Elle - USA (2019-06)

“F

ashion and flowers are so closely linked. When Tom [Ford]

would receive floral deliveries at the office, you could tell

who sent them the moment they came through the door,”

says Flowerbx CEO and cofounder Whitney Bromberg Hawkings.

After spending 18 years working for the designer, eventually becom-

ing SVP of communications, she knew everyone’s sig-

nature blooms. Fifty white calla lilies? Calvin Klein.

One hundred white roses? Riccardo Tisci. Massive

white orchids? Karl Lagerfeld. Bromberg Hawkings

hit on the idea of launching her own floral business

and, in true start-up fashion, began Flowerbx in her

London home (where she favors ranunculus). This

May, her now four-year-old direct-to-consumer ven-

ture heads to the U.S.

“Tom always stressed to me the importance of hav-

ing a 10-year plan,” she says. “In my twenties, it was

my career. In my thirties, it was also starting my fam-

ily.” On the eve of her fortieth birthday and the birth

of her third child, Bromberg Hawkings again looked

ahead, wondering, “Am I really going to be dealing

with influencers complaining about their show seat-

ing at age 50?” At that time, she was buying everything from clothes

to groceries online to maximize time. But when she entertained at

home, she quickly discovered there was no easy way to buy flowers

online. “I didn’t want to hire a florist,” she says. “I just wanted to be

able to buy 10 hydrangeas and put them in a vase.” London’s New

Covent Garden Market wasn’t terribly convenient, either. She looked

into the supply chain that carries the blooms from farms in Holland

to Covent Garden, where they’re then sold to florists and marked up

significantly in price before sitting for several days. The average flo-

rist has to throw away half their stock, and the con-

sumer pays the price. “We have no stock,” Bromberg

Hawkings explains, “so you buy the flowers, we pur-

chase them on your behalf from Holland, and they’re

dispatched the next day.” The result? “Flowers that

are nearly a week fresher at a lower price.”

Within the first week of business, it quickly be-

came clear that one driver and a simple e-commerce

platform weren’t going to be enough to efficiently ful-

fill the needs of Flowerbx’s sophisticated customers,

among them Victoria Beckham (who receives week-

ly deliveries to her home and her Mayfair boutique),

Louis Vuitton, and Dior. Events have now become

an extension of the business—Bromberg Hawkings

is particularly proud of the highly ambitious and

much-Instagrammed floral facade executed for the

private club Annabel’s in London. While her clients may include

boldface names, Bromberg Hawkings is content to remain in the

background. “I’m not looking to put any particular design stamp on

the product,” she says. That she’ll leave to the customer.

Former PR maven Whitney Bromberg Hawkings

brings stylish savoir faire to florals. By Naomi Rougeau

Bloom Service

BROMBERG

HAWKINGS

FROM LEFT: A FLORAL FACADE AT

ANNABEL’S IN LONDON; BALLET

SLIPPER RANUNCULUSES.

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