Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, known for his love of bold color, anticipates a renewed interest in black and white (great backdrop for flowers) and a renewed interest in “the big reveal.” (Photo: Jason Frank Rothenberg / The Jewish Museum)
Want to create a shop or design collection that’s irresistible (and very on-trend) with fashion-loving customers? Incorporate black into your visual merchandising and designs.
That’s a tip from designer Isaac Mizrahi, who recently told an NPR host that he’s hoping to see more black in fashion.
While black has certainly never been absent from the runway, the designer told OnPoint’s Tom Ashbrook that, after years of bright hues, he was ready for a return of black, and black and white, as a brief respite from all the colors.
Mizrahi, the subject of a new exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York, has designed for both elite customers and mass produced a line for Target — so he knows about appealing to a broad base of customers. During his hour-long conversation with Ashbrook, he pointed to other fashion industry trends that florists might be able to leverage.
Deconstructed Looks. Torn jeans, “faded” T-shirts and sleeves that fall purposefully off of shoulders are part of a deconstructed look that’s only gaining in popularity. People, particularly Gen Y, seem to be resisting anything that’s too perfect. Mizrahi said the aesthetic works best when applied when there’s “a humor or a kind of beauty to it… Then, I’m all for it.” Try this: To attract chic customers who love the deconstructed look, market an elegantly “messy” field grown flower look.
The Lost Art of the Big Reveal. Mizrahi said he remembers watching major design houses rush models around in long robes, so that no one could see the attire before a runway show. Those days are gone. “Social media runs the fashion business now,” he said, adding that consumers are privy to every move a designer makes. While social media has its advantages, it’s robbed the industry of the sense of surprise and made it harder to attract people to the actual shows. (Why travel to Paris when you can check out gowns on Instagram?) Try this: Mizrahi lamented the loss of those real life “special” events. Others might harbor similar feelings: Why not “reveal” your special designs for the next season with an in-store event, rather than a mass email or blog post?
Big Nights Out. Torn jeans might be fun for twenty-somethings today but Mizrahi thinks Americans are going to make a gradual shift to more formal attire in the next decade. “It seems that the world lives now in this bubble of the computer,” he said. “You’re home on the computer in your sweat clothes, and that’s great, but I feel like as a response to that we’re going to reimagine ourselves in a more formal way. It’s going to be a bigger deal to dress up.” Try this: Consider Mizrahi’s prediction for marketing materials that speak to grown-ups who want a grown-up night out, complete with a dozen roses waiting at a restaurant … and maybe even corsages and boutonnières.
