Blog
Jeff Leatham – The Rock Star Florist and Artistic Director of the Four Seasons George V in Paris
I was very privileged to recently attend a workshop, thanks to Bloom College for sending me! It was put together by Wedded Wonderland, held at the beautiful Intercontinental Sydney, in the Double Bay Grand Ballroom. They invited the very well-known and well regarded florist, Jeff Leatham, to visit us down here in Australia – and he accepted!
The presentation by Jeff was magical. He was engaging, personable, inclusive, and very funny. His stories of celebrity brides, large installations, and his involvement with the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris, were captivating.
He also did a practical demonstration of some of his most popular designs, using beautiful orchids, peonies, roses, callas, alliums and magnolia branches. His signature designs demonstrate bold groupings of the one botanical material, colour blocking and angling of bouquets into beautiful vases. He also enjoys submerging blooms beneath the water line to create bold magnification and dominance to the flower variety.
Going to events such as this really makes me realise how lucky and blessed I am to be a part of this fantastic industry. As Florists, we get to be creative, tactile, work with beautiful botanicals and engage with clients who share this love of flowers with us. I also love being able to pass these skills, knowledge and love of flowers on to all of my students too, and a big part of this enjoyment is that I get to watch them bloom into fantastic florists.
Jeff’s story from a country upbringing in Utah, to an International star of floristry that is globally recognised, and also the florist to so many well-known celebrities – shows us all the excitement and wonder that flowers bring to people all over the world. It also demonstrates the increased importance flowers now have on us as individuals. The demand for large scale floral installations in weddings and events is now evident in the work we do, and shows how the floristry industry is evolving into an important design addition at any event, party, corporate setting or wedding.
I highly recommend attending one of Jeff’s demonstrations if you ever have the chance. It’s also worthwhile keeping an eye out for any other professional development opportunities similar to this that you can attend. It’s important at any stage of your floral journey to do this – whether you are only just starting one of our floristry courses, or have been in the floristry industry for a while. It’s the perfect way to keep your knowledge up to date, and your excitement of the floristry industry blooming.
Rebecca Findlay is a Teacher at Bloom College. Here at Bloom College we value and pro-actively support the learning and continual growth of our staff, and as part of this we were pleased to make possible Rebecca’s attendance at this workshop.
EXCITING NEWS!!: Bloom College is developing some upcoming events with well-known designers – and we’d love for you to attend! To stay in touch with us, and to find out about such events, please sign up to our newsletter, or keep an eye on our Facebook page.