of Goa it’s a color that inspires and motivates people, bringing them together.

Yellow is also the color of spring across Australia and New Zealand when the acacia, banksia, kangaroo paw, and the kowhai, also used in the Māori language for the color yellow, bloom. As many natural areas in Australia recover from devastating wildfires, we understand that we must be more responsible than before. Focusing on the present means recognizing the challenges facing the environment and taking action. 2020 is the time to act.

Beautiful Blues for a Positive Future

Nature sustains us and will always be close by. As we make sustainable decisions for a healthier world, two stunning blues, reflecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans that envelope the continent, are catching on in the Asia Pacific region in 2020.

The first reveals our love of clear and still endless skies to the horizon, on our precious blue planet traveling in space. We are unique and this trending blue, vibrant and strong, helps to remind us of our uniqueness and the preciousness of our Earth, taking a bold stand at the cool end of the color spectrum.

Projecting more subtlety are blues that prompt reflection. They may be just as home in our electronic lives as our physical ones and make a statement on the complexities of modern day society with all its structures, nuances, expectations and possible pathways. These blues allow people to express their true selves and authentic feelings in the colors around them.

To achieve balance, more Asian designers in 2020 are opting to match these bold and subtle blue shades with hues at the warm end of the color spectrum.

Greens, Pinks and Subtle Lilacs Making a First Impression

Social media means we are ‘always on’, with people showing their true selves, both positive and negative, and breaking taboos. This freedom of self-expression sets a new base and rapid advances in technology mean we continually re-evaluate our personal needs. In the Asia-Pacific, a region that never shuts down, bold, emerald greens that stand-out against the ordinary, that excite and electrify, and that project individualism are trending to represent this vibrant, dynamic part of the world.

And building on its vibrancy and dynamism its residents all develop a powerful sense of self and place. Another trending color is greyish pink, representing the empowerment of women and their right to live in safety and peace. It also prompts ideas around the brave new world in which we live, dominated by algorithms, AI, infotainment and interactivity that will enrich society and solve growing loneliness by helping lasting relationships to form online.

Moving further than grey pinks, calming and full of beauty, lilacs are colors with meaning. From Japanese screen art to the inspiration of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, lilacs are colors that help us to remember the past and inspire the future. They help us to de-clutter our minds and spaces and seek the things that touch us emotionally. It inspires us to just be, live in the moment, cut out the rest of the world and have fun.

And Bold Reds Take us Back to Basics

Bright and deep, red is the color of us all. In Asia in 2020 bold reds are trending, signaling a continental confidence as we enter a new decade. These colors remind us of our roots and the Asia Pacific is an age old melting pot of culture and sharing. People are beginning to understand themselves as part of one society and want to give something back for a better future.

For more ideas on which colors are hot in Asia and the Pacific in 2020 get in touch for information on our full spectrum of stunning colorants.


¹ https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/node/15207