Pantone has named "mimosa," a warm yellow, color of 2009. The company statement says: “In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow.” Executive director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman said that yellow is associated with the warm, nurturing and reassuring qualities of the sun. The company says the color has a cross-gender appeal and predicts its appearance in accessories, home furnishings, active sportswear, ties and shirts.