Talmage McLaurin, AIFD, will present the 2024 Flower Trend Forecast at SAF Phoenix 2023, SAF’s 138th annual convention.
As Wendy Rockcastle left Talmage McLaurin’s 2023 Flower Trends Forecast presentation at the Society of American Florist’s annual convention last year, her mind was already swirling with ideas for new floral designs. She felt challenged to take on trending color combinations she had never considered using, and inspired to branch out into using more organic looking stems.
When Rockcastle got back to her store, Rockcastle Florist in Rochester, New York, she immediately began creating in ways that differed from her style. Within a week she had several new arrangements to showcase in her store and online. And soon, the orders began rolling in, she says.
“They quickly became best sellers,” Rockcastle says, noting that the new designs also raised the store’s price point. “I always try and tap into trends, but made it so easy. He took away the investigative work and gave me confidence to stretch into areas that I have been viscerally opposed to in the past.”
Rockcastle is eager to return to SAF Phoenix 2023, SAF’s annual convention Sept. 6-9 in Scottsdale, Arizona, to hear McLaurin’s 2024 Flower Trend Forecast.
Rockcastle’s success in tapping into trends and new designs is exactly what McLaurin, AIFD, hopes to inspire when he’s sharing his trends report. “I want to empower people to be their own trend watcher and see it as part of the job so that they can have something different and unique to offer their customers.”
Want to walk away from McLaurin’s session with an appreciation for embracing trends — and the confidence to put that knowledge to work in new designs? Here’s his advice.
Embrace Your Aversions
Rockcastle has always despised the combination of yellow and red. But when McLaurin named it as a trending color combination, Rockcastle decided to try it combining various florals with shades of yellows and golds along with reds, maroons, and deep pinks to create her now best-selling organic autumn arrangement.
“Following trends often has very little to do with knowing your personal taste,” McLaurin says, noting that another one of the trends he saw last year also left him contemplating the difference between his personal taste and the latest obsession with a full spectrum of colors.
“I gawked at it,” he says describing his personal style as more monotone. By having an awareness of what you are most and least attracted to, McLaurin says you can recognize the things that push you out of your comfort zone. “When I see something that I’m really pushing against and have a violent reaction to, I don’t dismiss it.”
Be Skeptical
Designers should remain skeptical. McLaurin creates his annual report and validates what he’s seeing from multiple sources to ensure he is cultivating the latest shifts and styles in color, fashion, home décor and designs — but he wants his audience to have a skeptical eye.
“You shouldn’t take it all at face value,” he says. “See what works in your area, and community, and be prepared to walk away.”
Become A Trend Watcher
Having an awareness of trends prior to hearing McLaurin’s report is also helpful. He wants the audience to pay attention to what they are seeing in pop culture and elsewhere and think about how that might inform flower style.
“What is being popularized?,” he asks, recommending that designers not only turn to social media, but also reflect on the latest clothes and outfits embraced by teenagers and on the catwalks. “What’s new and different?”
Seek Data
Mining data has also become a big tool in trendspotting, McLaurin says. He is eager to find scientific information and research to support his predictions. But he also suggests retailers tap into their own sales data to understand trends. By looking at what colors and styles are selling well, individual shops can start developing conclusions that are supported with evidence.
For more information and to register for SAF Phoenix 2023, click here.
Sarah Sampson is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
