Rose Crazy Fashion

‘Crazy Fashion’ is a modern Hybrid Tea rose notable for its striking fuchsia-pink and white striped blooms and strong fragrance. The rose’s strong repeat-blooming nature and above-average disease tolerance, especially to black spot and mildew, make it both an attractive ornamental and a relatively easy-care variety for climates where many hybrid teas struggle. The rose’s unique appeal lies in its vibrant bicolor striped petals and intense perfume, which together exemplify the modern breeding goal of combining novel aesthetics with classic fragrance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING

The blooms of ‘Crazy Fashion’ are its most distinctive feature and stand it out from other striped Hybrid Tea roses. They are large, high-centered Hybrid Tea flowers, averaging about 12 - 13 cm (roughly 5 in) in diameter when fully open. Each bloom is very full, composed of approximately 50 - 60 petals in a neatly spiraled arrangement. The petals themselves are thick and velvety, contributing to an old-fashioned look when fully open. Buds are globular (or ovoid and shapely), with an attractive large size that hints at the full flower to come.

As the bud unfurls, it reveals a dramatic bicolor pattern: a base color of deep cherry pink (or mix of magenta and fuchsia shades) heavily marked with stripes and streaks of creamy white. Some petals may appear half pink and half white, or white with bold pink venation, giving a unique “harlequin” effect. The cooler weather might produce more distinct striping, whereas heat can cause colors to blend slightly; but in all conditions the pattern remains a striking camellia-like “rose camouflage” effect. The official breeder description calls it fuchsia-pink, white striped, indicating a strong contrast.

The bloom form is classically high-centered when the flower first opens, which is ideal for exhibition, and then becomes more cupped and quartered as the many petals reflex slightly at the edges. Despite the heavy petal count, blooms typically open reliably without balling. They are borne mostly singly on long stems, or sometimes in small clusters of 2 - 3 buds together per stem. This allows nearly every flower to be a showcase bloom, and also means the plant can be used for cutting without significantly diminishing the display, since side buds ensure another bloom follows.

Fragrance:

The fragrance is strong and sweet. Multiple sources emphasize the intensity of the rose scent, describing it as a classic damask or old-rose type fragrance with fruity undertones.

PLANT

‘Crazy Fashion’ is a deciduous shrub classified as a Hybrid Tea, and also can be categorized as modern large-flowered shrub rose. Some catalogs label it a Florists’ rose because of its cut-flower quality, but it is not a greenhouse-only type - it performs robustly in the garden. Overall, botanically it sits squarely in the Hybrid Tea class: remontant (repeat-blooming), large high-centered blooms, and requiring typical care of that class - yet with an above-average fragrance and disease hardiness that set it apart. It grows upright and bushy, typically reaching about 90 - 120 cm (approximately 3–4 ft tall) in height with a spread of roughly 60 cm (2 ft wide).

The plants of this rose variety have glossy, dark green foliage that is dense and provides good cover of the canes. Leaves are pinnate, typically composed of 5 - 7 leaflets, but most often, including the terminal leaflet. The leaflets have an oval shape with a rounded base and pointed apex, the edges are serrated, and have a leathery texture with a lustrous finish on the upper surface.

Stems are thick and sturdy, bearing relatively few prickles. This makes handling and pruning somewhat easier compared to very spiny varieties. The canes are green when young, maturing to woody light brown, and tend to remain upright without excessive arching, supporting the blooms well for display and cutting.

Since its introduction, ‘Crazy Fashion’ has gained a reputation among rosarians and gardeners for its showy blooms and robust performance. Its development coincided with a resurgence of interest in highly fragrant, yet relatively disease-tolerant florist rose.

In practical terms, ‘Crazy Fashion’ serves both as a landscape Hybrid Tea rose and a cut flower. Its long, strong stems and lasting blooms make it suitable for floral arrangements, while its continuous blooming and bold color add season-long interest in the garden.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety ‘Crazy Fashion’ has relatively good disease resistance for a Hybrid Tea rose. It tends to be less susceptible to common fungal diseases like black spot (Diplocarpon rosae), powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa), and rust (Phragmidium spp.) compared to typical hybrid teas. While not immune, it often stays healthy well into autumn under good conditions: in good locations it remains healthy until into autumn. This suggests that in climates or microclimates favorable to roses (full sun, good air flow, not overly humid), ‘Crazy Fashion’can keep its foliage without severe defoliation. However, like all roses, disease outcomes can vary by region – the natural genetic variability of black spot fungus means resistance is not absolute. Indeed, NIRP markets it in a line of roses that are both fragrant and hardy, reflecting confidence in its disease performance.

The winter hardiness is typical for a modern Hybrid Tea varieties - it requires winter protection in colder zones (Zone 5: heavy mulch, possibly burlap; Zone 6: moderate protection). Tolerates heat well up to Zone 9 with proper watering. In UK RHS terms, hardy to at least −15 °C, possibly −20 °C with proper protection.

It’s notable that in some Asian references, the code alone is used; for example, a Taiwanese rose award list refers to ‘NJ 2003 242 A’ (NIRP, France) winning a fragrance prize, indicating that before the trade name was widely known, the code was used in competition. However, as of its introduction to commerce, no other commercial synonym is recorded - ‘Crazy Fashion’ is the primary name worldwide.

«Crazy» from NIRP International

Crazy Fashion’s impact is perhaps best exemplified by its performance in international rose trials. Within a year of its debut, it swept multiple fragrance awards:  Baden-Baden Fragrance Prize, Germany, 2010;  Monza Fragrance Award, Monza, Italy, 2010;  Bronze Medal, Rome, Italy, 2010;  Fragrance Prize, Rome, Italy, 2010;  Lyon Fragrance Award, Lyon, France, 2011;  Bronze Medal in the Warsaw International Rose Trials, Poland, 2022;  Silver Medal - Fragrance Prize, Euroflora, Genova, Italy, 2022;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The rose variety ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ was bred by NIRP International in 2003 and introduced circa 2010 - 2011, this rose has garnered multiple international awards – especially for fragrance – underscoring its significance in contemporary rose breeding. It was first exhibited in European rose trials around 2010 and commercially introduced shortly thereafter. The NIRP team breeders at that time included Olivier Douau and Vittorio Barni among others; however, specific credit for the cross is not publicly assigned to an individual breeder, just the company. The cross (parentage) of ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ has not been publicly disclosed in available literature, which is not uncommon for privately bred roses.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

In the landscape, ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ stands out among striped roses. Compared to the well-known striped Hybrid Tea ‘Scentimental’ (red and white striped floribunda by Weeks, which has more white base and a raspberry scent), ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ has larger blooms and a deeper pink hue, with a more classic rose perfume.

Another striped French rose, ‘Broceliande’ (Meilland, cherry-red/yellow stripes), is sometimes mentioned alongside ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’, but Broceliande’s base color is yellow with red streaks, whereas ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ is pink with white. Also, Broceliande tends to a taller habit and slightly lesser scent.

‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ could be considered a “sister” to NIRP’s other “Crazy” series roses (the breeder has released roses with names like ‘Crazy Maya’ and ‘Easy Fashion’, etc.), but among them ‘NIRpcrazyht’ / ‘Crazy Fashion’ is specifically noted for fragrance.

Origin of the name: It’s notable that in some Asian references, the code alone is used; for example, a Taiwanese rose award list refers to ‘NJ 2003 242 A’ (NIRP, France) winning a fragrance prize, indicating that before the trade name was widely known, the code was used in competition. However, as of its introduction to commerce, no other commercial synonym is recorded - ‘Crazy Fashion’ is the primary name worldwide.

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