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Bloem Renaissance
Featured Designer: Recognized designer, educator and author, René van Rems spent time with Awesome Blossoms this month in an interview on his career, new book and ideas for managing a successful business as a ‘stylist’ in the floral industry. René is recognized for his European influence on trends in American floral design and is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) and the Professional Floral Commentators International (PFCI). Famous for his European Hand Tied Bouquets, René is originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, but has called San Diego, California, home for over 20 years. Here’s what René shared with us as our September Featured Designer: Q. René tell us about your early beginnings in floral design, your passion and inspiration in the early days of your career? A. Growing up in Holland, I was exposed to flowers at a very early age. I owe the nurturing of my creativity and my passion for the visual arts to both my mother and father. They always supported my “playing with flowers” and encouraged me to take my first floral arranging course with my (future) mentor Abel Verheijen. I was fortunate to study with Abel under the old European system of apprenticeship. I traveled and studied the work of Dutch master designers and showed my work in exhibitions throughout Europe. I went to London at age 19 and on to America shortly thereafter as an exchange student. Bill and Anita Buerger, who at the time were cymbidium and strelitzia growers in Encinitas, California, sponsored me. The rest, as they say, is history. Q. What do you find the most rewarding as an accomplished designer, writer, teacher, and speaker? A. Sharing that flowers DO make a difference in people’s lives, and that aesthetics make the world a better place. Whether I do flowers for events, students, or corporate clients, the joy of sharing the beauty is what keeps me going. The awareness of natural beauty transcends age, race, gender, time, and price. As a speaker/presenter I love to see the response to the creative process, and the effect of the WOW. I am in the emotion business! Q. Tell us about your new book RENE’S BOUQUETS ™- A Guide To Euro-Style Hand-Tied Bouquets? A. My friends have teased me forever that I have been on book tour for 25 years without a book. After 9 years as the Director of Promotion of the California Cut Flower Commission, my company had matured to the point where I felt we had the team in place that could actually produce the book that has been in my head. It’s amazing what a complex undertaking a book is. There are so many people who made important contributions. We literally produced this book from start-to-finish in six months. We had to eat, sleep, live and breathe this project. Meanwhile, we had a business to run. We call it “fixing the engine while you fly the plane.” Our entire team of photographers, designers, stylists, production managers, technical personnel, our translator and the printer were totally committed to helping me achieve the vision I had for the book. We are all very proud of it. Q. It has been quoted that you are a terrific marketer and you have mastered the art of selling flowers and floral designs. What advice can you pass onto floral designers to help them in their mission of selling more flowers in this competitive industry? A. When I first came to the U.S., as an exchange student from The Netherlands, I found out how "hard" American business is. Through some important mentor relationships over the years, I have learned that creative design is part of value-added selling, not the other way around. Some of the world's greatest artists are not discovered until they are gone! Dutch painter Van Gogh comes to mind. I believe that true passion is a universal language. Recently I had the honor of doing a presentation at the AIFD National Symposium entitled Balance-The Art & Science of Style. There is a video of the program available from AIFD. The flower business is undergoing a profound shift. Very briefly, I don’t believe we are in the flower or design business anymore. I believe we are in the experience business, the creation of life-style fashions using flowers, botanicals, and containers to enhance the lives of our customers. Q. Your website is phenomenal. What are the most important elements for a floral designer to consider when building a website of their own? A. A successful website is rarely the work of a single individual. It is much like writing a book or doing a video. It requires different points of view and a wide range of skills and expertise. I am blessed to have a great team around me to collaborate with. You win with people and I try to surround myself with the best. Q. Among your peers, it is quite accepted that you are a trendsetter. What are your thoughts on emerging trends for this fall/winter? A. Depending on the venue and the theme, we are now "stylists" and those who excel in this with a signature “look” in their product blend, or product mix, are the true chefs of the industry. Most are just cooks! As a designer, no matter what the medium, one has to know their materials (ingredients), understand the tastes of their audience and blend it all into a harmonious presentation to be successful.
A. “The #1 element of emotional response is color
followed by texture. For example, everyone knows sunflowers. But there
is more to the sunflower than meets the eye. For more product suggestions from Mayesh on achieving texture in floral design, be sure to click on At The Market in the current issue. Q. With the success of your books and stage shows how are you able to keep your life in balance? A. What makes you think it’s in balance? Just kidding! The most important things in life are your family, your friends, and your health. I try to make sure that I pay close attention to these three things and the rest seems to fall into place. Besides...I don't work. I play!
A. We need to have a lot more of what I call “lifestyle marketing.” Flowers have to be part of a larger experience that integrates the beauty of flowers along with all the other parts of the home. The innovative use of containers, fabrics, and unique packaging materials adds value to the consumer experience. Another key element is to understand the importance of demographic-based selling. There are many different market segments and understanding how to reach out to these segments is very important. Innovation drives markets and those florists and designers who keep doing the same thing over and over again will find themselves on the outside looking in. This was a very competitive business even before the mass marketers and web-based companies discovered flowers. The transition is well underway and only those who adapt to this rapidly changing landscape will prosper in the years ahead.
A. One of the highlights for me is when men are able to admit that they like flowers. Most men will behave as if going to get flowers for their wives or girlfriends is like going to get a root canal. Yet, having worked with thousands of women of the years, in workshops, museum programs, etc. they tell me how much their husbands enjoyed my program! But it's such a "guy" thing to appear indifferent. When arranging flowers becomes as acceptable and enjoyable for men, as say barbequing, the world will be a better place. Anyway, I hope the real high point hasn’t happened yet. I believe the best is yet to come. Q. What can fans expect to see in 2006 from René van Rems? A. We have some very ambitious new marketing campaigns in the planning stages for our sponsor group and several other clients. I will kick off 2006 in January with a stage program at Special Event 2006 in Dallas. We have some video production projects in pre-production and hope to start shooting in the spring. We will also be putting a lot of effort and resources into the Institute of Floral Arts & Sciences, instofas.org. We will launch the Floral Forums, floralforum.com, an online community we already have running on our development servers. We hope to go live in January. The forums are going to be a lot of fun and will be free to everyone. Q. If you could only name one thing, what is the best thing about being alive today? A. To be able to do for a living what you love to do anyway is truly a blessing. Much like a musician or actor I derive at least as much pleasure from doing something to delight others as they do from me!
For more on René van Rems, visit: |