Home Trends and Research Fashion-Decor-Color
Fashion/Decor/Color
11th Hour Holiday Trend Spotting PDF Print E-mail
Trends and Research - Fashion/Decor/Color
If you’re among the throng of retailers who have been holding back on your holiday purchases, then it’s not too late to make sure your holiday inventory reflects the latest trends. I got a quick trends rundown from AFIA’s design guru J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, who knows the showrooms at the Dallas Market Center’s Holiday and Home Expo inside and out and is, consequently, one of the industry’s best trend-spotters. Whether you still have some holiday buying to do or are looking for some inspiration to drive your display strategy, J, who’s CEO of UBloom, says, “it’s never too late to be in touch with what’s cool, hip and happening.” J’s take on trends:

Green imageGo Green. In color, product lines or even attitude, green sells, J says: “Display green plants, green trees, green ornaments.” Don’t limit your vision of green, either, because trendy greens include the entire range: forest green, grass green, mint green, chartreuse, or money green.” And, in the “for what it’s worth” category: Martha Stewart recently painted her Picket Fence in the Hamptons mint green. “That says it all,” Schwanke says. “Green is in. Use it.”

wheatAbide by Dried. Dried flowers are hot again, Schwanke says, and this trend connects with the green movement. Artistic wood pieces, pods, mosses, lychens, and dried flowers all speak to the reuse and recycle trend. (Ask your suppliers about where and how the flowers are harvested and preserved, so you can share that info with inquiring customers). Schwanke says natural is in, so think: brown paper bag, craft paper, greens and harvest colors. “This is an awesome look for the fall,” he tells us.

black treeBlack is back. That’s not to say that brown is disappearing, mind you, after all, what speaks to safety and home better than chocolate brown. But black has been “patiently waiting in the wings,” as J puts it. Black Christmas trees and accessories for this holiday are “classic, timeless and speak to an air of sophistication.” And that’s not all: Black is protective, classy and “high brow sexy!” J says.

red and greenDon’t deny tradition. Even J can admit that nothing sells like traditional Christmas. And in case you’re a true slave to trends and need a reminder of what that means: red and green, Santa, sugar plums. “When the going gets tough... we retreat to the warm snuggly memories of Christmas' past... warm cookies, soft blankets, Christmas presents and trees... all dressed in holiday red and green.” But he says you can update the look, with tomato red and apple green or other variations on the classic green, or try using acid green with holiday red, to give traditional Christmas a “spark” that draws attention.

Read 0 Comments... >>