Craft Focus - Apr/May (Issue 72)

66 Creative sparks SAVE THE DATE Creativeworld 2020 25 th -28 th January Frankfurt am Main The key trends from this year’s Creativeworld More than 9,152 trade visitors from 104 countries gathered in Frankfurt for the 2019 edition of Creativeworld in January, sharing new products and innovations from across the hobby, craft and art materials sectors. “We welcome many visitors from abroad each year and in 2019 they made up 69 per cent,” says Stephan Kurzawski, senior vice president at Messe Frankfurt. “They come to us because we offer them the worldwide DIY market in one place over four days.” Large increases were reported in attendees travelling from The Netherlands, Spain, UK, France and Italy, while the USA, Russia, Australia and Turkey were also strongly represented. While most visitors came from the retail sector, many were from the wholesale and foreign trade. PAST AND PRESENT Carlos Lorente of the Style Scout Graffiti Academy brought the Urban Art Lab to life with an inspiring design that traced the history, present and future of street art. Retail concept 4.0 – Upgrade your store focused on the shopping experience at the point of sale. Using street art as a teaching tool, experts demonstrated the use of POS displays and the integration of this form within shops. Visitors were able to get involved at a special try-out table. The Creativeworld Forum played a central role once again. “A few years ago we realised that trade visitors want to take an active part in the proceedings,” explains Michael Reichhold, show director. “They want to try out the manufacturers’ latest products, tools and techniques, so now we are offering workshops throughout the day. The response is fantastic.” Creativeworld Trends delivered an abundance of inspiration. Under the ‘welcome friends’ banner, the bora.herke. palmisano style agency transformed the space into a stage for new creative ideas. BACK IN FASHION Warm fabrics played a major role this year, sometimes adorned with pompoms and decorative tassels. In addition to new techniques, a number of revived skills were also in evidence, including screen printing, punch needle embroidery, macramé and wall hangings made from thick yarn. Nature and sustainability were also important trends, with easy-to-use dyes in natural colours, sustainably manufactured products like papier maché from recycled newspapers, palettes made from waterproof cardboard and eco-certified highlights. The Swiss cheese plant was another theme, used as a motif for textile printing and on stickers, stamps and patches. Personalisation and hand lettering were also in evidence, with brushes and pencils on paper or porcelain, chalks on glass, fluid makers on watercolour and soldering irons on wood and leather. A range of colours were seen, including watercolours and decorative shades of violet, green and blue. Muted and earthy tones such as ochre, sepia, terracotta and moss were popular, while delicate pastels combined with neon and copper were also on display.