You may not know him by name, but perhaps you know his impressive body of work, which includes Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, immersive arrangements on runways and in-store creations for fashion houses such as Dior, Hermes, Opening Ceremony, Lanvin, Victor & Rolf, Dries Van Noten... (and these are the projects he's allowed to tell us about).
And then there's the small matter of that VOGUE shoot with Mario Testino and Lady Gaga.
By his own admission, despite glamorous work in fashion, movies and the art world, Thierry is most at home when he's surrounded by nature. He believes flowers have the power to humble us and remind us of our place in the universe. Standing under one of his creations, we just might be converted.
Please do swing by our store at 100 Portland Road, W11 4LQ and experience a Thierry Boutemy original for yourself. You won't be disappointed (and it's less crowded than the Chelsea Flower Show!).
xx







[ Like candy floss ]


Why were you drawn to floristry? Was it always your dream?
A.
I was drawn to be a florist through my passion for nature. It's always been such a huge part of my life. It was not so much a dream as my life.
When did you realize the kind of florist you could be? The grand scale of your vision?
A.
I have always wanted to do this. It is something that has always come quite naturally to me.

How does your childhood inform your floral creations?
A.
Living in Normandy, I was quite a lonely child and nature helped me.
Q.
What was your first big break?
A.
I was working on a French film with a set designer who introduced me to Sofia Coppola, and that's how I came to work on Marie-Antoinette. Then, once people in fashion saw the film, they started asking me to work with them. It was a chain reaction!

Who have you loved working with in fashion?
A.
Actually, I just met Roland Mouret while I was in London. It was a very beautiful encounter and I would be very happy to collaborate with him.
Q.
What has been some of your favourite or most memorable installations or events?
A.
A collaboration with Thomas Lerooy for the exhibition 'Vanity Fair'.

What is your favourite flower?
A.
Germanica Iris
Q.
Are you drawn to scent as much as colour?
A.
No, I do not like flowers that smell too much. I really like the delicate scent of an Iris.

What inspires you?
A.
Nature.
Q.
What grounds you?
A.
Encounters keep me grounded. Moving towards someone.

What flowers do you have in your home right now?
A.
Irises. I usually only have very simple flowers at home... and often, there is only ever one type on display at a time.
Q.
Where do you go to escape?
A.
My head.

What are people often surprised to learn about you?
A.
That in my garden I don't have any flowers. I don't like them together.

What do you wish people understood about flowers?
A.
That it is alive and uncontrollable, and that at a time where we want to control everything flowers bring us out of our self-vanity. We are only here for a small amount of time... just like flowers.

What drew you to work with S&B?
A.
What I love about Summerill & Bishop is that everything is done in an artisanal and independent way.

If you could invite any eight people (dead or alive) to your home for dinner, who would it be?
A.
My close friends, and then I'd also have Sergei Parajanov, the film director and artist, and Ohad Naharin, a contemporary dancer and choreographer—both of whom have inspired me.
