Meet Justine Beaussart, florist
You've probably seen Justine in photos of Make My Lemonade collections. Today, she tells us about her career and the profession she practises with passion, her relationship with flowers and her inspirations.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your career?
My name is Justine, and I'm a florist based in Milan, Italy. I studied communications, which led me to become a photo and video producer for advertising. Initially, it was a pretty smooth ride, I must say, until the day I started to get a bit itchy...! First of all, I was surrounded by a succession of inspiring women who set themselves crazy career-changing challenges: ceramist, bookseller, picture framer, pastry chef, tattoo artist, flight simulator instructor and the list goes on! And then there was a growing sense of work fatigue. So, 3 years ago, I took the plunge: resignation, internships, CAP. So here I am, a florist specializing in events and set design.
Do you know where your taste for flowers comes from?
I have a lot of lovely childhood memories of flowers, so I'd say that's where it comes from. The annual ritual of transplanting pansies, the big Sunday bunches of gladioli at the market, the "little lavender bags" workshops for the laundry, the edelweiss in the herbariums and then the long-awaited arrival of the spectacular mimosa bloom in the garden every winter.
You've been living in Milan, Italy, for 4 years now. How do Italians relate to flowers, and do you see a cultural difference with France?
In Milan, flower culture is quite different from what I've experienced in France, especially in terms of what's on offer.
On the one hand, there are the many kiosks selling cheap flowers and fairly basic bouquets, and on the other, there are the very beautiful upmarket boutiques.
In the middle of these two extremes, where in France there are many qualified florists in large city districts, here there aren't many.
That said, in recent years things have been changing a little, with new, less traditional young florists entering the market, thanks in particular to the rise of online commerce and social networking, and I can also see a growing interest in flowers among people of my generation.
You've posed several times for Make My Lemonade, but you also composed the floral design set for The Coolest Person You Know collection, so is it harder to pose or compose?
It's not that one is more difficult than the other, but let's just say that when I'm modeling, I'm having fun, and when I'm composing, I'm working! Although my work is obviously a lot of fun, and I always try to pose professionally :)
Imagine a flower that doesn't exist... what does it look like and smell like?
It has a warm, sweet, jasmine-like scent. It blooms several times a year, each time in a different, unpredictable color. It's generous, always bursting at the seams with pollen and nectar, an inexhaustible source of food for all the bees in the neighborhood!
An artist who inspires your work?
Rachel Ruysch, a Dutch painter whose favorite theme was still lifes of flowers.
At Dior, we find roses and lilies of the valley, at Yves Saint Laurent we appreciate flowers such as lilies, jasmine, hyacinths... and which flowers for Make My Lemonade?
Colorful flowers in incredible shapes: Café au Lait and Penhill Watermelon Giant Dahlias, Allium Ambassador, Suttons Apricot Digitales, Clair de Lune Peonies and Old Rose Dandy.
The long-awaited question: what's your favorite flower?
I clearly have a soft spot for Dahlias :)
But ideally, my favorite flower is grown locally and seasonally. Even today, 9 out of 10 flowers on the market come from abroad, are doped with pesticides and lie dormant for days on end in cold rooms.
In France, the local industry is slowly being reorganized, thanks in particular to a new generation of committed florists and consumer awareness-raising.
Your 3 favorite Instagram accounts?
3 flowery accounts then!
@poppykalas
@doan_ly
@wifenyc
So, what can we wish you for the future?
Ohlala! The future is going to be full of exciting new things and big life changes!
First of all, a return to France in the near future, and then the creation of a new business in spite of these uncertain times... stay tuned and don't forget to tell me M**de!