It's interview time with the brilliant Galina Serebriakova, a floral designer and member of the communications and marketing team at Alexandra Farms. She studied floral design at Moscow Flower School, Lacy Bird Academy, and Floral Art School, all of which are in her native Russia.
Know More About Galina Serebriakova - An Inspirational Figure in the Flower Industry
Galina, now based in Bogotá, Colombia, is fluent in Russian, Spanish, and English, and has a basic understanding of French. She is also a specialty coffee expert, not to mention her passion and adoration for flowers which she shares on Blum Florals. In this talk, she shares more about herself and how she contributes as a designer in the flower industry.
Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role at Alexandra Farms?
Galina Serebriakova:
"My name is Galina Serebriakova and I am a floral designer at Alexandra Farms. At Alexandra Farms, I make designs for flower shows like Proflora, create designs for customers, make creative thematic designs with our roses for special dates, and I now work on each variety grown at the farm design to show every rose at its maximum beauty."
Q: What is your favorite part about your job at Alexandra Farms and why do you like working with flowers?
Galina:
"My favorite part of my job is to get to know all those breathtaking roses that we grow and discover them every time more and more. Alexandra Farms is always searching for new fascinating varieties to grow and it is really interesting to participate in the process of discussing and choosing those varieties. A lot of outstanding designers are being invited to the farm from all over the world and I feel privileged to meet and even see them design at the farm since I learn a lot from all of them."
Q: Can you share more about your career and trajectory as a floral designer? Tell us a bit more about your own story, how you started in the flower world, what your favorite flower is, etc.
Galina:
"Before floral design, I worked first in an office, given I am an international relations specialist. Then I was a barista and coffee specialist for four years. I like coffee a lot but felt that it was not still my vocation. So, I was in a constant search for it. Once my friend told me: Look, all your phone is full of flower photos. And I understood that it was so. At the end of 2018, I suddenly decided to take a 3-day course at the Moscow Flower School. I was so in love and happy those three days. But then I worked one more year in what was coffee-related."
"At the beginning of 2020, I moved to Colombia, where I was pregnant and had my daughter in July 2020. When she was born I thought I could do anything in this world. So I was still thinking about what I would like to do in life and then I decided to try to work with flowers. Here in Colombia, it was easy because you do not need a lot of investment to start. So I started to work from home making bouquets and arrangements. While doing it I was constantly developing and took some courses at Lacy Bird Academy and floral art school. Then I learned about the Alexandra Farms garden rose contest and decided to participate. On the second attempt, I won the third prize and was invited to their farms, it was great."
"I managed to open my floral studio and moved from home there 1.5 years ago. I love many flowers, but since my childhood, my favorite flower is the tulip. I like tulips. After all, they remind me of spring and my hometown, childhood, and my mother because they always grow in spring in her garden. These are almost the first spring flowers that we had after a long winter. I like its elegant and simple shape, the light smell, and the variety of colors."
Q: What is the best part about being a floral designer?
Galina:
"The best part for me is to create something beautiful that makes people and myself happy and gives joy."
Q: Who do you have in mind (persona/audience) when creating your designs?
Galina:
"It depends on what design it is. In general, I am thinking about people who will see the design and like it and maybe even admire it and the flowers. Sometimes people discover new varieties in designs. And it is great to be able to show people the real beauty of flowers."
Q: Could you describe your style?
Galina:
"I think my style is colorful and at the same time tender. I like combing colors and even while creating pastel designs put some small details of a bit brighter colors to it."
Q: What is your favorite flower trend at the moment?
Galina:
"I like that now brides choose for their weddings, not classic white and light pinks but all different bright colors and there is always a mixture of different varieties in the designs. I like antique colors and it is great to see that there are in the trends too."
Q: Who/what inspires you? Tell us more about your greatest inspirational figures and who inspires you at the moment of creating floral designs.
Galina:
"There are so many great designers out there. I really like the style of Kiana Underwood, Gilberto Freihooff, and Holly Chapple at the moment."
Q: What has been your favorite floral design up to this day?
Galina:
"I loved the design I crafted for the Proflora 2023 event for Alexandra Farms. I love this design as it is the first time I used so many garden roses. I wanted to make it as delicate and graceful as possible using some of the world's most beautiful roses. For me this arch is a fairytale arch; that is how I imagine a fairytale with a lot of pink, yellow, cream, and touches of blue colors which Tweedia gave, and a sweet floral smell of jasmine flowers which I used as foliage in this design. It is a very beautiful piece."
Q: Why do you think flowers are essential for the world?
Galina:
"Flowers are important because it is a constant and most secure source of joy and happiness, also they give you consolation in hard times. They make life more beautiful and cozy. They are also so important because it is a huge industry where a lot of people work, and in countries like Colombia, this industry gives a lot of opportunities to its workers."
Q: How will you keep contributing to the floral industry and what excited you the most about your future?
Galina:
"I will continue to develop myself as a floral designer because I still have a lot to learn and a lot to create. I think I am good at developing the floral industry in Colombia, exactly floristry. I would continue to spread knowledge about flowers here in the near future to make people appreciate flowers more and to take care of them more."
Photos courtesy of Galina Serebriakova.
