HELEN COOK (EFE)
USA
Monday, March 8, 2021 - 02:31
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Although the
fabric flower industry
experienced an incredible boom at the beginning of the 20th century in the United States, when they were widely used in dresses and hats, now there is only one factory of this decorative element in
New York:
M&S Schmalberg, founded more than a year ago. century.
"When this company was born, there were many manufacturers making flowers and the entire Fashion District was a prosperous place. Things were very different then," says Adam Brand, the fourth generation of the same family, in front of dozens of rows of petals. has managed to keep M&S Schmalberg afloat in the heart
of Manhattan's Fashion District
and using many of the techniques implemented more than 100 years ago.
'Garment Worker' in New York's Fashion District SHUTTERSTOCK
Friendly and chatty, Brand proudly displays simple pieces of small factory machinery that they bought when the business started in the early 1900s and with which they continue to make the colorful and voluminous flowers that they sell to prestigious
fashion designers, dance companies. or film production companies.
Huge shelves house hundreds of heavy stamps with the outlines of all kinds of flowers and sizes, with which the petals are cut and then shaped into steel molds, weighing up to 30 kilos.
Next, half a dozen workers manipulate the
silk, velvet or leather petals
to obtain daisies, lilies or roses with a mastery acquired after more than 30 years of experience in the company.
DESIGNS COPIED AND MADE IN CHINA
Despite having important clients, the volume of business is much lower than when M&S Schmalberg was founded in 1916 by Brand's great-great-uncle, when New York was considered one of the
world centers of the production of artificial flowers,
competing in volume and quality with the very
Paris
.
At that time, the Big Apple had about 150 factories and about 3,300 workers who were dedicated to the production of artificial flowers and feathers, popular elements with which women of the time embellished their dresses and hats.
Overview of the Fashion District in Manhattan SHUTTERSTOCK
With the passage of time and the consequent change in tastes, fabric flowers were less and less coveted, so demand began to deflate, but it was the
Made in China
tsunami
that really wiped out the industry, Brand says.
"Some 25 or 30 years ago there was pressure to do things cheaply and abroad," says the head of the business, who points out that, in addition, the large fashion chains began to ask
for samples to copy the design
and produce your own copies.
FASHION, FILM AND SHOWS
Fashion, however, is not its only market niche, although it is one of the most important, because its flowers end in designs by
Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta or Marchesa,
on the popular
Victoria's Secret
catwalk
and in dresses of gala that
Drew Barrymore, Anne Hathaway or Scarlet Johannson
wear on the red carpet.
The factory welcomes visitors and teaches the rudiments of the trade.M & S Schmalberg
Movies and television are also profitable for them, and their creations have recently appeared in movies such as
Crazy Rich Asians
and on
television series such
as
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
In addition, some prestigious cultural institutions, such as the
New York Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera
or the Australian Opera also have their flowers for their stages and costumes.
The last decades have been complicated by changes in the sector, but this has recently been joined by the coronavirus, which has prevented the celebration of a good number of catwalks, has paralyzed filming of series and films, and has forced the theater and the opera to lower the curtain.
Still, M&S Schmalberg, which has a strong online presence, is optimistic and sees a future full of success.
"I think everything is cyclical. There was a time when you wanted everything to be cheap, (...) regardless of employment conditions, wages, security measures. And I think now we are relearning how to They do things, know where the shirt I'm wearing and the shoes and the flowers come from, "asserts Brand.
At M&S Schmalberg all processes are handcrafted.M & S Schmalberg
The factory is
open to visits
(by reservation) to learn about each step in the making of
vintage
flowers
, from fabric cutting to assembly, as well as showing basic techniques to learn how to
create your own
fabric
flower
.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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