The show was mind-blowing… the clothes, the flowers, the music, the colours, the knowledge that it was going to be Raf’s last show”

Raf Simons decided to compliment his 36-look collection with six flower arrangements, highlighting the palette of the collection and encased in plexiglass cubes created by Antwerp-based florist Mark Colle. The flowers – now wilting, possessing a different kind of beauty – have since been displayed at the Jil Sander showroom in Milan.

Having worked as a florist since the age of 15, Colle now owns a small shop called Baltimore, named after his favourite city. For this fashion floral exclusive, AnOther spoke exclusively with Colle about how the collaboration came about, the ideas behind the arrangements and his thoughts about being a part of Raf’s memorable show…

How did the collaboration between yourself and Raf Simons come about?
I’ve known Raf for a long time, he often comes into the shop. He phoned about three weeks before the show and asked me if I would be interested in creating flower arrangements for the show.

What were the key ideas behind the arrangements?
The most important thing was that they were all different and reflect the collection; highlighting the romance, femininity and fragility of the designs. He also wanted them to be slightly abstract so that’s why we used the plexiglass cubes; it was the first time I’d used these. I only saw a few pieces from the collection but I saw all of the fabrics and colours that were going to be used.

Can you describe the six arrangements – did you have a favourite?
There was one that was very colourful, very bright; one that was very pale; another which had almost entirely red, unusual species of orchids; another that looked like morning dew, the kind one would see walking through a jungle. I didn’t really have a favourite. When we first started making them, there were ones that I preferred but when I saw them all together they worked perfectly as a group.

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