Florist News

Hello guys

I have been amused by your discussions re the above. To be honest, if you ask my opinion or if I can say and be included in your discussion, it's all about the price.

You can have two different designs using exactly the same material but made by two different people, one by Jane Packer or Paula Pryke and one by a newly qualified person who unneccessarily have plenty of experience but clearly very talented and capable, no one will be able to tell unless of course you put their names on but the price is what sets them apart - you can bet JP and/or PP or the other "designer florists" will be 5x more than anyone else just because of their name even though it doesn't mean they are always going to be better than anybody else! I have done courses with both JP and PP, one of them couldn't even tell me one of the flower's name she gave us to use at her school and had to get her books to look it up, I could not believe it!

There's a lot of them who has been in the industry for years, all claiming to be designer florists and celebrity florists, because they can charge more for the same work that a not so well known florist can make quite easily. What ever happen to passion for flowers and honesty? It's plain robbery! We all know where flowers come from afterall and how much they normally costs... if I ever claim to be a designer/celebrity florists in the future, should my price change to a higher level then? It won't be fair on customers. Most of the time, people don't care as long as you do a very good job. There's a lot of unqualified and unsung heroes out there who are very good florists!

I know a few people who have worked for these "top florists" who in fact do most of the hardwork but who gets all the credit? Most of the time, these "top florists/designers" don't even bother to look at the result before the arrangements/designs go out to their destinations.

Do you agree?

Hi Jaydee,
I worked for 17 years with a florist of 30 years a brill florist and designer although she would not call herself a designer she has gone as far in floristry as she can ref. exams has her tudor, invigaltor, and examiners exams s.o.f. a.i.f.d. and c.i.f.d. does a lot of demonstating etc. and yet at times she had to go back to the book for a name of something. when we came back from college or a floristry school full of it she always told us ' don't ever think you know it all because in this business you never stop learning' I have found many times since how right she was and yes I am still learning and yes I to find I can't tell the name of something but I put that down to having such a lot stored up top and the years going on, but yes sometimes I look at something a designer has made and wonder how they would have the neck to even ask money for it or even stay in business producing the type of work they were doing I know a lot of my customers would not accept it.
Rach

Hi Fly,
A couple of years ago I took on a young man who sounded sooo good in his interview, I didn't even ask him to do a sample design. He said he was a 'designer florist', WELL, he couldn't even wrap a £10 bunch in paper,let alone a flat boq. Goodness knows what a mess he would've made of a hand tied.
We did ask him to do a couple of silk arr. at least I could re-use the flowers. The girls AND men nearly pee'd themselves.
Needless to say, he lasted two weeks, yes I had to give him the benefit of the doubt, in case it was nerves.

It's a bit like.. if you had a clothes shop and you went to a high profile fashion show where the top designers used top models to display there latest creations. Would you think..i'll have to buy in a load of this stuff to sell in my shop? Think not! Do you think that anyone actually goes out and buys something they've seen on display at a fashion show? Think not! So think of a fashion show as light entertainment and the designers showing what they are capable of. If that inspires you to put your thinking cap on and come up with your own ideas, then it's worth it. If you intend trying to copy their ideas in some way to produce something that will add to your bottom line, forget it!

Hi Guys,
I am very intrigued by this debate about 'designer florists' - I am in the process of changing the name of my shop (had kept the previous owners name since taking over a year ago, now need a new one) the name we are probably going with is very simple and it was suggested that we have the tag of 'designer florists' after it - whoa now I'm not so sure - it seems to have stirred up such controvesy. A designer, by definition, is someone who produces or creates original works of art or decoration. Is that not what, we as florists, are? Ok may be stretching the orginal bit when we have to execute relay orders, but I can honestly say that the majority of 'designs' going out of my shop are original, artistic and decorative. I don't want the tag designer florist because I think I'm better than anyone else I just like the sound of it, but if anyone out there has any other ideas I'm willing to listen. Don't take too long though I need to get me van sign writted pdq

Breezy

Yes you are !.....Just do it!

Cheers Fly

If you can make it from scratch and produce a saleable item you have designed it we have a shop across town who has 'high class florist' after the name the only thing high class is the prices???? GO FOR IT. Rach

Right....i have got to poke my nose in and get to the bottom of what people's terms of FLORAL DESIGNER mean?????

Now in my theory....FLORAL DESIGNERS are simply a posh term for florists!!!! like my ex partner who is a scaffolder....but in posh term he's a tubler technician!!
There is no difference.

Forgive me Flowergirl, I think i have to stand up for Rach here.
I still maintain that the term 'Floral Designer' applies to any 'florist' who designs something within his/her trade. Whether that 'something' is totally unique, mind blowing, cutting edge or what have you is probably irrelevant. It could be something as simple as a buttonhole with something different added to it. It is not important that someone else, somewhere in the world has already done the same thing. What's important is that in this particular case, you thought of it yourself. Now, being a designer, you will always be on the lookout for new ideas. You will be inquisitive and look for inspiration from any source available. If this means asking for ideas and suggestions from your peers so that you can then use those ideas to create something else based on those ideas, then it would still count as a unique design so long as you did not produce word-for-word what someone else had suggested. I can't see that there are any recognised 'levels' of 'floral designer' as say a 'soldier' can be a 'corporal' or a 'field marshall'. So to refer to oneself as a 'floral designer' does not necessarily imply that one is purporting to be 'among the best in the world', just that he/she is currently engaged in the art of designing with flowers.