Next year, Kermit the Frog may be singing, "It IS easy being green." He'll be delighted to know that Pantone has selected Emerald Green as the Color of the Year for 2013, and will feel right at home on its Pinterest board devoted to the exact shade of green: 17-5641.

For over a decade, Pantone, a company long associated with setting color standards in printing, has been selecting a "Color of the Year." According to the company, "Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention."

So why is 2013 a Green kind of year? "Green is the most abundant hue in nature — the human eye sees more green than any other in the spectrum," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today's complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors."Continue reading...

Britain's Gorillaz band may be just four cartoon dudes with 'tude, but that didn’t stop the group’s second album, 2005’s Demon Days, from going five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the States, and nabbing five 2006 Grammy Award nominations, one of which they won.

It also hasn’t stopped the band from making a deal with Converse to design a line of shoes, according to Spin.

One of the band’s flesh-and-blood cofounders, comic book creator Jamie Hewlett of Tank Girl fame, “has designed a series of Gorillaz-themed prints for the Gorillaz Chuck Taylor All Star collection,” Spin reports.

They are due to hit shelves in February, the same month that the NBA All-Star game is scheduled to take place in Orlando. But who knows if that is going to happen or not with the way owners and players are facing off in a collective-bargaining standoff that is getting tenser.Continue reading...

While not timed to International Women's Day, Converse is thinking about giving women a well-shod foot up.

The classic American sneaker brand is promoting the Helen — a new spin on its heritage Jack Purcell shoe (and named for Purcell's wife). The short film above features NYC chef Melia Marden talking about her work, her mother's inspiration and Converse's new women's shoe design. 

The brand is also promoting another women's collection, featuring a more international inspiration: the designs of Marimekko.Continue reading...