A combination of red and white.
It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white.
The very nature of this combination explains how pink is a tone that has been the subject of various interpretations over the centuries.
Think for example that the stereotype of pink is for girls and blue for boys has been established by mid-twentieth century. Before that period it was exactly the opposite. Pink, being an evolution of red, was associated with the figure of the warrior, then of the male, whereas blue referred to the Holy Virgin and then to the female world.
And if we accept this all-female association, we must consider that it can embody different types of femininity – from pure and sweet, to sensual and erotic.
From a delicate pink that brings us back to the elegance of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy, up to a shocking pink like the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, recalled by Madonna in the famous video of Material Girl. Without forgetting the pink jacket of the Pink Ladies of Grease.
And Shocking is the name chosen by Elsa Schiaparelli for her perfume. It was such a success that this particular pink nuance became a tint still recognized worldwide today.
Even the iconic Barbie doll, launched in 1959, will wear clothes characterized by a bright artificial tone that became known as “Barbie Pink” but only from the late 1970s.
And it is with this more dynamic meaning that pink is enriched with a Punk garment.
“Pink is the only true rock and roll color” said Paul Simmons, the bass guitarist for the Clash.
Already in the 1950s performers and sex symbols such as Elvis Presley dressed in pink with great nonchalance. The following decade, pop and rock artists such as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix continued to be fascinated by this color and even influenced their fans.
These examples underline how the color pink is nothing more than an expression of the art and the custom of society throughout different periods and cultures.
The same Pantone Color Institute created a tone of pink for a campaign for gender equality, “HeForShe” – a magenta tinted Bright Rose, PANTONE 18-1945 – which well represents the elimination of gender inequality.
Pink, which has been before our eyes for a couple of years now, underlines the no gender, contemporary and versatile aspect of a shade that has nothing to do with dolls and princesses.
A fresh and refined tone. It’s a perfect shade, almost basic, which can be combined with everything and everyone. Above all bright.
It has now become a social phenomenon which can be found both in fashion and design, on social networks as well as in art and architecture.
From Rose Quarz to Pale Dogwood. A color story – rather than a specific shade and tint.
It’s the Millennial Pink, a color with the capacity to link the past with the future.
Millennial pink is a reaction to all the clichés. And so we would like to think that all colors are.
