St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur has unveiled Fleuriste St~Germain, an enchanting flower shop and cocktail bar created in collaboration with James Whiteside, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer & Choreographer, and Laura Kim, Fashion Designer behind Oscar de la Renta and Monse. St~Germain and the two artists conceived of the New York City destination to add a dash of inspiration and creativity to people’s summer weekends and re-establish community after a long period spent apart.
With exclusive performances, conversations, intricate design touches, artfully crafted cocktails and a bespoke Spritz station, Fleuriste St~Germain is designed to create moments for the local community to come together and celebrate the city’s creative resurgence. Registration for the limited-run events is available via the official website.
Fleuriste St~Germain is the latest iteration of the brand’s Salon St~Germain series, which enlists unexpected pairings of creative talent to collaborate on an experience or product. The program draws inspiration from French salons, which brought together luminaries for rousing debates and artistic creativity, playing an integral role in the cultural and intellectual development of society from the Enlightenment through its apogee in 1920s Paris.
To reinterpret traditional French salons to the present day, the duo re-envisioned a flower shop or “fleuriste” as a cultural hub with spontaneous chords of creativity strung throughout the day. Just as St~Germain works in harmony when it comes together with others, programming takes an iconoclast format: fashion designers meet florists meet prima ballerinas meet mixologists.
On arrival at Fleuriste St~Germain, guests will be greeted with a floral wonderland, which will serve as the backdrop for various talks and specialty cocktails. Each day there will be special performances conceived by Whiteside, costumed with original designs by Laura Kim, and complemented by an exclusive cocktail menu from St~Germain National Ambassador Earlecia Richelle.
“We’re thrilled to launch the second iteration of Salon St~Germain with two visionaries like Laura Kim and James Whiteside,” said Emma Fox, Global Brand Vice President at St~Germain. “Like the original French salons, Fleuriste St~Germain will encourage people to step inside for creative cocktails and conversations with cultural tastemakers for a dash of inspiration to effortlessly elevate their summer weekend.”
“I’m honored to be a lead Curator for the inaugural Fleuriste St~Germain, which for me is an exciting platform to initiate a spirited dialogue around the future of the arts and design with a like-minded community,” said James Whiteside.
“It’s been so refreshing to collaborate with James on Fleuriste St~Germain, as it marks an opportunity to think about the future for our creative industries and all of the opportunities to advance change in style – I hope everyone can leave equally inspired!” added Laura Kim.
Fleuriste St~Germain is a free event open to the public (21+) from Friday, August 13 through Sunday, August 15.