Saying it with flowers does not have to wait for Mother’s Day. Fresh flowers can imaginatively transform a living space – be it a residence or an office. The interplay of colours and seasonal blooms make for refreshing visual relief and enlivens the surroundings. The market in India has been increasingly saying it with flowers…and not just for special occasions, finding that you need no reason, really, to showcase flowers.
Enter La Fleur with Jo Moody – one of England’s most-sought-after floral designers, to present their line of bouquets to meet the demand for quality fresh-cut flowers in India. A first in this segment in malls, La Fleur’s collaboration with Orion Flora and Indifresh, an IANNIM Bouquets venture, seeks to address a host of concerns to revolutionise the homegrown retail experience with its floral solutions. Moody brings her expertise across Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru to kick-start the launch with workshops and demonstrations.
Despite having floristry in her family DNA, Moody armed herself with a degree and independently set up her own floral expression, ‘Moody Blooms’. Through her career path, which included teaching her art at Hadlow College in Kent and developing bouquets for major retailers in the UK, she returned to her horticultural calling and became synonymous with all things floral. Since then, Moody’s special floral designs have made their mark across the UK’s leading supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
In India, La Fleur will debut in the handpicked floral bouquets niche across supermarkets such as Godrej Nature’s Basket, Star Bazaar and Big Bazaar at prices ranging from Rs.250-1200. La Fleur’s kiosks will map the untapped potential that the present annual consumption of Rs.65 billion holds (including a meagre one per cent of online sales). Slated on La Fleur’s horizon is Delhi and Hyderabad, with plans to embark on a journey of meeting the needs of the corporate sector, event management and wedding-specific services.
While each of us have our favourites in terms of fragrance, the fine science of balancing colours and textures within the structure can be definitive for spaces. Moody shares a few essential tips to keep in mind while dressing up dining and business spaces with floral arrangements, “A basic thing to remember for boardrooms and sit-down functions, is that arrangements have to be kept squat so as to allow unobtrusive conversation. You would do well to ensure that expensive arrangements add vitality to the table ambience without being in the way,” she advises, as she demonstrates innovative ways of working with the choice of flowers to be trimmed or using designs that twirl the orchid stems in a fish bowl.
Taller and more dramatic arrangements work for larger areas in foyers. Flowers like hydrangeas wilt, so it is better to opt for the hardy ones available locally. Teamed with the abundance of wispy fillers available, even if they are the dried variants, they ensure that the floral touch is well highlighted – apart from staying well. Of course, floral care is essential – be it in chilly UK or in muggy Mumbai.
La Fleur will source flowers from local farmers in Ooty, Talegaon, Kohlapur, etc, in keeping with their sustainability in business practices based in a dedicated facility in Pune. Along with their eye-catching designs, they will bring to the table signature touches like recycled paper wrapping from Holland and the La Fleur flower care packages. Hand-in-hand with the well-oiled supply chain of their state-of-the-art floriculture partners Orion Flora and Indifresh (both established in the supply of cut flowers to the EU), La Fleur’s value addition to the beautiful world of flora is all set to bloom in India.
