A brief warning for those of you who are longing for an eccentric designer Christmas: the Conran Christmas visionary color this year will be RED. The blue balls and white ornaments can be moved to the bin.
From the windows of the Conran Shop at Marylebone High Street in London, the red is literally screaming its way onto the street. It is the red used for the famous London bus, the red used for the famous London telephone-booths, the red that says London, just like Big Ben does, just like the bobby's do.
But Sir Terence Conran, the 'godfather' of British design, wouldn't be Sir Terence Conran if he would pass the tradition and not make a huge Conran mark on it - almost like a statement. Yes, of course! Not the balls are red this year. The Christmas-tree itself has this dashing colour. In fact, the Christmas-tree, according to Sir Terence Conran, is like a big red cone shaped brush with green ornaments attached to it.
The shopping audience in The Conran Shop, very trendy people in a variety of ages, are filled with exquisite all because of the Big Red Thing. These types of surprises are one of the reasons they came to the Shop in the first place. That, and the approaching Christmas season which started when the first Christmas-lights went on in Oxford Street early November.
It is a fact, that London 'has' Sir Terence. Ever since he opened the Soup Kitchen in 1953, he has helped tremendously to restore the Jurassic London Image with every addition to his still growing empire. Because the Jurassic people - read: tradition aficionados - are not an often seen group of people in the hottest Conran places in town. Like the Meza restaurant or Club Floridita in Soho. That particular club breathes the air of 1950's Cuba: glitter and glamour, salsa and mirrors, white leather couches in a red universe of decoration.
Red For the Holidays
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Trend Themes
1. Red Christmas Trees - The trend of having red Christmas tree instead of using the traditional green ones will create an opportunity for furniture and home decor retailers to offer new lines of Christmas ornaments and decorations that cater to this trend.
2. Brand-specific Christmas Colors - The popularity of using a specific brand's signature color for Christmas decorations can inspire product collaborations between brands and designers to create branded Christmas collections, especially for luxury and high-end brands.
3. Non-traditional Christmas Ornaments - The shift towards non-traditional Christmas ornaments can spark an opportunity for artists and craftsmen to create ornaments with innovative designs and using unusual materials that cater to the changing taste of consumers.
Industry Implications
1. Furniture and Home Decor - Furniture and home decor retailers can take advantage of the trend of red Christmas trees and offer new lines of Christmas ornaments and decorations that would cater to this trend.
2. Branding and Marketing - Brands can collaborate with designers to create branded Christmas collections that feature their signature colors, especially for luxury and high-end brands.
3. Art and Craft - The trend towards non-traditional Christmas ornaments can create an opportunity for artists and craftsmen to create ornaments with innovative designs and using unusual materials that cater to the changing taste of consumers.