Bringing Flowers to Paris: A Challenge for an Artisan Florist
The Sessile editorial team embarked on a wonderful adventure with Xavier: an order for 2,000 bouquets from a major luxury brand that turned this professional artisan’s routine upside down. The goal: to bring color to Paris on November 14 by decorating the Vélib’ bikes with flowers.
A florist for nearly 16 years, the man whom his friends and family call “Mr. Wedding” is an events specialist, having long hesitated to teach floral design classes. Passionate about flowers from a very young age, he says he hasn’t woken up a single morning without wanting to go to work throughout his entire career. ““When you’re a little boy and you love flowers while everyone else prefers soccer, you’re different—but it’s that difference that has been my strength,” he says.
When Xavier opened his studio in the 20th arrondissement early that morning, he surely didn’t expect to have to handle a request of this magnitude: to fill Paris with flowers—nothing less. That was the challenge he had to take on with Sessile. An unusual commission for a Prada event aimed at decorating the Vélib’ bikes to bring a smile back to Parisians’ faces aswinter approached.
I find my bouquet of flowers
2,000 bouquets, 25,000 stems, 8 florists
“This first experience with Sessile was both magical and fun; for a first order, you could say it was a success!” Xavier says with a smile. Behind the scenes, this event required a few adjustments. To put together 2,000 bouquets in three days—that’s no fewer than 25,000 flowers—the man who describes himself as a floral designer had to call on seven florists to help him with the task. It wasn’t until after three days of hard work in a workshop in Rungis that the last bouquet was ready to be shipped.
A real challenge, even for this professional.“This kind of event requires a flair for staging,”he says.“The flowers have to be in bloom for the big day.” The bouquets are mainly composed of sunflowers, single and double germinis, and chrysanthemums.“The chrysanthemum is a magnificent flower, even if its late blooming carries a somber symbolism. Yet in Japan, it’s a sacred flower that symbolizes life! ” explains the florist.
And what about Sessile in all this? Xavier puts it best:“For me , Sessile helps connect people who don’t know where to find an artisanal florist with florists who don’t have the time to let people know they exist.” As a proponent of short supply chains who always prioritizes locally grown flowers, he sees this platform as an opportunity to put craftsmanship back at the heart of online flower shopping.“The site lets us showcase our expertise and focus on our work.”
At Sessile, we were proud to have been able to help Xavier showcase his talent throughout this wonderful journey!
Who are we?
Sessile champions the independence of artisan florists online. Founded in 2019 by six friends, Sessile brings together 500 florists committed to transforming the industry and enables flower delivery throughout France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. By breaking away from the traditional online catalog model, the network highlights each florist’s expertise and helps keep the art of floristry alive. Florists can pursue their passion and create more creative bouquets because they have greater freedom to offer seasonal flowers and, whenever possible, locally sourced flowers.