FLOWER BOY: “Weekend essentials” is how Kris Van Assche captioned one of the many selfies on his Instagram account depicting him arriving at home cradling a spectacular bunch of fresh-cut flowers.
Now he’s turned his passion for arrangements into a side hustle: At W China‘s annual gala in Shanghai on Wednesday night, guests repairing to the 200-foot-long dinner table discovered as centerpieces more than 300 flower boxes by the Belgian fashion designer.
“I thought about what a shame it is these kind of dinners only last two hours and that all the flowers simply end up in the trash,” he said. “So I came up with an idea of flower boxes — three sizes and three different heights — and guests will be invited to take those boxes home after dinner, as many as they can carry.”
Van Assche concentrated on his go-to flowers — tulips, hydrangeas and orchids — and a black, white and red color story.
“It’s been a fun experience working as a florist for a day,” he said, while confessing there was more than three weeks of prep work in Paris in the lead-up to the event.
“Flowers and fashion are the same,” he mused at the Shanghai event, which marked his first time visiting China since COVID-19. “It’s not necessary. But it’s the extra plus that makes all the difference.”
W China’s editor in chief Mix Wei said his staff noticed Van Assche’s knack with stems on Instagram and approached him directly with the table decor assignment.
“It has an oriental touch, very poetic and zen, but also the opulence of Western floral arrangements, just like the menu today, a duet of Chinese flavors and fine dining,” said Chinese actress Zhu Zhu, who attended the gala in a red Proenza Schouler gown.
“Flower arrangement is a disciplined practice in our culture. I really saw his patience, his dedication to building a story around these three simple colors,” added Chu Wong, a Chinese model who also arranges flowers as a hobby.
Since winding up a three-year stint as Berluti’s artistic director in 2021, Van Assche has created a collection for Chinese kidswear giant Balabala, and published a book about his career so far, spanning 55 collections across his own brand, Dior Homme and Berluti.