Lydia Bustin is the creative behind Ameria Floral Design based in Attleborough, Norfolk. Ahead of an exhibition supported by the Love Your Market Town grant scheme, Lydia explains how she made the move from fashion design to flowers
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lydia Bustin, I’m 29 years old with a huge passion and drive for creativity, art, culture, community and business! I’m a floral designer based in Attleborough, covering all aspects of floristry, from weddings and funerals to events and corporate flower design. I’ve been in the industry for four years but have really started pushing my business in the last year.
What led you to starting Armeria and what is the thinking behind it?
I’ve always been creative and graduated in 2017 with a degree in fashion and textile design. After graduating, I found it extremely difficult to get into fashion – 99% of jobs available in the fashion industry were either in London or Manchester so it was really difficult for me to land a job that could pay me to travel/live that far away from Norfolk. So, I decided to start up my own fashion brand, which was a tiny little business which I worked on whilst working a full-time job. I ended up realising how much waste the fashion industry produces, and it changed my direction and ultimately stopped the business. I then went on to work in a marketing role for four years which taught me a lot of skills which I have been able to use in my floral business today. I started Armeria Floral Design out of love for flowers, gardening, art and just nature in general. I love using my creative skills to come up with bold designs that go against the norm. I have a huge drive and passion for sharing my creative skills with others in workshops, and love being able to design beautiful flower arrangements for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and exhibitions.
Are you Norfolk born and raised? What do you love about living and working in the county?
Yes, born in Norwich and grew up in Diss, and have moved between Attleborough and Dereham the last few years with my business now being based in Attleborough. I love the slow lifestyle of Norfolk, and the quiet – but not only that, we are surrounded by open landscapes, forests, beaches, gardens – so much nature which is great for me and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
What does Armeria offer? Any events coming up you would like to mention?
We offer flowers for weddings, from our off-the-peg range for smaller, intimate weddings or complete bespoke weddings. As well as weddings we do floral workshops for both general public and corporate companies for team building skills. We also offer workshops for hen do’s and birthdays and events. We have a floral exhibition coming up in June, Attleborough in Bloom: A Journey Through History is a free entry event, being held at St Mary’s Church in Attleborough from 20th – 22nd June. This exhibition will showcase the history of Attleborough in a floral timeline.
You recently attended the High Streets Matter launch in Swaffham – what do you hope the programme will deliver for small businesses like yours?
With small businesses being the makeup of our local towns, it’s extremely important that they are supported as much as they can be, and it’s great to see a programme like this being offered in Breckland, there’s some great people behind this scheme who have immense experience within retail management and business who have put their passion into helping small business thrive. Having been awarded with the Love Your Market Town grant [funded by Norfolk County Council and Breckland Council] last year, I have been able to organise an exhibition to showcase my work as well as showcase our town and its rich history and community.
Where are you located and where can people find out more about your business?
At the moment my workshop is based in Attleborough and is online only, I currently don’t have shop space, but this is something coming up in the pipeline.
What are your hopes and dreams for Armeria?
To be able to offer a space which is not only a retail space that offers flowers and local handmade crafts, but is also somewhere people can come and enjoy different workshops and events to learn and connect and enjoy tea and cake at the same time (I’m a sucker for tea and cake, it’s my favourite day out).
Attleborough in Bloom – a Journey Through History, an exhibition which will focus on the rich history of Attleborough in the form of floral sculptures, takes place from 20th – 22nd June at St Mary’s Church. Visit Armeria Floral Design and follow on Instagram. Also, visit Norfolk’s High Streets Matter – New Anglia Growth Hub.
Featured image of Lydia Bustin by Thetford Photography
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