In the moment

Mark Colle says he cherishes the challenge of working with flowers nobody else likes anymore, and is not opposed to picking up five random bunches of blooms at a petrol station and creating something unexpected, Selina Denman reports

Belgian florist Mark Colle, whose arrangements have adorned the runways of some of the biggest names in fashion, is in Abu Dhabi to create floral masterpieces for the Masters of Fragrances exhibition.Show more

It seems like an unusual calling for a 15-year-old boy who, by his own admission, was something of a juvenile delinquent. But when the Belgian-born Mark Colle left school and started helping out at his local florist, he discovered that working with flowers came very naturally indeed. “It gave me a chance to be creative,” says the now 35-year-old who, thanks to a distinctive, unconventional style and high-profile collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion, is one of the most sought-after florists in the world.

Colle’s creations were on show in Abu Dhabi recently as part of the inaugural Masters of Fragrances event at Manarat Al Saadiyat, an exhibition of 26 limited-edition perfumes by some of the world’s leading fragrance houses. While the exclusive scents have now moved on to Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 1, Colle’s equally heady creations were far more short-lived.

Flowers are, by their very nature, fleeting, but does Colle ever wish that his creations lasted for longer? “The fact that flowers don’t last is perhaps the most appealing thing about my job,” he says. “It’s always new, new, new. And I like the beauty of wilting flowers.”

Colle’s style is defined by his unorthodox choices. Oblivious to trends or popular opinion, he is a floral equal opportunist, so to speak. If a certain flower is deemed old-fashioned, inelegant or simply off-trend, Colle is just the man to make it shine.

“I like the challenge of working with flowers nobody else likes anymore,” he says, and is not opposed to picking up five random bunches of blooms at a petrol station and then combining them to create something that is both striking and unexpected.

“People can also think of some flowers as old-fashioned, however for me these are sometimes the most interesting as they have a striking form and are a little bit different from what you see every day.

“I don’t believe in following particular trends; rather, I prefer to work with flowers that are in season. I believe in letting the flowers do the talking. I’m very fond of mixing strong colours and have a particular penchant for using bright reds, yellows and electric blues.”

It’s an approach that has held him in good stead. In his early 20s, Colle moved to Baltimore, Maryland (partly because it was the hometown of his favourite filmmaker John Waters), where he continued working as a florist. When he returned to Belgium and opened his own studio in Antwerp, he fittingly named it Baltimore Bloemen.

In spite of his growing fame, Colle keeps the team at Baltimore Bloemen small, and prides himself on providing a personal service. The flowers he uses are, for the most part, sourced locally or, at a push, from nearby Holland.

The shop’s intricate window displays, which can take weeks to put together, caught the attention of fellow Belgian Raf Simons, then creative director at Jil Sander and now creative director at Christian Dior. Colle was responsible for creating the arrangements for Simons’ final collection for Jil Sander, which included lavish bouquets encased within Plexiglas cubes. But it was the explosion of colours and textures that lined the walls for Simons’ debut collection for Dior (which, it is rumoured, featured over a million flowers) that transformed Colle into a household name.

For the Dior Haute Couture autumn/winter 2012 show, Colle came up with 15 designs, five of which were selected. While he wasn’t working to a precise brief, he wanted to reflect the history of the house of Dior (which was communicated through pinks and the use of roses), while at the same time staying true to Simons’ distinct aesthetic with the use of electric blues and acid yellows. Both of these events were personal career highlights, Colle admits, and marked the “beginning of an extraordinary adventure for me personally”.

Flowers and fashion are natural bedfellows, says Colle. “There is an inherent richness and elegance that is true to both flowers and fashion that speaks to the imagination and inspires creativity,” he explains.

“But more than this, both are ephemeral in their nature. Fashion moves fast and flowers are similar – they come, they bloom and then they’re gone.”

Colle’s favourite flower is the dahlia, which is totally in keeping with his overall ethos. “They are quite old-fashioned and could be considered inelegant but they appeal to my sense of letting flowers lead design as they can’t be manipulated and are only available in the late summer,” he explains.

In his own home, however, he likes to surround himself with tulips, mainly, it seems, because of their inherent unpredictability. “They have their own will when it comes to how they grow. French tulips in particular can do crazy things.”

For those looking to bring more flowers into their own home, Colle has one piece of advice: be brave. “Try unusual things or colour combinations. Flowers can really bring an interior to life and make it sparkle. If you have a minimalist interior for example, go for colourful flowers. The contrast may be very interesting.”

In Colle’s opinion, one of the biggest mistakes that people, and this includes professional florists, make is trying to manipulate flowers and change their natural form, which is, for the most part, wholly unnecessary. “For me their beauty is in their original state,” he says.

Even if that state is as transitory as can be.