From flower deliveryman to internationally acclaimed floral designer
2018/03/19
Alfie Lin, co-founder of CNFlower, the nation’s largest floral design company, is lauded as the master of innovative oriental aesthetics. Also acclaimed as the pride of Taiwan, he has developed a growing international reputation, as demonstrated last October when Hong Kong interior designer Kenneth Ko invited Lin to produce floral artworks for a gala at a castle in Scotland.
After the event, Lin flew to Spain to take part in the Festival Flora, joining seven other international artists in a contest to transform patios in Cordoba. He utilized branches and orchids to interweave an oriental paradise reminiscent of a Chinese ink wash painting, wowing participants and spectators alike.
Industry Entry
Typically sporting a beard and black-and-white shirt, Lin exudes a sense of artistic creativity. The 44-year-old inherited his talent from his father, an amateur painter. Although the younger Lin displayed an aptitude for painting in elementary school, he chose to major in marine engineering in junior college owing to his family’s concerns about the financial instability of an art career. “I’m not academically gifted, so I kept failing and retaking courses in junior college. It took me seven years to graduate,” Lin said. “The only class I scored more than 90 in was art.”
His career in floral design came about through a series of chance meetings and lucky happenstances. After completing his national service, Lin found employment at a delivery company. One day, a colleague asked him if he wanted to work as a delivery driver for a flower shop. After agreeing to take the job, Lin immediately fell in love with the industry. He came to view flowers as fundamentally different from other forms of packages. His work involved handing out items of great beauty to show love and respect, he said.
During his time as a flower deliveryman, he was inspired to create his own designs. Opening a flower shop soon became a major ambition. Teaming up with one of his clients, Weiwei Wang, he launched CNFlower in 1998. Of similar age, the pair has collaborated since. Wang takes charge of the company’s management and interior decorating departments. She has also provided a great deal of assistance with Lin’s career, such as suggesting he set up his floral design shop in an exclusive residential area so as to attract high-end clients. The pair rented a store in an alley off Taipei City’s Dunhua South Road. The space measuring about 165 square meters had a monthly rent of NT$60,000 (US$2,060).
The strategy of setting up shop in this area proved successful. The elegant store window blossoming with vibrant designs soon caught the eye of Peng Hsueh-fen, a board member of Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture. Peng was highly influential in Lin’s career, gradually helping attract a wealthy clientele to CNFlower. By his third year in business, Lin had begun earning a profit.
Another defining moment occurred in 2004, when he met Cheng Ying-pin, chairman of Long Chen Paper Co. and founder of Fuchun Resort in Hangzhou, mainland China. Lin was aware of the resort before meeting Cheng, admiring its interior design and longing to craft floral pieces for the site. Coincidently, he learned through a friend that the resort was looking for a skilled floral designer. Although he lacked the big-name reputation typically needed to land such a role, Lin raised the courage and asked his friend to recommend him for the job.
One day, Lin received a phone call from Cheng inviting him to visit Fuchun. As soon as he arrived, Cheng instructed him to rearrange a huge pot of flowers in the main hall. Lin completed a three-meter-tall display, impressing Cheng and earning the position as the floral design consultant.
Creative Tours
As Fuchun Resort grew in popularity, Lin gained increasing recognition as well as a number of awards. Business contracts and clients started to flow in from around the world, including collaborations with several celebrities and renowned entrepreneurs. He was responsible for the floral displays at the weddings of Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou’s eldest son, pop singer Jay Chou and movie star Chang Chen. Lin also accepted a role as the floral design consultant at Nuo Hotel in Beijing and contributed works to the Amanfayun Resort in Hangzhou.
As his reputation grew, many people expressed a desire to learn from the design guru. He eschewed any role on the lecture circuit, however. “Flower design is difficult to teach with words alone. The best way to learn is through hands-on practice,” Lin said. Based on this philosophy, he created the Follow the Flowers around the World program to take students on overseas creative tours.
On one occasion, Lin led a group to India, where they produced several flower carpets at tourist attractions and government buildings. More than 10 Indian media outlets reported on their work. Local tourism officials also opened the government buildings to the public for two days so that residents and visitors could explore the group’s creations. To date, Lin has arranged six tours—each featuring 20 participants—to destinations like France, Japan and mainland China’s Hangzhou city and Yunnan province.
Public Aesthetics
Lin believes that floral design should a publically available art form aimed at enhancing living environments. With this in mind, in 2017 he teamed up with local designers including Ryan Kuo and Chu Po-yang as well as businessperson Yeh Chia-chi to launch a campaign promoting enriched aesthetics in everyday life.
First, Lin collaborated with Taiwan designer Xiao Qing-yang and Kuang-hua Bus Company to redecorate two buses. The two vehicles, adorned with ferns, orchids, red quinoa and tree branches, offered complimentary rides to members of the public over a five-day period.
For his next initiative, he gathered 35 designers and businesspeople from home and abroad to lead Taiwan students on a mission to transform Shi-dong Market in Taipei City. The outcome was stunning, successfully turning a traditional market into a must-go tourist spot. “The students and designers played the role of assistants during the project. Our success mainly resulted from the collective efforts of the market vendors,” Lin said.
According to the floral artist, all of his efforts and inspiration derive from a desire to foster recognition of Taiwan’s natural beauty. His determination in this regard was inspired by a German friend, he noted.
During a trip in Taiwan with the owner of a Germany-based flower store where Lin once worked as an intern, Lin’s international visitor asked him to stop the car so he could take a photo of some rice paddies. The Taiwan designer asked his companion if he found the scene beautiful and received an affirmative response, with his German friend noting that rice paddies are not found in the northern European nation. This experience caused Lin to reflect on his design approach. “I realized I’d been neglecting the magnificent natural landscapes and resources in Taiwan.”
The designer has since worked to incorporate more Taiwan flowers and themes into his creations. “Now I follow Mother Nature,” Lin said. “My designs don’t come from an innate talent, but because I have cultivated the ability to see the true beauty of Taiwan.”
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=11&post=131068)
