DESIGN ITALY EDITORIAL by Ranieri: E-commerce and Pnrr will drive growth in a Very Peri 2022

Pantone of the Year Very Peri, fashion, furniture and e-commerce performance: all the trends for 2022. Read Ranieri's editorial.

The year 2022 begins in blue. Or rather a blue tending towards purplish red, a complex shade that has been defined Very Peri by the Pantone Color Institute, the commercial division of Pantone that highlights the main seasonal colours of the catwalks, selects the Pantone Color of the Year and forecasts world colour trends, thus providing a form of advice to companies regarding the world of colour in the visual identity of brands and products. 

It is in fact a general indication which, although studied at the table, represents a guideline for the sector. And even though this year, for the first time, the colour was not chosen from "existing" colours but developed in the laboratory, there is little room for artificiality. And, indeed, it serves as a forerunner to setting the guidelines for the coming months. The next few months seem to be unaffected by the recent global downturn in the wake of the resurgence of pandemic conditions and the threat of a possible tightening of measures to contain contagion.

The forecasts for the furniture sector in the coming months are promising, despite the fact that it is coming off a long march that has doubled its business volume (the current global industry is around $500 billion) between 2020 and 2021. However, this figure will be revised upwards again over the coming months, with 2022 set to mark a 4% increase in the global furniture market according to the latest report by the Centro Studi Industri Leggera. 

From a geographical point of view, Europe and Asian countries will be the locomotive, while, on a sectoral basis, if on the one hand it is understandable the driving represented by the home office segment after so many months of pandemic and with prospects for smartworking that could last for a long time yet, less intuitive is maybe the figure for the kitchen segment, which will grow strongly also in 2022.

The numbers are clear and easy to read, even in the fashion sector: if in 2020 the fashion industry in our country had closed the year at around 75 billion euros, a sharp drop compared to the 100 billion of the previous year (2019), this year the recovery trajectory has, in fact, almost reached pre-pandemic levels with a significant recovery on an annual basis and an overall figure of around 90 billion euros. Breaking down the data, two facts emerge, the first of a chronological nature, the second by sector. Firstly, the recovery was tangible, especially in the second half of 2021. And it was more concentrated in the top end of the product range, with the high-end fashion segment returning to pre-pandemic levels. 

Also of key importance is the use of online. Estimates speak of a doubling of the use of sales channels other than traditional physical shops: in the pre-Covid era, the online segment accounted for around 10% of total sales, while in 2021 it will reach 20% of the total.

Ranieri