As we all know springtime means the influx of florals in our wardobes. Yesterday I had the great pleasure of going to one of the oldest fabric floral centers in New York City. M&S Shmalberg Custom Fabric Flowers has been an in house design and production company for over 100 years, surprisingly owned and operated by men. They make flowers of every kind of fabric you can imagine; chiffon, leather, cotton, lace…you name it, they will make it.


Their mini factory on 36th street does everything, and the process is truly quie fascinating. Beginning with yards of drapable fabric, they then starch the pieces, before cutting each into a flat floral shape with petals. Then, using heat presses and molds, they mold the starched fabric to give it dimension. Next, 3-4 pieces that had been molded together are slightly seperated and spun, creating a flower!

Now, you may have not heard their name, but you’ve definitely seen their flowers. As the largest custom flower distributers in America they do the designs you see on all your favorite brands. From Coach to J. crew and Banana Republic, but also including custom designers, headbands, and wedding dresses.
The company is currently run by a father and son, Warren and Adam, and they are some totally sweet guys. Warren gave me a flower and some fabric that I’m already planning a great dress for (I’ll sew it one of those weekends I’m free…) and were just so sweet. Their website is of simplest forms, but the son, Adam, is trying to tech the business up, as seen on their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=h#!/fabricflowers
Mainly, This post is a gush about how great this company is. They’re name isn’t a common household name, but they’re flowers definitely are and they are indubitably under appreciated. If you’re planning a party, wedding, or anything else you may need fabric flowers for PLEASE think of them. I can’t gush enough. I also can’t wait to head back to them with some project ideas of my own! ❤