May 20, 2021
MCQUEENS FLOWER SCHOOL MEET THE TEAM
The McQueens International Flower School is back! After months of anticipation, we are absolutely thrilled to be open and welcoming students to the school at our shiny new residence in the heart of Mayfair.
Based just a stone's throw from Oxford Street, our new floral home is surrounded by some of London's most iconic landmarks, attractions, restaurants, and hotels - including the wonderful Claridge's Hotel where McQueens Flowers have had the pleasure of installing flowers for the last two decades.
Kicking off our 2021 curriculum are a truly incredible team; School Principal, Sophie, and Senior Tutors, Christophe and Theo - who together have a whopping 49 years of combined experience in the industry! Today it's our pleasure to introduce them to you, we hope that you soon get the chance to meet them in person at the New McQueens Flowers International Flower School in Mayfair.
Sophie Powell - School Principal
Hailing from Kent in the UK, Sophie has been a florist for 11 years, she joined McQueens Flowers in 2014 and began teaching at the school four years ago – quickly progressing to School Principal. Sophie loves making large-scale designs as well as utilising flowers that others may consider unconventional – such as everyone’s favourite ‘love it or hate it’ flower, Gypsophila (the rainbow kind). Her favourite flower is the tulip, for its rebellious nature and tendency to do its own thing! Known for her love of all things vibrant and playful you’ll rarely see Sophie without a colourful outfit, accessory, or trademark bloom her hair.
Hailing from Kent in the UK, Sophie has been a florist for 11 years, she joined McQueens Flowers in 2014 and began teaching at the school four years ago – quickly progressing to School Principal. Sophie loves making large-scale designs as well as utilising flowers that others may consider unconventional – such as everyone’s favourite ‘love it or hate it’ flower, Gypsophila (the rainbow kind). Her favourite flower is the tulip, for its rebellious nature and tendency to do its own thing! Known for her love of all things vibrant and playful you’ll rarely see Sophie without a colourful outfit, accessory, or trademark bloom her hair.
Christophe Berreterot - Senior School Tutor
Christophe has been a florist for over 20 years. Originally from France, he recently became an official British Citizen! Like many florists, Christophe made his way up the ladder from scratch, training for two years in France before jumping on the Eurostar to London where he worked for several businesses before joining McQueens Flowers in 2008.
He worked in Events for four years, before leaving to freelance and start his own business. He re-joined McQueens as a tutor over two years ago and hasn’t looked back since. He adores teaching, the challenges and the daily interactions. In his own words; “you never know who will be sitting in front of you. This job has pushed my creativity and makes me feel alive. You have to constantly reinvent yourself because you can't do the same design twice. My natural style is naturalistic with lots of different textures. I love strong designs equally whether they are structural or light and magical.”
Christophe’s favourite colour is green, in every shade! And he loves playing with colour too. He has a penchant for unusual-looking flowers such as thistle, Euphorbias, Fritillarias, Cynara, and Echinops and likes to mix dried and fresh flowers together (he frequently experiments by drying his own flowers at home). One of his favourite aspects of working as a florist has been some of the incredible venues that he has had the pleasure of dressing - from Blenheim Palace and Windsor castle to fabulous Palazzos in Venice.
Christophe has been a florist for over 20 years. Originally from France, he recently became an official British Citizen! Like many florists, Christophe made his way up the ladder from scratch, training for two years in France before jumping on the Eurostar to London where he worked for several businesses before joining McQueens Flowers in 2008.
He worked in Events for four years, before leaving to freelance and start his own business. He re-joined McQueens as a tutor over two years ago and hasn’t looked back since. He adores teaching, the challenges and the daily interactions. In his own words; “you never know who will be sitting in front of you. This job has pushed my creativity and makes me feel alive. You have to constantly reinvent yourself because you can't do the same design twice. My natural style is naturalistic with lots of different textures. I love strong designs equally whether they are structural or light and magical.”
Christophe’s favourite colour is green, in every shade! And he loves playing with colour too. He has a penchant for unusual-looking flowers such as thistle, Euphorbias, Fritillarias, Cynara, and Echinops and likes to mix dried and fresh flowers together (he frequently experiments by drying his own flowers at home). One of his favourite aspects of working as a florist has been some of the incredible venues that he has had the pleasure of dressing - from Blenheim Palace and Windsor castle to fabulous Palazzos in Venice.
Theo Goffe - Senior School Tutor
Theo grew up in Wood Green London – so you could say he was destined to have green fingers! Starting at McQueens Flowers as a young teen, Theo worked as a florist for 13 years working his way up the ladder and through a variety of departments. Three years ago, Theo took a sabbatical, working on the freelance florist scene in London for some of the top names in the industry. He’s now back at McQueens where he is sharing his extensive knowledge with students at our lovely new North Audley establishment. His favorite flower is the fritillaria, for their hidden beauty and repellent petals, and he loves to make asymmetric arrangements for their reference to nature and relation to art. His favourite flower fact? That Dahlias are edible!
Theo grew up in Wood Green London – so you could say he was destined to have green fingers! Starting at McQueens Flowers as a young teen, Theo worked as a florist for 13 years working his way up the ladder and through a variety of departments. Three years ago, Theo took a sabbatical, working on the freelance florist scene in London for some of the top names in the industry. He’s now back at McQueens where he is sharing his extensive knowledge with students at our lovely new North Audley establishment. His favorite flower is the fritillaria, for their hidden beauty and repellent petals, and he loves to make asymmetric arrangements for their reference to nature and relation to art. His favourite flower fact? That Dahlias are edible!
Our fabulous team cannot wait to welcome students to the McQueens Flowers School! If you'd like to come and join us, take a look at our School Page for all of our upcoming classes and availability. We recommend booking in early - with many classes already sold out until the Autumn it really does pay to plan ahead!
