Kathy Ireland Talks to LATP about her new Company, Fabulous Florals

Kathy Ireland, supermodel, actress, author and enterpreneur, is CEO and Chief Designer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a design and marketing firm who’s primary mission is “finding solutions for families, financial, entertaining, home, fashion and outdoor solutions; the goal to make life easier, better and more beautiful for busy people. Her new baby, Fabulous Florals, offers a solution for busy moms who want fresh, quality cut flowers, in bulk, that is cost-effective as well.

LAsThePlace.com caught up with Kathy Ireland to discuss FabulousFlorals.com, the ease of online ordering, the great value they offer award-winning designs on a budget, how they give back and more…

LA’s The Place:  How has fabulousflorals.com fit in with your Home Style Guides overall concept?

Kathy Ireland:  In a fabulous way! Every flower is chosen to support a Style Guide™. Our Style Guides™ include: Aloha, Americana, Architectural, European Country, La Vida Buena, In Russian Style, Ivory Coast and Far East Dreams. Although our Style Guides™ reach beyond home into all areas of design…they quickly and easily give mom the unique design inspiration from all over our globe. 

LATP:  Your company has embraced a “solution” theme to its marketing. Do your floral designs create a ready-to-go feel when your customers order?

KI:  Our mission at Kathy Ireland Designs™ by fabulousflorals.com is “…finding solutions for families, especially busy moms”.

Our brand offers four promises… fashion, quality, value and safety. Something mom does not have enough of is time! Kathy Ireland Designs™ by fabulousflorals.com makes it easy for mom to choose her florals by color, fragrance, occasion and season. She can also shop by Style Guides™, variety, specials for each day and by flower name. There is not a better value available! I placed an order this weekend and the recipient was ecstatic! The gorgeous flowers arrived overnight, fresh, fragrant and absolutely fabulous! Our customers save money by placing the florals in their own vase from home.

Our website includes design tips by Nicholas Walker of JduJ and Chef Andre of ACafe both a part of Kathy Ireland Homeâ„¢. Nicholas and Andre teach how ordinary household items can become a gorgeous vase for your fabulous floral displays. You will also find information about flower care and handling. Your order will include a package of plant food to maximize the life and vibrancy of your florals.

LATP:  With online sales growing every year, how do you see the power-of-the-Internet with overall flower sales?

KI:  The internet is revolutionizing the industry! As a busy mom, I appreciate that I can go to fabulousflorals.com late at night after I put our children to bed. fabulousflorals.com is a huge solution for busy moms. The design videos by Nicholas and Chef Andre give moms everywhere, including me, a great education in floral design and they make it fun! There will always be a strong need for retail and designers. Something that Warren Buffet has shared is that there will always be a need for independent business. The internet gives mom a wonderful choice.

LATP:  What is your favorite arrangement and which one sells the best on your site?

KI:  Some of our best sellers include Roses and Orchids. I honestly could not choose one favorite flower. Each flower is so special, so unique. From the sweet perfume of the Gardenia to the bold statement of Birds of Paradise…each flower has its own origin, its own unique qualities, its own style and its own design. Flowers conjure up emotion, imagination and sweet memories. The Rose, the Phalaenopsis Orchid and the Lily have a way of wrapping around our hearts (I capitalize all flowers, because I have such a personal relationship with each one!).

KI:  My first adventure with world renowned Landscape Designer, Nicholas Walker was at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. Nicholas was used to working with clients with exorbitant resources. My challenge to Nicholas was this, “I want this extraordinary look and I want it to be real. It’s got to fit her budget”. I gave Nicholas a tiny and realistic budget. As the exhibitors were preparing for the show, the spaces next to Nicholas clearly had enormous budgets. There were beautiful mature trees… exotic and expensive plants of every kind…beautifully sculptured arbors, walls and statues. There were a few chuckles in Nicholas’s direction as he unloaded boulders, PVC pipes, white twinkly Christmas tree lights, beach glass and some succulents from his pick up truck. Besides the small budget, Nicholas was also given a very small and realistic space. He placed the white twinkly Christmas tree lights on the ground. He covered them with beach glass in shades of blue. The twinkling of the lights gave movement and the shades of blue reflected the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. Nicholas took the PVC pipes (very inexpensive from the hardware store) and sprayed painted them a warm, burnished gold. Every foot and a half he wrapped wire around the pipe which transformed these products into beautiful bamboo rain towers. He made holes in the boulders, inserted PVC pipe and made beautiful water features and fountains. Throughout this garden he placed succulents of every kind. Succulents are very easy to care for, they don’t require a lot of water and they are very durable. While Nicholas endured some looks and comments, he had the last laugh. Kathy Ireland Home™ JduJ cultivated by Nicholas Walker won the gold medal! Nicholas proved that you can have a gorgeous garden without breaking your bank.

LATP:  Since flower sales boom on special occasion days like Valentine’s Day, would you say this is a recession proof business?

KI:  In this economy, it would be arrogant to say that any business is recession proof. One of the blessings of these challenging times is that it causes us to do better work, to give mom the very best value for her precious dollar. 

LATP:  Do you find the quality of flowers best from California?

KI:  Kathy Ireland Designs™ by fabulousflorals.com offers flowers from around the world. Our company is based in California. As a seventh generation Californian, I have to admit, I am partial to this remarkable land. The climate in California is extraordinary for growing children and flowers.

LATP: How does the organic world fit into flower and plants sales?

KI:  Nicholas Walker has dedicated much of his life and career to bring the beauty of organic living to our homes and gardens. It is encouraging that our industry is experiencing a movement of moving away from pesticides. We are grateful to Nicholas for the awareness he brings to clean organic living.

LATP: What does the future hold for fabulousflorals.com?

KI:  We are in our infancy…we have a long way to go. It is a joy and honor to serve our customers through Kathy Ireland Designs™ by fabulousflorals.com. We are grateful for the loyalty of our customers. Our customers make it possible for our team to work everyday to fulfill our mission of “…finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.” Just as there are essential ingredients to growing healthy flowers, there are essentials ingredients to growing a healthy brand. The most critical ingredient is you, our customer. There is so much to learn from you. Please visit us on our contact page at Kathy Ireland Designs™ by fabulousflorals.com or at kathyireland.com and tell us how we can better serve you.

LATP:  What’s new with KathyIreland.org and how can flowers help heal the world?

KI:  Every time our business grows it allows us to be of service. All business helps us support the non-profits that are close to our hearts. Whether we are addressing the Alliance for Christian Education, Feed The Children, The Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation, The Eight Millennial Development Goals or cancer research through the Barbara Ireland Walk for the Cure…you make it possible for us to support these non-profits that are positively and powerfully changing our world. Thank you.

Kathy Ireland Worldwide:

KIWW products include flooring, rugs, home furniture, office and entertainment furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, window coverings, bedding, mattresses, candles, apparel, jewelry, blankets, hand painted porcelain, fire resistant products and top of bed fashions.

KIWW teams with industry leaders in each category of business, Flooring-Shaw Industries a Berkshire-Hathaway Company, Rugs-Shaw Living a Berkshire Hathaway Company, Home Furniture – Kathy Ireland Home by Standard, Office and Entertainment Furniture – Kathy Ireland Home by Martin, Lighting-Pacific Coast Lighting, Decorative Accessories – Pacific Coast Accessories, Window Coverings – Kathy Ireland Home by Alta, Bedding – Kathy Ireland Home by Therapedic, Permanent Florals-Kathy Ireland Home by Labs, Candles-Kathy Ireland Home by Hanna’s Candle Co., Socks – Kathy Ireland by GoldToe Moretz, Top of bed fashions- Kathy Ireland Home by Hallmart Collectibles, Hand painted porcelain – Kathy Ireland Home by Franz, Fabrics – Kathy Ireland Home by Bonavista, Baby bedding – Kathy Ireland Home by Thank You Baby, Fresh Cut Florals – Kathy Ireland Designs by Florabundance and Kathy Ireland Jewelry.

Kathy Ireland is a woman with her finger on the pulse on the needs of society, and has fulfilled that need through her various successful companies, which helped millions attain a more beautiful existence. And well she has done; Forbes Magazine reports that KIWW is a “design empire which grosses over one billion dollars annually in retail sales”. This year, Newsweek reported, “Annual sales run to $1.4 billion”. Her companies have thrived because of her innate business instincts on the needs of society, which she has fulfilled in the highest of standards on all levels, and with a track record like this, you can be assured you are spending your hard-earned dollars in the right place!

For more information, please visit: www.KathyIreland.com or email: [email protected]

Read our article on Fabulous Florals here…