Hamish Powell: Britain's rising star
From Plant Microbiology to Instagram Stardom: Hamish Powell’s Design Journey in the run up to Madrid Blooms.
Could you tell us a bit about how you started in the world of floral design? What was your first job?
I got into it accidentally, I was studying at university, doing a Bachelors Degree in Plant Microbiology, I was on track to be a scientist and I was a broke student and I needed a part time job. I wanted something to do with my degree, I’d been a waiter before and everything so I thought, what’s something to do with plants or flowers that’s a part time job, in the center of a city? The only thing I could think of was working in a flower shop. So I put together a CV full of lies, I said my mum had a flower shop, that I helped her growing up, that I’d done a course in flower design … lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. I went around all of the florists, but no one really bought it, but there was one flower shop called the Manchester Florist, who needed a pair of hands, she was pregnant and needed someone to wash vases and lift heavy things and sweep the floor, and so she hired me. I worked there throughout my degree. I learnt so much, I would stay behind and play with flowers, figure out how to do it all, I would copy anything I thought was cool, I was really interested in getting good at it. By the end of my degree I had improved enough to be the manager of the shop. Then I graduated, and I was at a crossroads, deciding whether I wanted to be a scientist or a florist, and I was then offered a job at a florist shop in London. They found me on Instagram, and that gave me my answer.
How did you start your journey on social media?
It started like a diary. Anything I found pleasing I put on Instagram. Looking back, it’s probably the best thing I ever did, it’s the most powerful tool for connecting me with flower lovers and creators. It was thanks to Instagram that I got poached and moved to London. I then worked at that company for a few years, which trained me to be unbeatable. It was really, really tough work, but that’s what makes you capable. And then I started my own studio, prompted by the pandemic. I wanted my work to be associated with my name, and I had a desire to go by myself, and so I did. I didn’t have a plan. Thankfully it worked out and here we are.
When did you start your own business?
I started in 2022. It was just after things started going back to normal. I started out from home. LOEWE were my first client. When I left the previous job, they contacted me again. That was perfect, and I got to make it in the store, so I didn’t need a studio. Then I was sharing studios, I did some lovely residencies, then I got my own shop. It’s been a slow burn … actually it’s only been 2 years. I moved to London in 2019, and 2022 I started my own studio.
What is your signature as a floral designer?
To be honest, I still think I am exploring. I wouldn’t be able to say what I want to do, I think I like flexibility in design. The adjectives that pop into my mind are, sculptural, bold, modern and artistic. I don’t fancy describing my style because I worry I might put myself into a box. I think my designs are led by the material, they’re intuitive, the material I use guides what I do with it. I like that. I think it feels more rooted in nature. It’s important, we’re losing connection with nature, I want to remind people of nature. I’m making pretty things, in pretty places, but ultimately my mission is to reignite people’s connection to nature, which we have lost. My work is a good medium to bring attraction to the material. It’s easy for the flowery world, especially on Instagram, to be a microcosm, florists follow each other, that’s kind of who your audience is as a flower person, but the way I approach my Instagram, which some people may think is unprofessional, or a weird way to operate a business, it means it feels more accessible to people outside of the industry. It’s like following your friend. Lots of people who follow me don’t know anything about floral design, and that makes me really happy, that’s the whole point, to spread the love of flowers, make it an approachable thing. Now I get jobs for Hamish the florist, and Hamish the person, it’s cool.
"It’s remembering to look, you only see beauty when you look for it. Reminding people to look for that amazement is my mission."
Who or what are your main sources of inspiration?
First and foremost, the material is the inspiration. I’m just thinking of this arrangement I made whilst I was in Tanzania and it was these droopy hibiscus flowers, they grew droopy, they don’t open, they hang like a lantern, then these pomegranate branches which were also droopy. And I thought, how cool, they’re all telling the same story, the material gave me the inspiration to make something that feels flowy and heavy, that was the material leading me. I am also very inspired by architecture and chairs, I love chairs. That comes from my brother, he’s a product designer, I was introduced to that world as a child through him. I get really inspired by the space I am going to make something in. I think it’s kind of like a synesthesia, I can almost imagine the way the flow could match the space, the colours that would provoke something in the space. I would say that’s mirrored in my work, it’s quite sculptural, or structural. I’m a fan of mechanics, metal, thinking about the frame, how I’m going to make something, often more than the pretty flowers, I get a kick out of the mechanics. I think that’s the scientist in me. It’s fun, often the two faculties are opposed, so it’s a thrill trying to marry the two together.
What has been the most significant learning experience in your career as a floral designer?
There are two lessons that I am still learning. One of them is separating flowers as a hobby and flowers as an income. A huge fear of mine is working too hard, and losing my love for it, forgetting why I’m doing it. Like any job, you can do it too much. So, keeping that level of play there, that’s really important. Dedicating an hour a week to play, you’ve got some weird leftovers that you think won’t work or shouldn't work, just put them together, see what works. Otherwise, you start to resent the flowers, they’re the ones who are making you tired. Finding time away from work is important, but I am still figuring it out. The other one is creative delegation. This is more of a businessy thing, you can’t do everything yourself, especially with big projects, you need help, and learning how to design in a way that allows multiple different brains to be involved is hard, it’s something I learnt that I needed to learn. Everyone has their own unique taste. Floristry is art, we are expressing ourselves through a medium, that’s what art is to me. To get a bunch of cool people who each have their own taste, and say, ok we’re making this, everyone is going to approach that in a different way, and I want to encourage that, so I guess it’s about designing in a way that allows that. It’s something I have to actively remember, this isn’t a self obsessive journey, we can all have fun, all work with beautiful things and give our opinions.
Are there any emerging trends or innovative techniques that you find particularly exciting?
What’s in right now? Moss mountains are in right now. I’ve loved moss forever, it always reaches a point where people start doing super inventive things with it. Like bows, but then people say everyone is doing bows now, or everyone is doing moss mountains … but I like it because it reached a point where people’s designs go really niche, freaky things start to happen. To be honest I think right now I’m trying to avoid trends, I’m trying to stay away from them.
What specific sustainable practices do you incorporate into your daily work as a floral designer?
One of my little party tricks is using kokedamas, using plants in the display. If I’m making a big arrangement, I love to chuck some whole plants in there, roots and all, not only can you disrupt the flow, if something is coming out of a vessel, all the stems are going to same way, but with a plant thats rooted, it’s not bound by that gravity, so you can start going upside down, it’s so fun. It’s unexpected to have something hanging there upside down, how did it get there? How is it alive? How will it last a week? But it does, it’s a sustainable technique. Plus you can replant it. I did a recent project with the Arts Club on Dover Street last year and we made a big archway to celebrate the Coronation of the King and I made garlands or little flowering garden plants, instead of using flowers. I strung them across this archway, and then we donated all the plants to the community, and they’re still growing there, it’s so nice! A cyclical moment.
When people enjoy your floral designs, what message or emotion do you hope they take away?
I want them to reconnect, I would like to say that if you’re not always amazed, you’re not paying enough attention. There are so many things in this world that is utterly incredible, but especially plants and flowers. We’ve become so desensitized to them, we’re not really taking it all in, the whole process, thousands of years of evolution, it’s mindboggling. Using flowers and plants in a way that’s quite in your face, like a big crazy colourful display, that’s basically grabbing you by your shoulders and saying, look at these flowers! That’s how I feel. That 's my mission. I want people to feel reconnected, to realise we have these accessible amazing things, a dandelion can grow in the crack of a pavement, that’s amazing! Everyone has access to that. It’s remembering to look, you only see beauty when you look for it. Reminding people to look for that amazement is my mission.
