Katherine Shida Flowers

 

Meet Katherine, founder and florist at shida preserved flowers. To celebrate the launch of GENE in a Bottle, we recently teamed up with Katherine and her shida team to create the stunning ‘Lora’ bouquet. 

An ode to the white rose, the bouquet uses shida’s unique preservation practices to keep the arrangement fresh for up to a whole year. Alongside shida’s gorgeous visuals, this sustainable approach to floristry is one of the main reasons we fell in love with Katherine and her company.

 

Here, she joins us to tell us more about shida, her sustainable processes and the inspiration behind the Lora bouquet. 

 

Shida x Lora

 

Can you tell us about shida - what it is, when you set it up and why you created it?

 

Shida preserved flowers is an online florist, exclusively working with the best preserved and dried flowers & foliage. We cover everything from design and bloom selection to stem preparation, bespoke projects and content creation in-house. 

 

I launched shida in 2018 after discovering the amazing fresh look and feel you can achieve by using naturally preserved flowers. When I set up the company, I was looking for a longer-lasting solution to styling my new home, as fake flowers never really cut it for me. Preserved flowers not only made it affordable, but more sustainable, and allowed me to fill every room with my favourites all year round.

 

What role does sustainability play in shida?

 

This has been an important part of our company ethos. At shida we are always striving towards doing better, through the sourcing of flowers and packaging, to re-using off-cuts and staying clear of harmful products such as floral foam. 

Unlike fresh-cut options, which are replaced on a weekly basis, preserved and dried gives our customers a long-lasting experience, drastically slows down wastage and can be repurposed and reused around the home for a year or more!

 

The Lora bouquet

 

Lora Gene was, in part, started as a challenge to the fast fashion industry. Can you tell us more about sustainability in the floristry industry?

 

Much like the fashion industry, it can sometimes be a challenge to be part of something that creates waste. The floristry industry is definitely making the right moves in this area, from the way florists are designing ranges, sourcing blooms and actively seeking better ways of doing business. I think it’s also our responsibility to educate customers, so they have a more informed stance when buying.

 

Where do you find the inspiration for your different bouquets? What’s your creative process like?

 

At shida our creative inspiration varies and might come from our travels, interesting colour palettes, or beautiful interiors. We have a small team of lovely, creative women working for us, so there is always a huge amount of collaboration in any new concept.

 

Can you talk us through the ‘Lora’ bouquet? 


With the Lora bouquet, we wanted to mirror the style of Lora Gene, choosing classic stems and colours that transcend seasons. Taking inspiration from the use of roses throughout the Lora Gene clothing and beauty line, a white rose, was our starting point. 

Adding in the beautiful flowing greenery and structural bell grass gave a clean, modern aesthetic. It was important to have a versatile bouquet, which can be styled as a whole bunch or in smaller groupings of stems. I think our customers will love the collaboration project and we plan to launch a limited edition run later in the season.

 

 

The Bulgarian rose harvest is the century-old process used to create Gene in a bottle. Lora joins the harvest each year to experience its magic. Do you have any moments or settings rooted in nature that are special to you?


Personally, I adore hydrangeas, and it was these that first drew me to preserved flowers. They evoke fond memories of times spent in gardens surrounded by white-washed Cornish cottages.

 

For our recent collaboration, we paired the Lora bouquet with our Bulgarian white rose beauty range. As a florist, what does the white rose mean to you?

 

For me, it represents pure beauty. The white rose is a clean, classic stem which I love to style with contrasting verdant greenery and perhaps a touch of the exotic.

 

What other sustainable brands or products are you loving at the moment?

 

I love that so many brands, whether it be clothing or homeware orientated, are offering more sustainable options now. I’m really into what Tincture of London are doing, the team from Minna in Hudson, NY with their homewares and colour choices, and a friend of mine has just started Place Beyond, an amazing botanical candle and soap line.

 

Torrin Cotton Striped Shirt

 

What Lora GENE design captures your personal style/would work best in your wardrobe? 

 

I feel like the Torin shirt would fit my day-to-day wardrobe perfectly; it mixes classic style and fit, with interesting details.

 

You can check out Katherine’s gorgeous sustainable creations at shida.florist and on Instagram @shida_preserved_flowers.