6 minute read
NEW ZEALAND WOMEN IN FOCUS
By Clare Erasmus
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‘Where flowers bloom so does hope’ - Lady Bird Johnson
I’ve known Kim Chan for several years and have always been intrigued by her beautiful floral creations and extravaganzas, her ability to transform venues into fragrant floral fiestas and her strong sense of ethical integrity. Kim is no ordinary guru of floristry, she has sustainability at the heart of all her creations, as she skillfully creates beautiful masterpieces and prepares events with distinction.
The History of Kim Chan
As a young girl growing up, Kim was always creative and artistic and was struck by the beauty of flowers one day as she passed by a flower shop.
“I started in flowers when I was about 20. I walked past a flower shop with flowers spilling out of the shop, and that was it. I called the shop owner for 3 months every day (or nearly) until he gave me a job. I was always quite crafty-arty and creative but until that day didn’t really pay too much attention to flowers.” Kim Chan
Kim Chan’s Philosophy
Kim Chan personalises her creations and events by getting to know her clients and unlocking their rationale for the event and the message they aim to convey. Taking the time to gain a deep understanding of her clients, Kim is then able to really understand the ‘essence of purpose’ for her clients. She creates amazing moments that are cherished for years
to come. Central to Kim’s business philosophy is taking into consideration the environment and sustainability.
Through meaningful conversations with her clients, Kim is able to meet their requirements. She acknowledges that like many other sectors, there is a growing understanding and acknowledgement to work more sustainably, to care for the
Sustainable Floristry
There is no doubt that Kim is a leader in her industry and what sets her apart is her passion for caring for the environment, our world. Kim Chan is at the forefront of sustainable floristry. This is borne out of her experiences across the world and her genuine love of nature and the environment. As such, Kim is an active member of the Sustainable Tourism Network, with a vision to reducing her business carbon footprint in Aotearoa. Ever mindful of the impact on the environment, her business is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling. With a committed focus on sustainability, Kim invites her clients to join her and the team on their journey to reduce, reuse, recycle, repair and research new and innovative ways to drive sustainability.
Why and How does Sustainable Floristry work?
Kim knows that the floristry industry has historically contributed to plastic pollution and high carbon emissions. So just how do Kim and her team effect change?
“We consider the environment and take care to tread lightly and where we can reuse, repair and recycle.” Kim Chan “I think it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of our beautiful planet. Having lived in Hong Kong where there was no space for storage and huge events this made me super mindful of what we were doing and why.” Kim Chan
Naked Bouquets
The naked bouquet is just one of the ways that Kim Chan Florist and Event Stylists help make the change. These are beautiful elegant bouquets that are wrapped in newspaper
and tied with twine and this is what makes the bouquet compostable and allows florists to work harmoniously with nature.
Reuse and Recycle
Another really important part of her drive to be sustainable is to reuse and recycle flowers. She achieves this by taking floral arrangements after events and delivers them to a wide variety of places to enjoy them for a full round of life and pleasure. Some of these places are preschools, hospitals, hospices, rest homes, offices or other places of your choice. This allows the blooms to be enjoyed for their full lifetime. Kim has clear communication with her clients and she recalls that some brides have opted to have their flowers taken to police and emergency services to say thank you to our essential workers for the marvellous jobs that they all do to keep our community safe.
Fresh and Artificial Flowers
Kim loves to work with both fresh and artificial flowers and is able to maximise the beauty out of both. Having spent part of her working career in Hong Kong, Kim points out, Kim Chan Florist and Event Stylist appreciates that everyone loves the fragrance of crisp and fresh flowers and is really realistic about the environments of the events that she sets up. On some occasions, event spaces are too warm and the blooms wilt rapidly. This could eventuate in using too many blooms unnecessarily. Kim’s solution to this is to mix fresh with artificial and the result is gorgeous, with arrangements bold and beautiful, strong and long-lasting! The use of artificial flowers also works favourably when creating hanging floral displays, ensuring the safety of overhanging plants and thus avoiding hazards. The artificial floral arrangements don’t require water, which means a reduction in water consumption.
“Coming back to NZ, I felt uneasy about using the range of seasonal fresh locally grown flowers in events and weddings. I knew there were wonderful life-like artificial blooms available. I was also able to create something really beautiful for a more affordable price, so I guess that is where it really all started. This really worked well and satisfied my need to create real beauty regardless of the budget.”
Recycling Vases
Repurposed vases are another way that Kim leads in her sustainable floristry. Not only do repurposed vases help the environment, but they can also increase the longevity of the floral creations. Being able to recycle those unwanted vases means less plastic is used for wrapping!
Reduce Waste and nonCompostables
Moving away from the traditional use of floral oasis, Kim and her team prefer to deliver flowers using naked bouquets or through using repurposed vases. She also prefers to use reusable velcro rather than zip ties that can only be used once. The team also ensure that all cuttings, stems and left-overs from flower arrangements are composted, giving back to the earth. Kim and her team always aim to take the sustainable option wherever possible.
Sourcing Local Flowers
Supporting local growers, Kim sources most of her flowers right here in New Zealand. Where and when required to use international products she always ensures that they are ethically grown and harvested. Bee Hives are yet another way that Kim works with the environment, with her own local beehive on top of her workshop, she loves that bees are her partners with her plant life. She harvests her honey and the products are available to go with her dream floral bouquets. Kim Chan, we admire you for being a leader in your field and for leading from the front with your sustainable direction. You encourage others to do the same. You educate your clients on how to extend the life of the beautiful bouquets you create and how to make sustainable choices when purchasing. Every business and client you work with knows how you care about the environment and you continue to share the message about looking after our world. You display pure ethical integrity, and you are consistent and uncompromising in your adherence to strong moral and ethical principles. We recognise and respect you and your team for ensuring that the work that you do is ethical and that the process you follow to create your floral extravaganzas and the products is environmentally friendly.
