Christmas 2005 Styles and Color Directions
It is always with considerable anticipation that we start the new marketing season 12-15 months before the product gets to the consumer. I have, for the past 30 years, had the opportunity to develop products in 10 different countries. We have to take the initiative to research, source, develop and distribute Christmas products to the trade and only with good data, inspiration and resources can one predict what will be successful for the next year.
Shopping the Shows
We can always tell within a few days during preview shows what the year will bring in regard to style, color and texture, to be acceptable to the world. Christmas buyers enthusiastically come to the markets with good open-to-buy information within a week or two after the season and are back to the market to select new products in January for the upcoming season.
Using the Trends
The year 2005 brings a rich tapestry of products and colors. The need for an expression of color is always a very big consideration. We always design our line in suggested color schemes with crossover accents.
This year we see the variety of very important red on reds with a strong emphasis on romantic themes. Pink, cerise, red, burgundy and copper, gold with burnished orange, dark bordeaux with murano glass finishes and green accents, jewels strong with amber, gold, green and purple.
We are projecting our winter botany collection to be a winner, which has four major looks within the main theme. Garden centers should enjoy what we call the comfort zone. The four sub themes are:
- Green accented with brown.
- Amber/gold.
- Comfort zone soft celadon green, moss green, emerald.
- Ice, snowy branches with brown natural base accents.
There are also a number of other selected themes that are working their way into the Christmas market for 2005.
Candy Store. Confections of cakes, peppermints with chocolate. Chocolate brown is an important decorative color with accents of aqua and pink.
Out of the Attic. A major traditional look with traditional dolls, old toys, tinsel balls, musical instruments, drums and Santa collections with velvet red.
Young and Trendy. Our young and trendy (bling, bling) ornaments of aqua, cerise, orange, red with geometric designs, stripes and plaids create a modern to retro 60s themed category.
Flowers. Botanical bulbous flower accents in addition to decorative ornaments with floral motifs.
Tabletop Motif. Tabletop of glamorous jewels, stylized trees and base branch trees accented with silver plated candlesticks and bowls. Tree Décor. Decorated trees are presented in containers, urns and pots and holly planters with holly motifs.
Dolls. We predict that art dolls with showgirl dresses, retro hippy dolls and whimsical animal dolls are seen as fun and draw attention to the theme displays.
There are so many things out there to choose from for the Christmas season. Using your store knowledge and the demographics of your area are some of the most important things about choosing the right Christmas décor. Tradition is always a great and safe way to celebrate the holidays, but adding a little spice to your store just might be that added touch that brings in customers who have never been there, see what you have and soon become regulars.
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