A Day With Bart Hassam
On the morning of Sunday March 18th, we were lucky enough to attend a demonstration by Bart Hassam, hosted by Interflora.
Bart is a superbly talented floral designer from Brisbane, Australia. Having got into Floristry at a young age, Bart has many years of experience under his belt. He spent many years travelling months at a time, between Australia and Japan. This has resulted in much of his work having an Asian Influence. As stated by Hassam himself, his work is not always for a commercial audience, but he hopes to inspire ideas in other designers. Bart’s work is creative and innovative.
Many of Bart’s designs are architectural, however he likes to use flowers and foliage in their natural forms, taking inspiration from how the stems would grow on the original plant.
Having worked internationally and with years of practice, there was a lot to learn from Bart. We have listened some of the key tips below:
Know your market – Each town has a particular demographic that leans towards a certain style of floristry, it’s important to work with that. While Bart’s design work tends to have an Asian influence, his commercial shop, La Maison Fleur, has a French style. That’s because it’s in Brisbane city and is based on the style of floristry the locals are drawn to.
Education! – Educating the consumer is so important. From seasonal availability to treatment of flowers, the more retailers and designers educate the buyer, the more successful floristry will become.
Ballerinas not Sumos – A mantra for good balance! The idea you can create something beautiful on so little.
For more from the demonstration, check out the gallery here.
