After conquering Japan and seducing European fashion designers, Danish floral master Nicolai Bergmann set his sights on the States. First stop, Los Angeles.
A rose is a rose is a rose? Not to Nicolai Bergmann, who recently opened a gorgeous floral shop on West Third Street. Though the Dane was introduced to the horticultural world as a child, it was a trip to Japan that cemented his future. He apprenticed himself to a florist, later returning under an artist’s visa. The designation is apt; Bergmann uses the full breadth of the botanical world to sculpt creations inspired by architecture and the colors of old kimonos. Asked to create a party favor, he invented a floral box: tightly packed flowers seem poised to burst out of their container. The seemingly simple presentation flew off the shelves, and now, 20 years later, it’s spawned 21 shops across Japan and collaborations with brands from Louis Vuitton to Lululemon. Now, with his new floral emporium, which includes a cafe and a classroom, Bergmann is poised to seduce Los Angeles. “We wanted to shake things up,” he says. “L.A. had the right edge.”
Photography by: Hirokazu Sugimoto
