The iconic Liberty print, which made the department store a household name through the use of flowersflickr.com

It may not be the leafiest, greenest time of the year, but with one key trend of 2017 set to be neon florals, we are looking forward to wearing some verdant prints. Flowers are thought of as a thing of poetry and art, but they will always be a thing of fashion. Long before Wordsworth’s daffodils and Keats’s “fast fading violets”, textile-makers had vines and blooms swirling across their fabrics.

“Flowers can simultaneously be seen as a symbol of sexuality, notoriously in the art of Georgia O’Keeffe, and in the designs of Christopher Kane”

Such prints are believed to have originated in China and Japan. The peony, a symbol of wealth, decorated fabrics in China as early as 618 AD. In 17th Century Japan, the highly embellished kimono was also a display of social class. At the same time, chintz became increasingly popular in India and was exported to Italy, from where it spread across Europe. Lace, made in a floral pattern, has been around for centuries. William Morris’s fabrics, with their sinuous foliage and blooms, are still collected in the V&A. Liberty London, the iconic department store based on Regent Street, founded their business success on domestically-made (rather than imported) floral prints.

Perhaps the reason why flora and fauna have thrived in fashion is that patterns of nature are widely symbolic, depending on their context. They represent vitality, health, youth and innocence. Yet flowers can simultaneously be seen as a symbol of sexuality, notoriously in the art of Georgia O’Keeffe, and in the designs of Christopher Kane, where pansies envelop the contours of the female body to exude vulnerability and sensuality.

Christopher Kane (SS17) took advantage of the ambiguity of symbolism with flowers, evoking both sensuality and innocenceVogue.co.uk

In an interview with Vogue’s Suzy Menkes, Kane discussed the poignancy of the flower: “There is a purity of shape, following the outline of the flower in the over-sized photo prints. And when I researched the pansy more, it took on a deeper meaning. It stands for thoughtfulness and is ultimately a symbol of freethinking. I wanted the collection to be simple, skillful and meaningful.” The way designers use florals is changing from saccharine naivety to something more complex, even sinister. Alexander McQueen has sculpted with fresh flowers, creating fashion which reflects the ephemerality and mortality of nature.

And other designers are turning away from nature completely. Metal, nylon, neoprene, PVC and other synthetic materials are fast encroaching on more natural fabrics. The use of materials is becoming more experimental, and this could be in response to the growing urban landscape. Even the concept of ‘neon floral’ juxtaposes the natural world with the neon glare of the city. But fashion’s awareness of the environment is also increasing, and brands are having to address sustainability issues. H&M, Zara and Stella McCartney teamed up with Canopy so that forests are not damaged in production of fabrics. Kenzo Blue Ocean (2004) raised awareness of overfishing and pollution of oceans, just one example of fashion involved in positive campaigning.

So, although fashion’s relationship with nature may be becoming more difficult due to production’s effects on the environment, the admiration and inspiration designers hold for nature shows no sign of erosion. While key fashion events (London Fashion Week, etc.) happen in the city and not the countryside, designers still look for beauty in nature, after centuries