ULTRAFABRICS, the world’s leading producer of high-quality performance fabrics in 11 global markets, has curated the Awakening palette, a collection of eight colors inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year, Viva Magenta. Ultrafabrics is no stranger to partnerships with the world’s most cutting-edge companies, including Jaguar Land Rover, Fitbit, Virgin Galactic, JetBlue and MillerKnoll, to name just a few.

“We are excited to work with Ultrafabrics to explore the application of the Pantone color of the Year in interior design and beyond,” says Elley Cheng, Vice President and General Manager of Pantone. Ultrafabrics collaborated with British stylist, Olly Mason, and Brazilian digital visualisation studio jformento to envision five different, future-forward and highly imaginative spaces that demonstrate how color and the Awakening Palette can impact any interiors space.

Nicole Meier, Director of Branding at Ultrafabrics, says, “Pantone trusted Ultrafabrics to explore how their Color of the Year works in the built environment. Viva Magenta is a starting point and Awakening takes it further. This isn’t just about envisioning our fabrics in spaces, it’s about a chorus of materials that reference the depth and breadth of how the Color of the Year is used, combined with a design vision for the future.”

The Awakening palette incorporates the use of Pantone 18-750 Viva Magenta and marries it with hues found in nature. Each color in this collaborative palette represents the elements: air, earth, water and fire, bringing the happiness, joy and energy of the outdoors, in.

Kimberle Frost, resident color specialist at Ultrafabrics, says, “We want to inspire designers and encourage them to think a little differently about approaching bold colors like Viva Magenta. The palette is a collection of eight readily available Ultrafabrics products, closely matched to Pantone shades. They combine the beauty of warm, grounded neutrals with harmonious colors found in nature, all tied around Viva Magenta, which gives this palette a vibrancy and energy.

Calling it ‘Awakening’ feels appropriate given that we have come out of a pandemic, and we’ll soon be emerging from winter hibernation. It’s about a moment when we’re suddenly aware and ready to reset.”

Barry Silverman, Vice President of Marketing and Branding at Ultrafabrics, says: “Pantone’s Color of the Year is a critical driver of design. Together with Pantone, we’re looking forward to helping designers bring cultural timeliness to timeless design. The collaboration will help the design industry connect to the color zeitgeist in a sustainable and enduring way.”

Ultrafabrics will deepen its collaboration with PANTONE throughout 2023 in a series of co-branded global, interactive events, sharing their expertise on how color can be implemented in almost any type of space and into Viva Magenta’s application possibilities across the world of interiors and more.

Ultrafabrics’ special edition color, Vivid Punch, is now available within its UF Select Montage collection. The shade can also be custom developed across its portfolio including, Brisa, Ultraleather and its bio-based fabric, Volar Bio.

Viva Magenta takes centre stage in this beautiful workspace. The clean, refined space features comforting but sleek modular elements. The use of biophilic design oxygenates and invigorates the environment and provides a warming contrast to the future-forward 3D-printed concrete elements. Trees and plants have been incorporated to contribute to wellbeing, happiness and productivity. There is also plenty of natural light from the glass ceiling, which casts peaceful shadows and the allusion of movement reflected from the planting. The Viva Magenta wall, covered in Ultrafabrics’ Vivid Punch, adds a boost of enlivening color. It divides the airy space and doubles as a booth where people can work, collaborate or socialise. Using bright white stone and warm brown woods and wovens on modular furniture grounds the space in earthiness. Rounded, organic sofas covered in Ultrafabrics’ green Volar Bio fabric complement the planting and reflect the outside greenery, thus harmonising the interior and exterior elements of the building.

All the Awakening colors are used in this clean, modern waiting room of a healthcare facility against a backdrop of natural light and light wood. Research shows the health-boosting benefits of building in wood and what better place to incorporate this? Architects and designers are also no longer sticking to one color – pistachio green in so many cases – for the interiors of these spaces. Here, modular seating is covered in several hues of the Awakening Palette: calming blue, pops of Viva Magenta, with touches of the more neutral taupes and brown thrown in for good measure. The discreet booth has a wall covered in white fabric
and acts as a sound barrier for more private moments and discussions.

Any outdoor space, whether residential or hospitality, deserves color. Here, Olly Mason has created an elegant outdoor space imagined in a modern hotel in tropical climes. The pool is the centre of the outdoor area, with the seating and lounge chairs covered in Coast outdoor fabric but brought to life with splashes of Viva Magenta. The Ultrafabrics outdoor collections, often used in boats and yachts for their water resistance and ability to withstand salt water, will not be affected by the pool chlorine. The corner bar animates the space and the foliage both provides warmth and shade dotted around the pool.

Modern, fresh and liveable, this residential or commercial interior has everything: comfort, style, warmth and color. The oak-colored ceiling dramatically frames the huge windows that look out onto mountain views, and the brown neutrals bring a sense of earthiness – from the woven rug to the Promessa in Horsehair fabric on the chairs. The green sofa is a nod to the surrounding nature while Vivid Punch brings just the right amount of liveliness to the
space without seeming out of place.

The recreational vehicle market is given a real treat with this imagining of the future of travel. jformento and Olly Mason have created a light-filled, glass-topped vehicle that is spacious, chic and fun, and truly brings the wonderful outdoors in. Living and camping in a moving house has never been more appealing. The light wood elements complement the cosy sofa bed, with Ultraleather Sonora covering the seating by the table and reflecting the color of the trees and grass outside. Vivid Punch is used in small but powerful doses to liven up the neutral shades.

ABOUT ULTRAFABRICS
Ultrafabrics is a range of premium, animal-free materials that are reshaping the world of performance fabrics. Crafted in its Japanese mill using the proprietary production process, Takumi (meaning artisan) Technology, the company’s passion is the creation of unrivalled sensorial experiences. Ultrafabrics’ continuous investment in innovation, research and development has resulted in a range of polyurethanes 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 upholstery for cars, yachts, airlines and private jets.
www.ultrafabricsinc.com

ABOUT OLLY MASON
Olly Mason is a London-based creative director and Head of Interiors at Wallpaper*. She is inspired by space, light and form and her fascination with these has pinned her to the world of set design, interiors and creative direction for digital imagery and photoshoots since 2015. Olly has created digital campaigns, directed photoshoots on 16,000m high mountain peaks, built exhibitions in Asia, and covered design weeks from across the globe.

ABOUT JFORMENTO
jformento is a London-based creative boutique under the direction of Jonathan Formento. The company works across the platforms of CGI, motion design, architectural visualisation, animation, VR, photography and directing. Jonathan is a leader in this industry. He studied interior and product design in his native Brazil before moving to the UK. He has collaborated with companies such as Moncler, Tom Dixon Studio, IKEA, Coachella, Spotify, Normann Copenhagen and Norwegian architects, SnØhetta.

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. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 24 years, Pantone Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. 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. Learn more at www.pantone.com and connect with Pantone
on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.