April Influencer: Kamila Alikhani

Our featured Canadian influencer this month is Kamila Alikhani, whose April pick in VITA is simultaneously floral and earth-friendly! Read all about Kamila below, and watch for more fabulous influencer insights in the coming months! —Vita Daily

Hi Kamila! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Six years ago, I found myself feeling like a superhuman, imperfect maybe, but a superhuman nonetheless. I had become a mom and I discovered a strength, patience, power and confidence that I never knew I had. Rising to the challenge of taking care of children gave me the unshakable belief that I could do anything I wanted. And what I wanted to do was to create beautiful spaces. I wanted to design flowers that were slightly poetic and stylish. More importantly, I wanted to do all of this in a sustainable way. So here I am, a woman on a mission, making big and small decisions to create a space that is mindful and generous, abundant with flowers and friends.

When and why did you launch your floral business, Bloomiér? What products/services do you offer, and what makes Bloomiér unique (especially from a sustainability standpoint)?

Bloomiér is a unique flower company. We believe that running our business comes with a commitment to making positive environmental impacts and being socially responsible. Established in August 2019, we are still a young team, but we are proud of our flowers and the joy they bring to so many people. Committing to breaking the cycle of waste meant refusing some of the traditional models of running a floral company for us. Our first priorities were to eliminate the use of materials like floral foam and plastic wrap, source flowers locally wherever possible, recycle, reuse and compost everything that comes through our studio. Our next step was to implement a Subscription business model. This allows us to understand our business’s demands, and to only source the flowers needed for each set of arrangements. With no extra stock on hand, there are no unused flowers to throw away. By offering convenience and floral inspiration to homes (and not only offices) made this a feasible business model for us.

How do you fit sustainability into your daily look/life?

I believe that everyone can do something, but no one can do everything. The perfect sustainable lifestyle doesn’t exist. It’s a process and daily small choices we make that have a big impact. I hope to inspire people to choose sustainable options, while leading by example.

Top three or so tips for anyone looking to bring more sustainability into their everyday/home and/or shopping purchases?

1. Before I bring something into my life and business, I think of what is going to happen to it at the end of its lifecycle.
2. Sometimes we buy things out of habit and very often there is an alternative available in the market. Even though, constraints inspire creativity, not all problems need a brand -new solution.
3. There’s a hidden environmental cost to everything. Even something as organic as a bunch of flowers can have a trail of invisible waste. We need to look more deeply into the production process to see the true impact of the things we buy.

What’s your top sustainable product pick for April

I haven’t found a better gift—for yourself or your loved ones—than a flower subscription. Sustainably created Bloomiér bouquets are poetic, unique and modern. With every delivery, we’ll surprise you the most beautiful, hard-to-find flowers. They’re a charming way to bring warmth and character—not to mention, spring—into your home.

bloomier.ca