NEW YORK M&S Schmalberg

During our trip to New York we were lucky enough to have a tour of the Garment district, we visited a lot of interesting places but having the pleasure of visiting M&S Schmalberg was by bar my favourite. We were able to see behind the scenes of the shop and where the flowers were made, with original equipment from when they first opened. Still using the same fine craftsmanship and techniques. I thought it was great to see a family business creating artificial flowers from material for fashion, homeware and decoration. Whom had survived, as most of these manufacturers closed down as this sort of industry began to strive in mass production in Asia. The fact this business had been passed down through generations i felt made it really unique and am glad they are still doing so well. Creating for the Likes of Chanel and stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Anne Hathaway. They could make you a personalised flower there and then, to go on a hairpin, brooch, stalk or lapel button for men. I splashed out on a $10 lapel flower for my Grandad's birthday, which was made out of old Army 2 uniforms. Some personal touches and heritage is what makes this company really special, although still keeping alive with the times and broadening their horizons to social media. They have an instagram account where they posted a photo of me on my visit. @customfabricflowers