Welcome to the Red Zone: How does a color become dominant, and how does it spread?

In the year 2024, the prominence of the color RED in fashion, interior design, and beauty can be attributed to various cultural and societal factors. 

Have you noticed the color red is everywhere lately? It seems red never really goes out of style. It just takes a little break and then reemerges in all its glory, saturating every aspect of our lives in the red experience, shifting between the sweetness of port wine and the ominous blood red.

Given the current trajectory of events, red will continue following us over the next two years, and its trending buds are undoubtedly blooming from every corner.

The history of red

Red’s dominance originates in biology: it is one of the first colors humans perceive, one of the first to be named and defined, and one that scientists believe elicits the strongest reactions. As the color of blood, the symbol of both life and death, it’s no wonder red has always embodied a spectrum of motifs – from power, war, and danger to love, warmth, and sex appeal. (source: The Secret History of the Color Red, Maude Bass-Krueger, Google Arts & Culture).

I see red

The return of red into our lives is no coincidence. It swoops back in after three hard years of the pandemic, wars, recession, and every other hardship happening across the world, characterized by different levels of trauma absorbed. As a natural defense mechanism, the next few years will be dedicated to healing.

What kind of healing? The Visionary’s 2024/5 trend forecast, named The Outgrowth, identified four trends, each representing a different type of coping mechanism: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn. In this article, we focus on the Fight trend, as it best exemplifies the color red.

Fight mode

In the short term, we associate blood red and fire motifs with survival, as a sign of physical struggle, pushback, and defiance. But in the long run, using physical and mental force is just a means to an end – restoring confidence, love, and acceptance lost in crises and manifesting a desire for change. Redirecting the pain symbolized by red in a positive and optimistic path creates hope, elevating victims of horrific circumstances to heroes and heroines. It can empower, inspire, and encourage resilience. With that, we’re redefining the boundaries and rules of red and earth tone aesthetics.

A prime example is the Joan of Arc dress from the Kornit x Omer Michael collaboration presented during the 2023 Kornit Fashion Week in Tel Aviv. Michael drew inspiration from Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, who defied gender and social conventions by leading one successful charge after another during the Hundred Years’ War. Her eventual capture and death sentence for witchcraft and “dressing like a man,” among other accusations, only grew her fame and stature in France and the world. She was “a true revolutionary, feminist icon, and symbol of women’s empowerment”, Michael says, as for the reason he chose her story to inspire his design dedicated to the country’s burning democracy, in the name of freedom.”

Michael collaborated with Kornit’s cutting-edge printing technology to create a striking digital print of a woman on fire topped with a metal armor bra and elements of swords and arrowheads, combining metallic and flaming red concepts in colors and materials. Michael’s work exhibits the Fight trend in both conceptualization and production, using motifs of war and pain – red, blood, and metal- to convey a message of greatness and hope, as Michael said, “May the light overcome the darkness.”

Redefining red 

Reclaiming red as a positive force will grow far beyond clothes and affect a wide variety of fields – fashion, interior design, marketing, consumerism, and everything in between. Red can symbolize a global craving for a hug, empathy, and love, yet its healing narrative doesn’t necessarily mean softness. It can still maintain its boldness and conviction while relaying comfort and warmth in designs, collections, and spaces.

From statement eyes and lips highlighted in flaming red in the beauty world to spaces flushed with red and orange hues referencing the apocalypse, you can expect red in all its shades and undertones everywhere new boundaries need to be set.

Paint the town red

Whatever industry you’re in, adopting the essence of this trend and color in new ways can help your customers and clients find comfort and strength in your brand.

Experiment

Don’t be afraid to push your color boundaries with bold ideas and choices that boost the energy of your business. 

Get real 

Now more than ever, using your authentic voice speaks volumes. Apply it with a red touch to highlight your brand’s humanity and connect with your audience.

Innovate

Combine cutting-edge technologies and forward-thinking methods with red hues to embody your brand’s passion and ingenuity.

As the overflowing red trend shifts from being associated with struggle to solace, it will hopefully bring some relief and encourage us to hold strong and rediscover our place in the world.