In keeping with the stories behind the designs of Mata Traders' Spring 2014 collection, I introduce to you the Flights of Floral print. This print is one of my favorites of the new Spring line at Mata Traders and boy, does it have a story.
Left & Right - Flights of Floral dress Middle- Keyhole Cut Out Dress
During the cold winter months we look forward to the images in the spring trend forecast. They always give us a glimmer of hope and the thoughts of warmth. Of course when I think of spring, I instantly think of flowers. We created quite a few florals for the Spring '14 collection (like the Brazilian Floral) but this one in particular had quite the journey. This print was manufactured through one of our cooperatives where we are restricted to use two colors and the white of the fabric. Like the Leaf Puzzle Print, we worked to incorporate the white of the fabric within the design, rather than a two colored design on top of the white.
Left- Maybe Me Top Right- Study Abroad Skirt
The Flights of Floral print's challenge was scale. If a pattern is too big it might be overpowering, whereas if it is too small it looks too busy. But it really depends on the vibe you want the garment to have. Originally, we wanted to make this a HUGE print. The shapes are already clean and abstract, so why not push it to the max? The scale was supposed to be five times larger, but eventually the design team decided to scale the print down to a medium size. In the end, it was the best call and it looks fantastic!
The fabulous Alex Murphy modeling the Maybe Me Top!
This pattern came back so well that we had it done in three color ways and on four different garments. Both the Keyhole cutout dress in purple and green and the Flights and Floral Dresses in yellow and gray, as well as red and purple are wonderful summer dresses that are great for weddings or garden partys. On the other hand, the Maybe Me Top in yellow and gray is totally great for work and the Study Abroad Skirt in yellow and gray would be awesome for summer street fairs and dancing!