Get to know the woman behind our beautiful flower arrangements!

In conjunction of International Women's Day, we talk to one of the most inspiring women on our team and probably the key person in BloomThis who ensures you get the most gorgeous flowers every time. 

Meet Gladys! Our head florist who just as her name suggests, is a bubble of joy. She's always energetic and cheerful, which translates into the beautiful flowers she curates on a daily basis. After a few failed attempts to grab hold of her, we finally got her to sit down and tell us more about her colourful life experiences.

How did you start off in the floral industry?
I’ve always had an affinity for the creative field with a particular interest for flowers. Although I never thought of being a florist at that point of time, I was always good with my hands. So when I graduated from high school, my relative introduced me to a job as a display artist at Batu Road supermarket at Chow Kit (now closed down). I had no educational or work experience in this field but I loved learning how to decorate the supermarket according to the festive seasons.

 After 2 years as a display artist, one day a childhood friend of mine invited to go for a flower workshop with her. Honestly I was a 20 year old who did not have a strong passion for anything in particular. In those days, we were more occupied with making a living then living our passions. But since I had always loved flowers and being able to create beautiful pieces with my hands, I decided to give it a shot. And as the saying goes, the rest was history.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your curations?
I simply draw inspiration from holding the flowers in my hand. I will usually start with the flowers I would like to use for my curation. I believe flowers are beautiful and powerful, they are able to evoke emotions and also bring you a fresh perspective. So as I gaze upon the flowers, I will start to visualize how I can arrange them into a beautiful piece of art that is able to speak for itself.

What motivates you to work on in this field?
To make a living? (laughs) Obviously we all need to make a living, it just so happens that I have made a living out of something I really love. Being in the flower industry and being able to work with flowers every day has turned into a passion for me. Whilst I was clueless about what I really wanted to do in life back then, flowers have given a direction I want to work towards in life. This certainly has given me the motivation to continue to create beautiful flowers that can bring delight to everyone.

What would you say to someone who is interested to be a florist?
The team at BloomThis is pretty young and often than not I am an aunty/motherly figure to them. If you ask them what’s one advice I always give them, it would be “pay utmost attention to the details”. I think it would be the same to someone who has an interest in diving into the floral industry. Flowers have been used to express feeling and emotions for hundreds of years and your customers alway appreciates a well-crafted curation of flowers. That’s why it’s always important to ensure every detail of the flowers have been looked after and to anticipate what your customer wants.