Floral artist Jeff Leatham in his Beverly Hills workshop.
Photograph by JUCO for Bloomberg Businessweek
Meet Jeff Leatham, the Florist Beloved by Royalty and the Kardashians
Flowers tend to be a coincident indicator with the economy: When times are good, people spend on florists. And right now, business is downright blossoming.
When Iranian fashion model Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar married Nigerian oil heir Folarin Alakija in June 2017, the wedding was held at Blenheim Palace, an 18th century pile in Oxfordshire where Winston Churchill was born. The day featured a 12-foot cake and a performance by Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke. But it was the flowers that stole the show.
Billowing waves of white roses—1 million in all—cascaded across the floors. Thousands of white orchids dripped from chandeliers and reached in marshmallow arcs over fireplaces. The church altarpiece was made of hydrangeas.