Floral Prints: History and Different Types of Floral Prints

Who doesn't love floral prints? There are hardly few women in the world who can resist the charm of floral prints. Vibrant floral prints add a delicate, feminine touch to the attire with a hint of romance in the air! 

Floral prints have a refreshing vibe to them and women, irrespective of age, are captivated by them. No wonder, fashion designers always go for floral prints especially for their spring and summer collections. A vibrant floral print brightens up the spirit and this makes it a perfect choice for the summer wardrobe.

In the textile industry, there are wide range of floral prints and pattern types such as tropical floral patterns, vintage floral patterns, stylised floral patterns and abstract ones. Year after year, floral prints continue to be a staple for the summer and spring fashion. But have you ever wondered how floral prints first found their way into fabrics and how they developed in the fashion industry over the years?

The Rich History of the Floral Prints

The rich and fascinating history of floral prints is perhaps as old and long as the history of fashion itself. If you go to a museum and look at old portraits, you will find women and men too posing in fashionable garments adorned with flowers.

As floral prints have been around for centuries, it is difficult to exactly identify an exact origin. It is believed that floral prints originated in Asia, particularly in three countries - India, Japan and China. In these Asian cultures, flowers have certain significance and based on these meanings, floral prints were created. The Chinese used to embroider their luxurious silk fabrics with floral motifs, mainly peony, carnations and lotus. Representing wealth and honour; the peonies were printed on exquisite silks to add sheen and brightness to the clothing. In Japan, people incorporated floral motifs into their kimonos. The flower Chrysanthemum, considered as the symbol of the royal family, was often used in floral motifs.

The glorious land of India has a rich history of floral motifs. The Chintz (a shiny cotton cloth with a printed floral design in a multitude of colours) was the most popular fabric design in India. The name Chintz is derived from the Hindi word "chint," which means spotted or variegated. In the 17^th century, the Dutch and Portuguese traders introduced the Indian chintz to the West where it gained huge popularity. Europeans tried hard to replicate the look of the rich Indian fabric, but they failed to do so as skilled Indian craftsmen used natural dyes, such as indigo, logwood dye, and cochineal, that were not available to Europeans in that period.

These splendid fabrics decorated with floral patterns were brought to Europe via trade routes, where only the rich and affluent could afford them. Over a period of time, floral prints were incorporated into women's and men's fashion. However, they were mostly reserved for the upper class. Modern, advanced printing techniques didn't exist then, hence floral patterns were created by painting, hand printing, embroidery or weaving that made them quite costly.

Floral Patterns in the Early 20th Century

In the 1900s, fashion in the US underwent a revolutionary time, particularly for the American women. Women let go of their constricting corsets in exchange for fun, free-flowing clothing and floral prints became a popular trend among masses. The Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing innovations in the 20th century, made printing floral patterns on fabrics convenient, which ultimately helped floral prints reach mass-market popularity. What was once the laborious work of few skilled craftsmen was conveniently produced in the thousands.

In the 1920s, modern women wore silk floral kimonos at home or pretty floral dresses during the day and flowers such as carnations and daisies adorned silk brocades. In the 1930s, delicate all-over floral prints became hugely popular.

Flower Power of the 1960s - Highly Memorable Decade for Fashion

The 'flower power' movement became synonymous with the 1960's and soon the flower became a powerful symbol of harmony and non-violence among the hippies. Fashion designers of that era took notice and the fashion scene soon began to reflect the changing attitudes of the youth. Designers came up with vibrant clothing with large-scale floral prints on A-line mini dresses.

Women wore floral head scarves with panache and donned floral prints with colours as vibrant and gorgeous as genuine flowers. Men and women who were part of the hippie movement donned garments with floral motifs on them be it on skirts, vests or bell bottoms.  

By the 1970s, women began to embrace the clothing adorned with more subtle, intricate, and romantic floral patterns. In the 1980s, vivid, bold floral prints came back in fashion.

Modern Floral Prints in Fashion - Today and Beyond!

In the present times, you will find a myriad range of floral prints available, ranging from delicate patterns to oversized floral motifs. Each year, floral prints are the most popular trend for the spring and summer season. Generally, the trending floral motifs change regularly on a yearly basis, but most prints come around again in a few years' time.

Moreover, new, highly sophisticated manufacturing technologies have enables fashion designers to get even more imaginative with their floral patterns. Thanks to the advanced technology, you can easily find photographic prints generated through digital textile printing or laser-cut floral motifs on leather. Moreover, floral prints are not just limited to dresses or kurtis. You can find floral patterns on denim too. In short, the sky is the limit when it comes to floral prints.

Different types of floral prints

Although floral prints may seem alike, they certainly are not. Let's have a look at some of the different types of floral prints & patterns:

Vintage Floral Print

The vintage floral print is an epitome of feminine grace and elegance! A gorgeous vintage floral print is perfect for those who love all things nostalgic. These vintage floral dresses inspired from the 70s and 80s can raise the style and glamour quotient of any attire. A vintage floral design is scattered all over and is generally oil-painted with proper attention to details.

Abstract Floral Print

An abstract floral print uses colours, lines, forms and shapes to create a design that resembles nature. Abstract art meets floral motifs and what you get is a unique print! Just like abstract paintings, abstract floral print is open to interpretation.

Calico Florals

Calico is a small floral print that originated in India and is extremely popular in casual wear. As the size of the floral patterns is quite tiny, they are spread all over the fabric making it indistinguishable from a distance.

Ditsy floral pattern

You must have read it all the time in fashion magazines: "ditsy florals", "ditsy print" and so on. So what exactly is a ditsy print? Ditsy floral prints feature extremely tiny sized flowers that are scattered all over the fabric, making the floral print indistinguishable. Ditsy floral pattern is quite small in size and the motifs appear in a random manner or are arranged in a certain manner such as rows, diamond shapes and stripes. Basically, a ditsy floral pattern has two key characteristics: tiny and random. From a distance, the size of the ditsy floral print can look almost like a solid colour.

Fleur-de-Lis

Fleur de Lis is one of the popular graphic prints that features a classic three petal lily flower, which was once considered as a symbol of purity. The lily flower was once associated with France, during its monarchy. On the fabric, the Fleur de Lis pattern is repeated in a particular manner.

Floral Prints are Forever Beauty!

Floral prints are not just for summers. You can wear them all year round, depending upon how you style them. Floral sarees, scarves, jackets, or pants, can make for timeless additions to your wardrobe. While these exemplary motifs come in all colours, sizes and shapes, one thing is certain that the legendary floral prints are here to stay and rule the fashion world for decades to come! So what are waiting for? Make space for your dainty floral prints in your stylish wardrobe!