When Kellie Brown launched her own flower business just two weeks after being made redundant from her high-flying fashion job, she had no idea it would grow into a $14 million floral empire selling 93,000 bouquets a year.
Ms Brown was working in Melbourne as a designer when she realized that life at the top end of the most cutthroat industry in the world wasn’t all it seemed to be.
‘It was a toxic environment – it certainly wasn’t what it said on the tin,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms. Brown was laid off in 2015. She set out to combine her two passions, fashion and flowers.

Kellie Brown (pictured) was made redundant from her fashion job so decided to start her own flower business Fig and Bloom from the booth of her car
Ms Brown took $10,000 she had saved for a deposit on her house to start Fig and Bloom, a roving florist business.
The first year she spent mostly operating out of her car’s boot, driving to the flower market and wrapping bouquets before hand-delivering approximately 4,000 to customers in Melbourne.
Ms. Brown gained many Fig and Bloom’s 17,300 Instagram fans in the first months of the business’ launch.
She enticed fans with ornate arrangements in trendy shades which appeared to go against the trend.
Ms Brown stated, “At that time flowers were still very unsophisticated, and you were still getting bright primary colours wrapped in daggy pink cellophane.”
“I just kept thinking, Why is this industry not changing? Why can’t I make them look different and bring flowers into 21st-century design?


Ms Brown took $10,000 she had saved to put down a deposit on her house and started a subscription-based, roving flower business.
Ms Brown quickly realized that she needed more knowledge to help her business grow.
She reached out to top floral design brands via Instagram and found two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn that offered internships.
She recalled, “I literally swept floors and asked questions.”
Ms. Brown was even trained by Shane Connolly (Queen Elizabeth’s principal florist) and attended a masterclass at New York Flower School.
This experience inspired her to design Fig and Bloom arrangements around four key themes: pretty and rose, rustic, contemporary white, bright and colourful, and bright and colorful.

Kellie Brown (front row, right), now has 48 staff in three Australian states. She plans to expand.
One of the best-sellers is the Osaka design – a lavish creation inspired by Japan’s annual Cherry Blossom festival that features roses, chrysanthemum disbuds and gypsophila. It is available in four sizes, with prices starting at $100 and ending at $360.
Ms Brown believes that the design is popular due to its aspirational nature.
She stated that people love it because they love Japan and the cherry blossoms.
“The country is still on people’s bucket lists, which means it has longevity. It’s been in stock since years and is still one of our most popular sellers.
While many businesses were unable to withstand the pandemic, Fig and Bloom, and the entire flower industry, has survived.
Since March 2020, when Australia was put under lockdown, the Covid -19crisis erupted and gifting became the only way for people to stay in touch with their loved ones.

While many businesses collapsed under the weight of the pandemic attack, Fig and Bloom – and the entire flower industry – has thrived
Ms Brown stated that although it’s still a frightening time, it’s not as scary as it used to be.
“We went from receiving orders at an even pace to being so overwhelmed we had to shut down our website.
“We had a full team, but we had the need to double staff almost immediately.”
The company now has 48 employees in three stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It also delivers to more than 900 locations on the East Coast.
Ms. Brown’s designs have attracted the attention of some the world’s most prestigious brands, and she has worked with leading brands such as Lexus and Ferrari.
After decking out her green room for the Australian and New Zealand leg of Elton John’s 2020 world tour, she also considers him a fan.
The business is on track for $14 million in revenue this year. Ms Brown has been busy finalizing an expansion plan that will see delivery areas expanded to include Adelaide, Canberra and Newcastle.