Thorns & All: World Cup Champion Bart Hassam on Floral Sculpture & Why Every Trend Comes Back Around

Abby Chick sits down with Bart Hassam, 2019 Interflora World Cup champion and owner of three flower shops in Brisbane, Australia, for a conversation about where floral design trends come from and where they're headed.

Bart shares his path from his grandmother's garden in Queensland to ten years as a design assistant in Japan to the World Cup stage. He explains why copying the masters is one of the best ways to learn, and why formal floral education still matters even when it looks dated. Abby also asks the question every florist scrolling Pinterest has been wondering about: what are these hydrangea mounds called? Bart traces today's floral sculpture trend back to 1970s and '80s competition work, and explains why proportion is what separates great work from a knockoff.

Plus: his take on dry stemming and why every bouquet leaving his shop gets a water source, the Australian designers he recommends following, and what's next, including a new shop and flower school in Brisbane.