Flower Riot
The show ‘Flower Riot. She Blooms Live’, also referred to as 'She Blooms', was a big hit at IPM Essen this year. Three renowned floral designers; Sara-Lisa Ludvigsson, Hanneke Frankema and Elisabeth Schoenemann, combined their unique vision, style and years of experience to create a mesmerising show for the famous revolving IPM Flower stage. They brought a fresh take on floral design, lots of energy and an important message about women empowerment, all while sharing their love for flowers and the floristry profession with the audience!
View some highlights from the show:
”In our hands, Marginpar’s amazing Clematis, Polianthes and Gloriosa changed from being just ‘pretty’, ‘nice’ and ‘beautiful’. They turned into important symbols of strength, cooperation and trust.
How it started
The show 'She Blooms' is about visibility. Three powerful women stepping onto the stage to show what’s possible, share their experiences and inspire others to chase their dreams too. Only when women are visible, can role models for young female talent emerge and that's exactly what our industry needs.
Elisabeth, Sara-Lisa and Hanneke had an important realisation: Although around 80 percent of people working in floristry are women, it is mostly men who stand in the spotlight at competitions, shows, and on stage. The situation is very similar everywhere, whether you're in Germany, Sweden or the Netherlands. Hanneke was the first woman in 20 years to win the title European Champion. "When you look at these numbers, you realise that something is structurally wrong." Says Elisabeth. She adds: "We’ve known each other for many years, we’re well connected, and we work at a similar level. When I brought up the topic, everyone immediately said: Yes, we know exactly what you mean. Let’s do something about it."
Women empowerment
At its heart, 'She Blooms' is about women supporting women in the floriculture industry, lifting each other up, celebrating each other’s work, and making space at the top. It's also meant to be a starting point for positive change, that others can join and build on. At the end of the show, a giant heart made from branches was brought out and the audience was invited to each add their own bloom, symbolising the power of building something beautiful together.
Elisabeth explains: "We want to continue working in our countries, especially to support young talent and build networks. Social media plays a major role in this as a shared voice. Through projects, through visibility at future competitions or international events. It‘s about the visibility of women, not the exclusion of men.
The designers had total freedom when putting the show together. Sara-Lisa: ‘Marginpar gave the three of us a unique possibility to highlight women and put the spotlight on female floral designers." She adds: “The lights and applause during 'Flower Riot' weren’t only for me, Elisabeth, and Hanneke. They were for all female floral design colleagues out there, to show there’s room for more women in the top arenas. Not without male designers, but side by side, in an equal way, spreading the amazing message of flowers.”
A different kind of show
'Flower Riot' made a powerful statement by pairing breathtaking florals with an important message. But as Hanneke points out, it was also the way the story was told that set it apart. “By incorporating music, stepping off stage a few times, and inviting people to join us at the end to create that flower heart, so much happened,” she shares. “I think we created a truly distinctive show. It picked up the pace!”
Hanneke, Sara-Lisa and Elisabeth took the opportunity to share the limelight with their talented assistants, who play such an important role in preparing for an event of this magnitude. Carine Stel, Ebba Bengtzon and Kim Bücholdt presented their own show-stopping designs on stage. Elisabeth: "It was especially important to us to give our young assistants a stage in our show at IPM and all three of them did an amazing job!"
Speaking of women 'straightening each other’s crowns', Sara-Lisa made that idea literal by creating a flower crown, modelled by Ebba.
New techniques
The show featured designs of the highest level of artistry. Hanneke Frankema loves to find new ways to use botanical materials. At IPM she introduced new deconstructed flower methods that wowed the audience, from using the fluffy stamens of Clematis to blending Limonium. There’s still so much you can do with leftover or dried materials. Hanneke explains: ‘It was truly a Marginpar show, which also made me look at your product differently in terms of floral arrangements. By changing it, like crumbling Craspedia and drying and gluing the grasses, then applying a varnish overtop. Using it in a very sustainable way.’
One of the designs that sparked a lot of curiosity with the audience was this fan-shaped design covered in crumbled Craspedia, with a few dark-toned Gloriosa stems placed in hand-blown vials. Truly stunning! Hanneke also used 3D printing techniques to create beautiful structures and details for her designs, from golden baroque supports to decorative gingko leaves and a honeycomb-like structure. 3D printing opens up a world of creative possibilities for floral design.
More than a flower
The more we know about a flower; the stories and values behind it and the people that grow it, the more connected we feel to it. Sara-Lisa shares that flowers truly become a part of her journey, as a designer but also as a human being. "Flowers can become messages and emotions, they have the power to spread joy, happiness and sometimes comfort" says Sara-Lisa.
She shares: ‘In our hands, when working together, Marginpar’s amazing Clematis, Polianthes, Gloriosa and many more varieties changed from being just ‘pretty’, ‘nice’ and ‘beautiful’. For me, they instead turned into important symbols of strength, cooperation and trust. And suddenly, a flower is not just a flower anymore. And I know for sure, every time I get my hands on a Clematis Amazing® Tokyo it will bring back great memories and encourage me to be brave enough to create new ones!’
Sara-Lisa even honoured our brand manager by naming one of her designs the ‘Helena’, a stunning round design with loads of Clematis Amazing® Sofia. Our flowers carrying significance for the designers that work with them truly means the world to us at Marginpar.
Our thanks
We feel incredibly lucky and proud that we were a part of ‘Flower Riot. She Blooms Live’, Marginpar’s very first live show. We want to thank Hanneke Frankema, Sara-Lisa Ludvigsson and Elisabeth Schoenemann for their incredible dedication, enthusiasm, professionalism and creativity in making this show a reality. And we thank the FDF and everyone behind the scenes from technical crew to volunteers, their contributions are invaluable. Lastly, we are very thankful for all of the lovely visitors that watched the show, some of whom we got to meet at our IPM booth. We hope to see you all again soon!
