What's New for YOU in the Floral World?
Written by J Schwanke
Every one of us is fascinated by new products…and what the newest hottest greatest craze is…my job as spokesperson for American Floral Industry Association, the International Floral and Gift Center and the Dallas Market Center is to find and review the hottest new products throughout our great floral industry!Twice a year I create a series of Top Ten Picks that help floral and decorative retailers from all over the country zero in on what is HOT in the marketplace. In this article we are going to review the BEST of the BEST in those product categories…to help you stay abreast of what is NEW and Exciting…allowing you to differentiate yourself in today’s competitive floral market!First Let’s Talk Color…and also Let’s Talk Chocolate! Not only is Chocolate a favorite treat to many floral designers it is also all the Rage in the Color Industry! Chocolate, Milk or Dark, Mocha or Caramel…the tones of Brown are on Fire and we are seeing it everything from Permanent Botanicals, Containers, Decorative Accessories, Ribbon and even Christmas Décor. Seeing Chocolate paired with Blue, Green and Pink have added the allure that wonderful Coffee Color has over anything!Next Containers and Decorative Accessories…we see Translucent Shining Glimmering finishes…and we see luminescent bowls reminiscent of Czech Pressed Glass. Also stenciling of Flower Shapes and patterns on pottery and the images of Giant Flowers on Vases and containers. Flowers are very much alive in the patterns and finishes we see.Texture is the next HOT thing…for years we have seen color lead in the marketplace and now we see Texture as the secondary and many times the dominant leading feature in products. Any successful product will incorporate Texture. A beautiful Caramel colored Permanent Botanical Magnolia will have the exact same leathery texture of the real thing. So real in fact that we can nearly smell the heady fragrance of Magnolias of the deep south. Texture abounds. Rough, Glittery, Shiny, it makes no difference as long as there is visual and apparent tactile features.Pre-made Permanent Botanicals Designs are plentiful…we are familiar with the ever popular orchid plant…but now departures enclosed in Glass… Terrariums of Bulb stock…or fine soft lacey berry blossom vine spheres in Rich saturated French Pastille Colors…there are subtle differences emerging that push Texture to the TOP in Pre-mades for what is Happening and NOW!The Permanent Stem Category is showing an interesting curve toward Fantasy Flowers…not in the manner of unidentifiable botanicals of the late 70s and early 80s but rather the FUN unexpected look of a WHITE Sunflower complete with a burning yellow center. Not botanically correct…but the departure in simply the Featured Color! Unexpected yet mystifying and Justifiable!Dried Stems has taken on Great fashion colors in the past year…seeing Vibrant Tropical colors break free of the pack…and now Introducing Fashion Forward Capiz shells to the Ting-ting of yester-year…we have FUN Fashionable Decorative Accessories leaping out to TURN on the Trend Forward Consumer!Christmas is all over the board…with 60% of the American Public standing firm in Tradition…Red and Green or pairing the obvious with White for Standard Christmas lore…however the Alternative Christmas Category 30% show far more GLITTER and Glamour on track for 2006. Gold is back and pairing itself with everything from Bronze to Red to Black. Yes… Black Christmas is leading the TRENDY 10% of this category…with White and Black number one and Black paired with Red and Gold neck and neck! Black ornaments entered the market last year and flew off the shelves. We see this trend even marking Mass Market shelves this coming holiday! Don’t forget to address the Chocolate craze in this years Christmas…pairing with Blue, Green and Pink will surely be Noticed by the Fashion Frenzied!Retro rejuvenates the decorative accessory category…with fun novelty items that scream 1960-70…great fashionable colors: Aqua, Avacado, Rich Golden Harvest…are being seen NEW again by the X-Y Generation…who never had the first hand experience. Polka dots and stripes abound in the images we see on Cards, Ribbon, Paper Stock and Display and merchandising. These “old fashioned” icons are White HOT for the youth consumer of today. Even 4th generation retailers are re-inventing their brand by simply updating with wide band Stripes in their iconic colors.Fad, Trends, and Fashions turn faster than ever before! Thus making it so imperative for the fashionable floral designer to stay connected. New colors, ideas and products are continually being introduced into our marketplace. With the constant growth in technology…we are able to stay connected to a greater extent. In my constant ongoing quest to keep forward thinking design oriented florist in touch…I created JTV, a web-based subscription TV program dedicated to flowers, floral design and decorating. Staying in touch is more important than ever and our lives are busier than ever before! Imagine being able to get to a 10-15 minute Creative concise floral design show every week for the latest and greatest without ever leaving your shop…and being able to show that same design inspiration to all your employees over and over again! That’s the secret to staying in touch. The secret of success…the secret of Staying Connected!