The Gentleman’s Flower Arranging Club

PHOTOS Jac de Villiers WORDS Lin Sampson

The Gentleman’s Flower Arranging Club (GFAC) is helping to grow the global trend of fresh-cut floral accessories for men.

GFAC creator Alwijn Burger, alias Blomboy, says, “This is really to reintroduce flowers into our daily lives, not as an extra luxury, but as a necessity.” It is true that we live in a floral kingdom, yet make little use of our treasure. In days past, great statesmen, warriors and poets have all worn flowers. And it’s a trend that’s starting to sweep the world: in hair, tucked into trousers, wound around wrists and behind the ears.

Alwijn shows a group of 10 men how to make a boutonnière, which he describes as “a symbol of a beautiful life and beauty in nature”. Each man is expected to make a buttonhole and a posy, choosing from buckets of fresh flowers in fugitive colours: mauves, rubies, yolky yellows and mother-of-pearl foliage.

The men are fleet and primed, stripping leaves, gathering blooms. “Nothing,” says Alwijn, “adds more panache to a gentleman’s appearance than a simple flower worn on the lapel.” It is a gesture that signifies culture and civilization and that opens up a whole new world of affordable beauty.

The GFAC Club meets monthly. E-mail info@blomboy.com for bookings.