Summer Edition 2019

PROFILE
NATURALLY
fabulous
McQueens has been setting
floral art trends since 1991
with breathtaking displays and
flower school courses. Amanda
Morison finds out about Oscar
parties and keeping it real
Nearly 30 years ago, McQueens
founder Kally Ellis had a
dream. During it she created
a bouquet of beautiful blooms,
and woke feeling calm,
refreshed and full of purpose. So much so
that she decided that her future wasn’t in her
current career of banking, but in floristry.
She had never run a business or, more
crucially, been to flower school. Friends and
family tried to dissuade her, but armed with
£14,000 redundancy money Ellis bought an
existing floristry shop, which just so happened
to be owned by Carol McQueen, aunt of the
late designer. She loved the name so kept it and
set to work creating showstopping windows
with which to draw in passersby.
It worked. Since launching in 1991 this East
London home of simple, stylish flowers has
gone global, taught a generation of professional
and home florists in its flower school and
workshops, and created “art for the moment”
(as Ellis likes to describe her work) at highprofile
parties, corporate shindigs and parties
across London and the world.
What is McQueens’ secret? It seems, in part,
in stepping up to a challenge. 18-hour days
were the norm when the company launched,
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