The profession of florist has undergone a transformation in recent years with the arrival of a new generation of creative people bringing a breath of fresh air to this profession so symbolic of a French art de vivre.
Revamping the traditional bouquet, showcasing original varieties with a contemporary twist, inventive services, eye-catching packaging, these new artisans are teeming with ideas to thrill our senses and really offer us something to behold and enjoy, the modernity of a simple bouquet of a few cut flowers. We went to meet one of these rising stars of the floral business, Alix Mobuchon, creator of the Racine Paris brand. Through a cleverly designed mobile website, Racine Paris offers a seasonal bouquet every day, delivered by bicycle in a charming deep blue cornet reminiscent of a lucky bag from the last century. Well crafted bouquets, in the style of an English garden, the Alix touch.
How did Racine Paris come about?
After 15 years in advertising and communication, I had moved away from what initially inspired me in this profession, the creative side, and I was very keen to embark on a personal project. I have always loved flowers, for me it is very important to decorate an interior and add a little extra soul. However, I was a little frustrated by what was on offer on the market, with on the one hand an outdated, not very contemporary, not very fast, not very creative and often expensive online offer and, on the other hand, local florists where, if I found what I liked, the prices immediately soared. With the arrival of services like Uber, Deliveroo,…. which made it possible to receive what we need quickly, in a few clicks, I thought to myself that there was an opening to create a service to make bouquets more accessible in terms of proximity, but also in terms of price. The Racine Paris venture was born!
What makes Racine Paris different from a classic florist?
First and foremost our flowers : at the same time modern, sophisticated, rustic and wild, it is the “English country garden” bouquet with a multitude of different varieties that we are not used to seeing in a classic florist. Creativity is at the very heart of Racine Paris, my bouquets are very personal, with varieties that I like to share with my customers. We don’t have a catalogue, a new day means a new bouquet, depending on the market and the inspiration of the moment, offered online to our customers via our mobile site and instagram. Finally, the price is extremely affordable, it was very important to be able to offer beautiful, original bouquets of quality flowers at a very attractive price, under 30 euros.
How do you reconcile techniques and traditional flowers with a resolutely modern bouquet?
While I obviously use certain techniques, I work a lot on instinct, according to the inspiration of the moment. However, a knowledge of the different varieties is essential and I like to (re)discover certain flowers, often quite graphic ones, such as dahlia, eremurus, delphinium,… Colour is also very important, in my bouquets there is always a very strong, rather large and colourful flower as a focal point. This strong element makes our bouquets very modern, even if they are composed with age-old varieties and traditional craftsmanship.
Is there a real return to flowers right now?
Yes, there is a real flower craze , plants, terrariums, cacti,… People living in big cities like Paris don’t have gardens, nor necessarily a country house or the possibility of going away for the weekend, they need a little green oasis in their apartment.This is also what we mean by an English-style garden, a small patch of garden at a lower price, ordered from anywhere, we’re just a few clicks away. The same applies to companies, who are requesting my services to treat their customers or run creative workshops.
We have also partnered with brands closely related to our area of activity, such as Foucade biscuits for Mother’s Day and Bogato biscuits for Valentine’s Day. The abundant creativity found in the world of gastronomy and artisan food is very similar to our mindset. We are also moving back to neighbourhood and local amenities, by offering flower pick-up points in gourmet grocery stores.
This is not just a passing fad, but a genuine return to a certain way of life, the desire for a greener environment, closer to nature, and I am delighted about that.
