Pre-fall 18 trend-to-go: Ultra Violet

Pantone has declared 2018 to be the year of Ultra Violet, a blue-based shade that’s “dramatically provocative and thoughtful [and] communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

Hmmm. Not so sure about how “provocative” and “visionary” a colour can be, but shade number 18-3838 is definitely one that can’t be missed. And its influence is certainly being seen in the pre-collections, even if it’s not quite hit the big time just yet. 

In fact, it’s still playing section fiddle to a whole host of power pinks, reds and blues. But it’s there, a low-key presence in a number of collections just waiting to make its big move.

Will the world embrace is as much as they did, say, Millennial Pink or the black and white trend of a few years ago? Maybe. It’s a surprisingly versatile colour story, working particularly well in tandem with the season’s blues, reds and yellows as checks, florals or colour blocks, but also holding its own as standalone shade.

Expect to see it making an impact on the occasionwear market, on the knitwear and athleisure categories. And of course, it should be big for accessories - expect Ultra Violet scarves and hats come next autumn winter and plenty of UV waves being made in the all-important bags category.