Indulge Your Wardrobe in Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025: Mocha Mousse

By Felicia Czochanski Bisaro

Keeping with tradition, we got the annual announcement of Pantone’s Color of The Year for 2025: Mocha Mousse. Following 2023’s color Viva Magenta during the year of Barbie and 2024’s Peach Fuzz, Mocha Mousse is a departure from what we’ve been seeing. For me, it symbolizes a collective global desire for comfort — think of the palette of some favorite comfort foods like chocolate and coffee. As you might guess, I like to combine these sweet little treats with my hobby of secondhand shopping. That makes it easy to add some soft comfort to your wardrobe and home without breaking the bank or buying something new just to fit a trend.

Following the Trends Sustainably

At the start of the new year, it’s likely you’ve had time to reflect on your goals and hopes for the coming months. If being more environmentally friendly, saving money and leaning into self-care made your shortlist, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025 could be the right ambiance for you. Shopping secondhand at Goodwill® not only helps the environment because it encourages a culture of upcycling and diverting goods from landfills to instead give them new life, but it also reduces demand for manufacturing new goods. As an added bonus, it’s not uncommon to find items that are new with tags at Goodwill with prices that are a small fraction of what you’d pay at the original retailer. Shopping has always been one of my favorite ways to treat myself and get my creativity flowing. I find shopping secondhand gives me the freedom I need to find what I want and create unique looks without the price tag or environmental guilt that hits me after a big retail store splurge. Since Goodwill is a nonprofit thrift store, I know my purchase is going directly back into the community around me, funding job training and support for those who need them.

Shopping Goodwill for Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025

To kick start my new year, I stopped by a Goodwill store in Northern California to see what I could find for the Mocha Mousse 2025 vibe. Check out my finds below. I personally love this year’s color because it can be paired with so many other fun, comforting colors — think Cannoli Cream, Cappuccino and Chocolate Martini!

Mocha Pick Me Up Looks

First, I came across these trendy pieces that can be dressed up or down, depending on where your day takes you. The dress’s satiny material gives depth to the chocolate color, while the crop top is perfect for layering on a trip to the coffee shop or pairing with high-waisted leather pants and heels for a night on the town.

Harmonizing Plaids

Mocha Mousse has plenty of sweet complementary colors, and plaids are a great way to lean into the trend without overdoing it. These pieces are fabulous looks waiting to be put together; you could pair the dress with a long-sleeve turtleneck and boots. Then you can wear the same turtleneck with the blazer another day.

Comfort From Head to Toe

If you’re all in on this year’s color trend, don’t forget about the shoes! This pair of chunky heeled sandals is perfect for warmer days — you could even pair it with the dress above. On the other hand, the clogs marry comfort and elegance, not to mention they’re a great new-with-tags find.

You can shop sustainably for Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025 at your local Goodwill. Use the Goodwill store locator to find one near you.