Move over ‘Brat green’, there’s a new colour set to dominate the cultural landscape for the rest of the year: ‘Showgirl Orange’. Sparked by Taylor Swift’s recent announcement for her 12th studio album, the vibrant hue is already being tipped by marketing experts as the next major cultural moment.
The immediate online interest follows a now-familiar pattern set by ‘Barbie pink’ and, more recently, Charli XCX’s ‘Brat summer’ era. The ‘Taymania’ effect is already evident, with Google Trends data showing searches for the album’s apparent title, “The Life of a Showgirl”, have increased by 5,000% in just three days, demonstrating the rapid pace at which these trends take hold.
According to branding and marketing expert Liam Smith from Aura Print, this isn’t just a coincidence. “From Brat green to Barbie pink, colour is no longer just a design choice, it’s a cultural trigger,” he explains. “Audiences are increasingly paying attention to colour, latching onto it in a bid to define an era, a movement, or a moment in time.”
Read the official press release in full below:
Taylor Swift has yet again sent the internet into chaos after she announced her 12th studio album, dropping October 3rd. The ‘Taymania’ has already begun, with Google Trends data revealing searches for “The Life of a Showgirl” have increased by 5,000% in just three days.
The colour palette of this next era has already sparked online interest, with the incoming wave of ‘Showgirl Orange’ set to be the colour and culture moment of the year,according to branding and marketing expert Liam Smith at Aura Print.
When Jason Kelce asked Swift what the significance behind orange was, she answered ‘I’ve always liked it… It feels energetically how my life has felt’ – summing it up as ‘exuberant, electric and vibrant’.
Liam says: “From Brat green to Barbie pink, colour is no longer just a design choice, it’s a cultural trigger. Brands used to pick a colour and would be years before we associated that color with the brand – think Chanel’s little black dress. Nowadays, it seems audiences are increasingly paying attention to colour, latching onto it in a bid to define an era, a movement, or a moment in time.
Barbiecore swept the internet, flooding fashion, beauty, and even home décor to become the colour-coded mood board of the summer. Charli XCX’s ‘Brat summer’ era followed suit with its anti-polish authenticity infiltrating the summer of 2024, becoming a cultural phenomenon. Now, it’s ‘Showgirl Orange’ who stands ready to dominate the latter half of the year, bringing theatrical energy and high impact visibility to the season’s cultural landscape.
Despite being a few days into ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ rollout, major brands are already seizing on the ‘Showgirl Orange’ trend to stay ahead of the cultural curve. From Call Her Daddy posting an interview teaser with Kid Cudi in a near-identical hue, sparking speculation it was Swift, to Warner Bros posting a ‘Showgirl Orange’ vinyl to their socials to promote the new Conjuring film, the shade is already proving its power as a marketing magnet.
Historically, Swift’s genius has always been in making colour an era’s emotional signature, so fans don’t just hear an album, they see it, and it’s so accessible, fans can take part themselves by incorporating the colour into their fashion, decoration, social media. This consistent defining visual coding creates instant recall and strengthens fan identity. However, ‘Showgirl Orange’ is predicted to bleed into mainstream trends, bigger than her colour palettes ever have before – with it already being spotted on the autumn/winter ‘25 runways, as well as the pantone colour, named ‘2026’.
What can we expect in this ‘Showgirl Orange’ era? A surge in burnt tangerine lip colours, echoing the shade Swift wore in her New Heights appearance? TikTok will light up with ‘showgirl fit’ styling videos, as fans reimagine showgirl-core with a modern twist. And in true showgirl fashion, it wouldn’t be surprising if Swift leaned into the spectacle with a Las Vegas residency in place of a traditional world tour.”
Add as a preferred source