Saturday, October 12, 2024, leading players in the flower industry in Kenya converged at the Lord Errol Gourmet Restaurant in Nairobi’s Runda area, in an event hosted courtesy of the Kenya Flower Festival, every so often known as KeFFlo.
Organized by flower aficionado, Rosemary Kimunya, this annual event which also sought to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month was, also, a celebration of the Kenyan flower industry. It showcased all the beautiful flowers the country produces and had quite an impact on those keen on the flower industry.
Promoting the Use of Fresh-Cut and Garden Flowers in Everyday Life
This year’s event featured the first ever Floral Couture; one of its kind in Kenya. It, also, brought to the limelight the beauty and potential that the flower industry holds, more so, when it comes to fashion. Essentially, it was all about fashion and flowers to wear.
Kenya is known for its leading flower industry, a wealth of culture, and ever-changing fashion and trends. It was, therefore, only right that the flower festival recognizes the combo of fashion and flowers; and which the event did marvelously. The Floral Couture, therefore, featured flowery attires, in designs inspired by the iconic Made in Kenya brand dubbed Style by Neomi! alongside other leading individuals in the floral design industry in the country.
The event, which also sought to celebrate the country’s flower lovers, and enthusiasts and to promote the use of fresh-cut and garden flowers in everyday life, saw practically all those who attended donning something floral in their attire. From headwear to dresses, hats, and many others, there was an element of flowers in, practically, everything around.
The floral fair featured the participation of key industry players including Elgon Kenya Ltd, United Selections, Interplant Roses BV, Ball SB, Tambuzi Garden Roses, Sian Flowers, Lenana Flowers, Imani Flowers, Fenmolt Flowers, Molo Greens, Wafex Kenya, Flamingo Horticulture, among others, as well as the Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET), the Pathology Network and the Xperia Agency, which managed the event. They all had their different roles to play in the setting, including providing the beautiful flowers that the florist, Neema Mutheu who is the lead designer at Neema Weddings Inc. used to design the scene.
Also in attendance was Henriette Geiger, the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, who spoke beautifully on the importance of Kenyan flowers, and their significant impact in the E.U markets. But the highlight was, definitely, the showcase of the floral beauty in the attires worn, especially by the models who took to the runway to showcase everything floral about the event.
Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Other than the call to celebrate Kenyan flowers and invest in them whenever and wherever, the other key message was on the challenge of breast cancer which affects many across the world. Experts in the medical field, including Dr. Marek Ostrowski from the MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi, therefore, attended the event, educating the attendees on the issue and how they can protect themselves, and even address it.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a global campaign to reduce breast cancer mortality by 2.5% per year by 2040. And by incorporating it into the flower festival, KeFFlo, in one way plays its role in creating and bringing attention to this challenge that faces many across the world.
Rosemary Kimunya;
“The event, essentially, sought to create awareness of these challenges (including cervical cancer), that affect women everywhere.”
Appreciating the Fresh Flowers and Plants That Come From Kenya
Even so, according to Rosemary, the need to appreciate fresh flowers remains paramount. This is one of the reasons why she hosts this series of flower festivals. For her, the need is to make Kenyan flowers much more appreciated in the country, the continent, and beyond. She, essentially, wants people to be enthusiastic about the flowers that Kenya produces, as well as the nascent floristry and flower design industry in the country.
She, also, had something to point out on the need to integrate indoor plants into households, which is a trend that is fast catching up in Kenya, especially among the youthful generation. Indoor plants, after all, have so many benefits that one cannot afford to miss out on! Others in the floral event, including Purity Njambi from Molo Greens, and Wafex Kenya’s Claris Wanjohi, also spoke highly of the flower fair. You can, therefore, look forward to the next experience in the series.
Photos by the Kenya Flower Festival.
