Yiyu: A bouquet for… yourself?
Yiyu Florist has no physical store, and the atelier is located in an old apartment in Taipei’s Da’an District.
As an online shop, Yuyi debuted by offering a service entitled “Weekly Bouquet.” Subscribers grant the floral designer full discretion to personally make purchases at a flower market, undertake basic procedures such as stem splitting and thorn removal, arrange the flowers into a compact and delicate bouquet, and once weekly deliver it into their hands via courier.
The virtual shop’s Chinese brand name, yi yu you hua (“in a small place, there are flowers”), is a pun on the given name of founder Wang Yi-yu, so that it can also be read as “Yi-yu has flowers.” The name reflects her original intent in launching the business: “I wanted to make flowers more accessible in daily life.”
Five years ago, when Wang was still in graduate school and under pressure from her tight schedule, it occurred to her to order herself a flower bouquet as a way to relieve stress. But she found that traditional florists were scarce on the ground nearby, and only large bouquets and floral gifts starting at NT$1000 were available on the Internet. Even then few matched her desires in terms of size and style.
Originally a student of industrial design, she was inspired to launch an online florist’s shop, and to do so she turned down a job offer in China and embarked on the path toward becoming a self-taught florist. After her boyfriend Chang Po-wei came on board for her project, they gradually fleshed out the details of her concept: “Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers.”
Many people have the impression that Yiyu is a florist with a lot to say for itself. The typical florist welcomes customers to write a personal message to the recipient, but Yuyi takes the opposite tack, attaching a small card that features a brief, iconic quote from a celebrity, book or film.
“Since our starting point was ‘buying flowers for yourself,’” explains Chang, “we try to figure out how to utilize a bouquet of flowers to cheer someone up for the coming week.”
On the fan page, in addition to introducing the weekly bouquet’s flower varieties and how to care for them, entries also convey sentiments reflecting the two floral designers’ recent experiences. When the customer receives the weekly arrangement, it’s as if they are also being gifted with a greeting from a close friend, gentle words whispered in the ear that accentuate a sense of healing.
Pandemic-era trend: Since spur-of-the-moment overseas travel is out, many are opting for a bouquet of flowers to brighten up their living space.