The Hidden Costs of Seasonal Colors

How NYC's Fashion Color Forecasting Drives Overproduction and Waste – And How Responsible Brands Like Quiver.love Push Back

Twice a year, the fashion world eagerly awaits the announcement of the next season’s must-have colors, dictated by organizations like the Pantone Color Institute, headquartered in New York City. These color forecasts are not arbitrary; they are carefully curated, drawing inspiration from art, culture, and even politics. While these predictions spark creativity and innovation in the fashion industry, they also fuel a much darker side of fashion—overproduction and waste.

Seasonal color forecasting sets off a ripple effect that cascades from designers to manufacturers, to retailers, and ultimately, to consumers. The anticipation of what hues will dominate the upcoming season encourages fashion designers and brands to produce new collections based around these colors. This race to keep up with the latest trends leads to overproduction, as brands churn out large quantities of garments featuring the latest shades. The goal? To stay relevant and capture consumer attention before those colors inevitably fade into obsolescence with the next season’s forecast.

THE LURE OF COLOR: The psychology of color and seasonal palettes extends far beyond fashion—it reaches into home decor, housewares, and nearly every aspect of consumer life. In an instant, your entire environment can feel “off-trend,” pushing you to buy more just to keep up.

The psychology behind this is key. Humans are naturally drawn to novelty, and new color trends tap directly into this instinct. By presenting fresh colors as symbols of modernity and trendiness, brands evoke a sense of urgency in consumers—an emotional pull that suggests, “If you don’t have this, you’re outdated.” This psychological manipulation drives consumers to purchase items in the latest colors, often at the expense of perfectly functional, but now “out-of-style,” clothing they already own. As a result, perfectly good garments in last season’s colors become less desirable, often ending up in landfills, contributing to a growing global waste crisis.

But the problem doesn’t stop there. When unsold inventory piles up, companies frequently resort to extreme measures like discounting, disposing of, or even destroying surplus goods. The environmental cost is staggering. Every garment represents a waste of not only fabric but also the energy, water, and labor that went into producing it. Add to that the carbon emissions from transportation and you have an industry with a significant environmental footprint.

THE COST OF CONSISTENCY: In the retail world, it's common practice to produce clothing in colors that are unlikely to sell, all for the sake of a cohesive, on-trend sales floor.  This "palette perfection" often means manufacturing items destined for markdowns, landfills or destruction - all in the name of visual appeal.  Such wasteful production isn't accidental or a mistake; it's built into the business model.

However, not all brands are following this unsustainable path. Companies like Quiver.love are leading the charge toward responsible fashion by rejecting the cycle of trend-chasing that seasonal color forecasting perpetuates. Quiver.love is dedicated to sustainability, utilizing reclaimed fabrics and cutting waste from other manufacturers to create their products. By focusing on timeless, versatile designs rather than color-dependent seasonal collections, they effectively break the cycle of overproduction. Their approach minimizes waste from the outset by ensuring that materials are reused and repurposed rather than discarded.

Moreover, brands like Quiver.love encourage a shift in consumer behavior—from impulsively buying what’s trendy to investing in high-quality, long-lasting products. These companies prioritize sustainability and mindfulness, urging customers to think beyond seasonal trends and consider the longevity of their purchases.

THE HIDDEN COST OF DYEING - Water Pollution:  Each year, the global textile industry uses around 79 billion cubic meters of water, much of it for dyeing fabrics to match seasonal color trends across fashion, home decor, and housewares. This process releases toxic chemicals and dyes into waterways, harming ecosystems and local communities. Those trendy shades come at a significant environmental cost, often far from where they’re displayed.

In the end, while organizations in New York City may continue to dictate seasonal color trends, responsible brands are proving that it is possible to operate within the fashion industry without succumbing to the pressures of overproduction and waste. Quiver.love’s model shows that by prioritizing sustainability over fleeting trends, fashion can evolve into a more mindful and eco-conscious industry—one where what you buy not only looks good but does good too.