Why Gen Y have become obsessed with plants
REPORT
21 Feb 2018
Why Gen Y have become obsessed with plants

Gen Y is embracing gardening, with growing plants and herbs indoors becoming a popular pastime for urban dwellers. Whether to boost wellbeing, bring a sense of calm to urban spaces or simply for its ease of maintenance, gardening is brushing off the soil of its previously stuffy image.

Justine Fox

Justine Fox is a Creative Director and Colour Specialist who works closely with brands to develop their unique storytelling through colour. 'I absolutely love working in colour, its visual and visceral. Colour is an area of research that has developed enormously and its potential practical applications constantly excite me.' Justine's colour development consultancy Material Colour has a diverse global client base from accessories, art, automotive, branding, coatings, electronics, eyewear, flooring, foodservices, homeware and solid surfaces. New enterprise Calzada Fox is founded on the belief that colour is democratic and should be easily accessible for all. This belief manifests in the Untold Ideas project which aims to empower through education. She is a member of the Colour Group GB & advisory expert for NCS Global Colour Trend Program.

Jess Lewis

Jess Lewin is the Marketing Manager of Grace & Thorn. Drawing on the worlds of art and fashion rather than traditional florist designs, Grace & Thorn plays with unique combinations of textures and patterns so no two pieces are ever the same. An asymmetrical style, focus on foliage, wicked pots and DIY classes (Macrame, anyone?) has attracted a cult following across London. Grace & Thorn now has roots in Hackney and Brick Lane with clients all over the UK. Nik Southern founded Grace & Thorn in 2011. Opening her tiny floral studio onto East London’s busy Kingsland Road, her philosophy was simple: help people in the city live a greener life.

Emma White

Emma White is a PhD candidate at the Environmental Psychology department of the University of Surrey. She specialises in understanding the perceptions of natural environments, and has written papers on the perceptions and preferences of green roofs, as well as sustainable lifestyles. Emma is also a garden design graduate of KLC School of Design at Hampton Court Palace, and has written for the Garden Design Journal, The English Garden, and Amateur Gardening.

Sabrina Faramarzi

Sabrina Faramarzi is an international journalist, trend analyst, and data storyteller. Her work explores patterns across sociocultural phenomena through a future-focused lens, with an interest in new media development and storytelling innovations. Faramarzi has worked and written for publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue Business, Wired, and VICE, and has helped brands such as Google, Meta, Airbnb, Lush, Tempur, Regus, and GSK to create relevant content for their audiences. She founded Dust in Translation, a boutique creative storytelling agency helping organisations build and produce innovative, data-driven content and communications strategies.