KITRI Spotlight: Elspeth Tull

What sparked your love for floral design and event styling? Was this something you always had a passion for?

 I've always been creative, one way or another. It was when I was working at an interior design firm that my interest in florals began, I loved seeing how interior styling and floristry transformed spaces on photoshoots. And when my sister also got married around 6 years ago, I helped to design her wedding. From creating the stationery, to styling the tables, I was in my absolute element. I worked with the florist to choose the colour palette and florals, and it was the combination of these two things where I realised that floristry and event design was something I wanted to pursue more seriously. 

How did this passion lead you to start Blume Studio? 

I had a bit of a life change and so started to reevaluate what I wanted in my career. I was only 26 when I took a leap of faith, quit my job and enrolled in a career change course in floristry. It was a month of intense learning, and I couldn’t recommend it more to anyone thinking of floristry as a career. I'd been trying to do floristry in my spare time and had done a couple of courses at this point, but with the comfort of a monthly salary coming in, it stopped me from taking it too seriously. Once I finished the course, I spent the next few months creating the brand and website, and then launched it to the world. The rest is history!

What has been your biggest challenge since founding Blume studio?

Covid was the biggest challenge for Blume. Blume Studio had only been going for a little over a year at this point, and with weddings being a core part of the business, within moments, all that hard work and investment disappeared overnight.

To keep Blume going and earning money, I started selling flowers in front of a local coffee shop. Every Friday I'd drop off 30 to 40 bunches and by Sunday afternoon they'd all be sold out. I was doing this for a couple of months before I noticed a 'to let' sign above an empty store on the high street. An innocent inquiry led to Blume Store opening approximately 6 weeks later. It was whirlwind, but opening Blume Store was really the moment that made my business. During what was such a turbulent time, I found a way to keep going and kept myself visible, despite opening and closing many times because of restrictions. It was such an amazing learning experience, but very exhausting. I found myself completely burnt out and focusing on admin tasks like HR and finance. Whilst it really was the making of the business and what I learnt was invaluable, I lost passion for it as I was no longer the person creating. Once weddings and events were fully back on, I made the decision to close the store and focus back on my original business. It was also seeing the cost of flowers, rent and bills increasing, and the general cost of living going up, that I made a calculated decision to close whilst I could with my profits still intact. 
The store served its purpose and more, but I had some very sad customers who I really valued. However, I’m now in a really happy place with Blume, with a much better work life balance!

Do you have any advice for KITRI girls who are looking to turn their passion into a business?

- It's really important to take calculated risks and put yourself out there. 'Feel the fear and do it anyway' is the mantra I have always followed. You'll feel so good once you've accomplished something you didn't think you were capable of and that will drive you forward.

 - Follow your gut when it comes to decision making and pursue things which make you excited. When turning a passion into a business you'll find the passion will dwindle from time to time, so make sure you stay true to what you love. It's an extremely hard thing to create a sustainable business so enjoy the journey as much as you can. 

- Graft at the beginning so you can choose the lifestyle you want. Working like mad will get you to a certain point, but you won't be good to anyone if you're always burnt out. Life is short so make sure you enjoy it, be passionate about your business, but make sure to save time for your friends and family. 

How would you describe your personal style? 

When I'm in the studio I'll wear practical and comfortable clothes as floristry is very labour intensive. I've learnt the hard way not to wear anything too nice as it gets trashed so quickly. On the rare weekends I have free, I like my outfits to feel effortless and not too put together, so I tend to wear relaxed tailoring like shirts and leather trousers, or a nice co-ord. If the occasion requires it though, there’s nothing I love more than putting on a bold and beautiful dress.

How important is it to express yourself and your personality through your fashion choices? 

I made so many different fashion choices in my teens and 20’s, based on expressing who I wanted to be at the time. Whether that was ‘grunger’, ‘emo’, ‘posh girl’, I went through them all. Growing up I enjoyed experimenting with fashion, but a lot of it was trying to work out who I was.

  
It's a cliché, but as I've gotten older and I'm now in my 30's, I have much more confidence in the way I look, and who I am as a person. As a result, my approach to expressing myself through fashion is now about feeling comfortable in my own skin and being my true self. 

We love to see you wear KITRI! Why did you choose these pieces?

I think this dress was made for me; it is literally Blume in a dress. I'm getting married in April and for my hen party the girls set a 'flower power' theme. I saw this dress and knew it would be perfect. It's so fun and different, and the print is gorgeous. It makes me feel fabulous! 

What’s next for you and Blume Studio?

I’m really excited to continue to work with amazing couples and brands, creating beautiful designs through styling and floristry. This year though is the year of ‘work life balance’, and as such I’m really excited to have a calmer year. Being able to have time off to spend with friends and family, allows me to have the space to be creative and better service my clients. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings, both professionally and personally.