THAT DRESS!!

My sincere apologises for the delay in this article, we have experienced some severe technical problems, but everything is up and running. This blog was originally written for a friends website - Colab Clothing - do take a look if you have not already. They use local artists work and print them onto t-shirts, hoodies and vest tops and also work closely with charities to give a little something back.


ROSES ARE RED . . . .

 

I am  excited to be blogging for Colab Clothing, and thrilled to connect my profession (floristry and floral art) with my love of fashion.  Yes, floral is big this spring on the catwalk from the ditsy florals at Alexander McQueen, to the retro floral prints at Prada; But in a time of austerity, this really is a sight for sore eyes! 

 

May I introduce Mr Joe Massie, 23, from Liverpool.  Joe has been RHS Chelsea Gold Medallist and Best in Show every year since 2009.  As part of the retailers Valentines campaign, ASDA enlisted the assistance of Joe and his creative team to create a stunning floral dress showcasing ASDA’s Valentines flower range.

The inspiration for this seductive dress came from Stephane Rolland’s collection, modelled at Paris Fashion Week earlier in the year. The fabric dress weighed in at 110 pounds, the floral adaptation weighed an impressive 2 stone!  I had the privilege of interviewing Joe about this exciting venture which took 170 hours, 7 florists, 1,725 flowers to complete .

Do you think the dress concept will appeal to men?  Or is it solely targeting the female market?  What sort of reaction have you had from florists and non - florists?Is this the largest exhibition/campaign you have undertaken?

“I believe the flower dress concept will appeal to women and men equally - as everyone can appreciate beauty and the sheer skill involved. The reaction has been really positive - I'd say 90% of people - florists and the public - love the dress, the concept and the design. That is a damn good result - I'll take the 90%, any day.”



“This is definitely the biggest campaign I've worked on - the reach has been just huge with an audience of millions. It was that popular, we launched it in Holland also!”

What is your most memorable moment from the process?

“I had a moment, just before we began shooting the dress, when our model was wearing it, stood underneath the lights, looking just gorgeous, and I just turned to my team, and I was like, this is ACTUALLY happening. Like, ACTUALLY happening. We're about to shoot a major campaign for a major corporation. Oh Lord!! Everything came together really well on site - we had no hiccups, no problems, and I can't thank my team enough - we knocked it out of the park!”

How far would you agree that clothing fashion trends relates to floristry themes/ trends?

“I agree 100% that trends, whether fashion, architectural, interior or cultural can affect and translate solidly into the floral world. When I'm designing for a wedding showcase, an event or even house flowers, we always listen closely to what our client wants, and then translate this through our vision and what is hot right now. We look at fashion shows (I'm loving Dolce & Gabbana, Mary Katrantzou, and Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 - so much colour!!), interior design magazines, pantone swatches, blogs and of course big shows like IMP Essen and ChristmasWorld.  I've just done a huge interview with a big national magazine, all based on flower trends and how they can combine with lifestyles and nature.”

Can you let us in on any other projects you have coming up?

“ I have a few demonstrations and workshops throughout the UK in February, and then come March I'm off on a tour of China with Shackleton Education Ltd. We're taking in five cities, and hosting workshops and demonstrations in each! Kicking off on March 7th in Beijing, I am more than excited to hit the road and meet all of the participants and our hosts in China!”

Given the opportunity would you do it again?

“Most definitely. 100%.  And upon asking my design colleagues, all of them said they would do it too.”

And me . . . . I personally, think this dress is a stunner, and has certainly turned some heads!! It demonstrates professional, designer floristry at its best and completely reflects the marriage between flowers, art and fashion.

For more details visit

Or follow Joe on Twitter @GoJoe_Inc

Grace Walker – Wannabe Florist for Colab Clothing

www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Massie-Concepts.