The Once Dead Art Of Flower-Arranging Re-Ignites So Gen Z Can “Impress Their Instagram Followers”

Flower arranging, outside of traditional florists, used to just be limited to housewives in the 1950s. Now, thanks to Instagram, the practice is coming back in style, attracting a younger crowd that seeks to impress their social media followers.

For instance, Sage, a flower shop in South London, has seen a “huge increase” in interest from young people since they’ve opened, according to The Guardian. The shop offers monthly bouquet and vase arranging classes. 

The shop’s co-founder, Iona Matheison said: “It’s young people in their mid-20s to mid-30s that are coming. It’s super popular and they’re fully booked.”

Helena Willcocks is the 31 year old founder of The Allotment Florist, which hosts arranging workshops in West Yorkshire and London for about 60 pounds, per person, per hour and a half. She said: “It’s definitely becoming more popular, especially with younger people. In the last year we have seen a 30% increase in the number of people coming. It’s a trendy thing to do. It’s obvious by who is booking them.”

The reigniting of arranging’s popularity could be coming from two places. First, there’s the recent pride in being a “plant parent” that we have written about here on Zero Hedge before. Also, there’s the desire to impress ones Instagram followers. 

Emma Weaver, founder of Palais, said: “Flower arranging is so colourful and immediate and that’s how we’re seeing life these days, in these bright coloured squares.”

George Plumptre, chief executive of the National Garden Scheme said:  “Flower arranging can be hugely therapeutic and creative. It provides a wonderful sense of wellbeing.”

Willcocks echoed Weaver’s sentiments: “Is Instagram a factor? Oh yeah, 100%, depressingly. People want to photograph their work, in fact they want to photograph the whole way through,” she says. “I try to encourage them to not be on their phones but be surrounded by flowers.”

But not all attendees are social media attention seekers. Amy Montague, a 33 year old from Nottingham, said: “It’s a creative outlet from my work in online consultancy and it’s relaxing.”

Arranging now incorporates numerous materials other than flowers and the new wave of floristry is said to be more artistic and less boring than traditional bouquets. Weaver commented: “It’s very sculptural. We use anything from melted plastics to bespoke metal frames and do a lot of carpentry alongside more traditional flower arranging. We are putting the two together and making it more of an art form.”

“This is art through the medium of flowers, as opposed to the old grandma thing.”