Knicks pride in full bloom with custom flowers at fabric shop in Garment District
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Knicks fever is contagious and fans have come up with all sorts of creative ways to show their love for the team.
And Knicks pride is in full bloom at a generations-old family business in the Garment District.
"New York is alive right now," Adam Brand said. "The Knicks---there's a buzz to this city."
That electric feeling is spilling over into M&S Schmalberg on West 36th Street where the team is busy hand-making one-of-a-kind orange and blue Knicks-inspired boutonnières.
"That New York State flower is a rose...no brainer," Brand said.
The special flower is the brainchild of Brand, the co-owner of M&S Schmalberg.
"I love seeing our work out in the world," Brand said. "I love when people reach out to me and are generally curious."
The Knicks rose is just the tip of the iceberg. Flower making dates back to 1916 -- four generations going strong.
"I remember push carts, I remember garment racks," Brand said.
Brand grew up in the shop which was originally on 35th Street in the Garment District. The team is the leader in handcrafting fabric flowers of all kinds.
These are celebrity favorites, featured in endless projects such as major film and television productions. The best part is that the studio is open to the public. You can shop around and see the process unfold.
"Somebody brought us footballs and basketballs, and we die cut them and created flowers out of them," Brand said. "The results were kind of awesome."
As is the making of the Knicks rose.
After starching the fabric to give it a little body, then comes the metal dyes. There are more than 1,000 different kinds.
"Many of them date back to the early 1900s," Brand said.
Think of them as cookie cutters that create the individual petals. Next come the heated molds.
"Those are what give you the pleating, the curvature, the details," Brand said.
And the final step---putting everything together.
As for this $36 nod to New York, Brand hopes it's a fan favorite. He also takes custom orders.
"If you want to go to the Knicks game with a two foot orange and blue flower---I'm your guy," Brand said.
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