Saying it with flowers
Thai floral designer realises dream of taking his place among the world’s elites
Soon after Miss Philippine Catriona Gray was announced Miss Universe 2018, she received the coveted crown as well as a stylist bouquet that was the talk of the town due to its distinctive design. This exquisite pageant bouquet featured purple Thai orchids and various other flowers in the same shades. In her white crown, flowers were used to replace ribbons. Inspired by the Great Naga, the white base cloth of the bouquet was a unique design adorned with pearls.
Responsible for creating the stunning bouquet was floral designer Phiyawat Meephaithoon who said he was thrilled and proud of his work when seeing it in the hands of the former Miss Universe.
“It was the best moment of my career. That moment was what I had been waiting for 30 years and it came true. The shot of the moment [when Gray accepted the bouquet] will be with us for years,” Phiyawat said happily.
His expression wasn’t an overstatement. He started to dream of being a floral designer for Miss Universe in 1988, when Miss Thailand Pornthip Nakhirunkanok won the title. The graceful image of Pornthip in the white grown with the sparkling crown on her head and an elegant bouquet in her hand impressed Phiyawat who was only seven years old at the time.
“I like beauty pageants and always watch the contests. At that time, I wished someday my creation would be onstage at a beauty pageant. I am especially interested in a bouquet for the winner of a beauty competition because the image when the beauty queen accepted a crown and a bouquet will be a memorable moment for a long time,” said the floral designer.
In the world of flower design, Phiyawat is recognised as one of the top designers. He has designed bouquets for beauty queens at national and international beauty competitions including Miss International Queen, Miss Thailand Universe, Miss Thailand World and 2018 Miss Universe.
The Saraburi native was a boy who had passion for beauty pageants and floral arrangements. He represented his high school at embroidery and garland-making competitions in the province. His skills and passion caught the eye of a teacher who was a champion at the “Olympics of Floral Design”. The teacher decided to teach him flower arrangement techniques. On the first day, Phiyawat learned that making a bouquet wasn’t as easy as he thought.
“He taught me details both in theory and practice. There were 136 patterns of basic floral arrangement. Each pattern had a different scale and there was a lot to learn. I almost quit, but then I realised that nothing comes easy. I decided to go for it.”
It took time for him to develop his proficiency. He started from being a flower arrangement freelancer while studying economics at Bangkok University. Eventually, he opened his own flower shop, Flow Design, seven years ago.
In the meantime, he discovered his own style.
“I understand the basic Western style of flower arrangement, but my style is modern Thai. I like to adapt Thai embroidery design into the Western pattern. I also like to use simple materials; especially crown flowers. I like to design them in unusual forms and decorate them in a bouquet,” Phiyawat said.
After working hard for years, the great opportunity came. He was chosen to create bouquets for the winner at Miss International Queen in 2015 and became the regular floral designer for other two national beauty competitions — Miss Thailand Universe and Miss Thailand World, beginning in 2016.
The top floral designer revealed his tips in floral arrangement for beauty queens.
“A bouquet for a beauty queen must enhance her beauty. The bouquet shouldn’t look messy or become a burden. It must look balanced on both sides whether she carries it with her left hand or right hand. It must look proper with the winner’s figure. As a diehard fan of beauty pageants, I could tell which contender would be crowned, so I created a bouquet to match with her size,” told Phiyawat.
As top Thai floral designer, his bouquets have been praised by contenders and organisers. But when working with the global talent agency Miss Universe, Phiyawat faced many obstacles.
“My first design was rejected. I planned to use imported white flowers, but the agency wanted bouquets with colourful Thai flowers. When my design was approved, the crews had to see the bouquets before the final round to ensure they would come out accurately.”
Despite the pressure, the designer was pleased with all he learned from working with the Miss Universe organisation.
“I gained a lot of knowledge. For instance, I made very long white crown flowers and I was told that they shouldn’t be that long because when a beauty queen was captured in a medium close-up shot, the whole crown flowers wouldn’t be in a frame.”
His dream was fulfilled and his creative design became one of the highlights of the competition.
“Before the Miss Universe competition, Thais barely valued flowers. But people valued and talked about bouquets in the competition a lot. I’m proud that I could raise the Thai flower arrangement industry to another level,” Phiyawat said.
His talents have been widely accepted, but Phiyawat hasn’t stopped developing his skills. To challenge himself, he participated in national competitions. Last year, he won the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn trophy at the Floral Arrangement Thailand Championship. And this year, he was awarded the top prize at the oldest and most prestigious floral competition in Thailand, Nai Lert Flower & Garden Art Fair. As the winner of the competition, he was awarded a trip to Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London. To visit the famous flower and landscape garden show was an eye opener for him.
“After looking at their works, I felt like I was a child. They were so great at building structures and using various techniques. If I entered this competition, I would fail in the first round. But Thai designers stand out at making things in detail.”
His next goal is to become world champion at a flower show arranged by the Royal Horticultural Society which is like Olympics of floral design.
“Being world champion is one thing I would like to achieve. The competition is very tough. Participants must go through a writing test and flower arrangement. I will prepare myself for five years before going to the competition. And in the year that I participate, I will work at the flower shop less than usual to concentrate on the competition throughout the year,” he said.
A bouquet for a beauty queen must enhance her beauty