Every color is beautiful. And with so many to choose from, there are bound to be some that get hidden beneath the changing tides of the trend world.

But the beauty of a color is not determined by its popularity. That’s why we’ve collaborated with design icon and disrupter of the fashion world Dapper Dan to celebrate uniqueness, explore the rewards of risk-taking in design, and rediscover the beauty of color with The Loneliest Color^™: Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5).

Read on to learn all about this rare but stunning hue, and view Dapper Dan’s custom-designed pieces of wearable art, with 100% of the proceeds supporting Habitat for Humanity.

Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5) has been unveiled as one of the least-tinted Sherwin-Williams colors. This color is anything but subtle, but the suggestion of greenish undertones gives this vivid and intense gold hue an unexpected depth and richness.

This deeper tone lends Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5) a near-bronze quality that stands out from other trending yellows currently on the rise. This color family is cycling back into favor in interior designs and is expected to gain prominence in 2025 and 2026 as a key directional color.

Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5) epitomizes the idea that even though certain colors and styles might fall out of the spotlight, they nevertheless bring their own kind of beauty to the world. And this presents an exciting opportunity to embrace those unique preferences and take calculated—and captivating—color risks. If any designer knows something about being daring with design, it’s global fashion icon Dapper Dan.

Daniel Day, known as Dapper Dan, is no stranger to bucking tradition. From his earliest days as a Harlem streetwear designer in the 1980s, he has pushed boundaries and cleared his own path, co-opting luxury branding to design original, high-end garments that made him into the legend he has become.

There could be no design icon more fitting for this collaboration than Dapper Dan, a visionary who understands the value of showing the world your true colors. “As Creative Director of The Loneliest Color^™,” he says, “I’m focused on championing the potential of what was once the least popular color in order to celebrate the magic of what it can become when given a chance in the spotlight.”

Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing, sees this celebration as an opportunity to inspire other creative people to do the same. “With our least-tinted color,” she says, “we’re taking something that’s overlooked, unknown, and on the fringes, and bringing it out of the shadows in a new and unexpected way—through fashion and painted on a wall—and it reveals how beautiful an often-undervalued thing can be.”

Dapper Dan embraced the uniqueness of Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5) and used it to create eight pieces of wearable art, one-of-a-kind items that you can view here. An auction for the items occurred between April 4 and April 14, 2024. Sherwin-Williams donated 100% of the proceeds from The Loneliest Color^™ wearable art auction to Habitat for Humanity with a minimum contribution of $100,000.

In order to provide Dapper Dan with a complete palette to bring into his wearable art pieces, Sue Wadden and Color Marketing Manager Emily Kantz teamed up with him to develop a palette that brought Kingdom Gold’s luminosity and individualistic verve to the fore.

“The first step is to find where the trends and Dap’s personal point of view coalesce,” Wadden says. “We selected colors that are trend-forward for both fashion and interiors; colors that are complementary and directional with such a beautiful and interesting shade of gold.”

Order complimentary samples of the The Loneliest Color^™, Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5), and its stunning coordinates.

To bring out Kingdom Gold’s bold and dynamic vibe, The Loneliest Color^™ by Sherwin-Williams x Dapper Dan Color Collection balances deep blue and teal with the richest reds and purples, all tempered with shades of gray. “Incorporating gold into a color collection is about finding harmony, considering the mood, the application, and the desired impact. With its versatile nature, gold can enrich a color palette, adding warmth, depth, and a touch of elegance.” 

Designing and sharing one-of-a-kind statement pieces like Dapper Dan’s wearable art is a tangible example of everything The Loneliest Color^™ stands for: rediscovering the beauty in rarely used things—and bringing a little rebellion and risk-taking to designs wherever we can.

While trends are a meaningful part of the design conversation, adhering to them is only one option. “Something I’ve learned throughout my career,” Dapper Dan says, “is the power of staying true to our individuality and not conforming to what’s agreeable. In design and fashion, every color has the potential to tell a story, change perspectives, and inspire us—it’s about staying present so you can discover, or sometimes rediscover, beauty in places you may have initially overlooked.”

The message of The Loneliest Color^™ is one of personalization and the power of individual identity. “If your client loves a color,” says Wadden, “then bringing it into the design, allowing them to make it their own, and taking some risks can often yield better results because of its uniqueness. Not everybody is going to have that particular color or stylistic element in their space, so when someone walks into your home or your cafe or your hotel lobby and sees it used so beautifully, they’re going to be dazzled.”

We’ve seen the rewards of this kind of thoughtful risk-taking in fearless color choices before, and with immersive experiences and color-drenching on the rise in residential and commercial design, a vibrant, unexpected hue like Kingdom Gold SW 6698 (137-C5) is more likely to find its place in design than at less adventurous times in design history.

“There’s this general feeling of ‘let’s go!’” says Wadden. “It’s time to embrace these colors and see what happens when we experiment and try something new. Take a risk. Go with it. Design doesn’t always need to be about the trends.”

“There’s a continuum of inspiration in design,” Wadden believes, “and the risks we must take in order to bring something fresh to the table.” Part of the job requires building a level of trust so that everyone involved in the design process can feel confident taking risks and going in an unexpected direction. Sometimes, it can start with something as simple, and as impactful, as a rarely seen paint color.

To see how this rare and ravishing hue might come to life in your next design, order complimentary color samples of The Loneliest Color^™ by Sherwin-Williams x Dapper Dan Color Collection using your Pro+ account. And be sure to check out Dapper Dan's original pieces of wearable art.