We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laurel St Romain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laurel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I feel a deep sense of partnership on every single job that I take on, and I do my very best to delivery work with integrity, however I have to say the most recent project that was closest to my heart was Florence and The Machine’s Halloween Album Release party for Everybody Scream. The reason this particular event meant so much to me was because I was reunited with not only the artist, but the friend who took a chance on me back in 2018 when I first launched Dead Flowers.
I met Kim Swift in college at a notorious bar called the Whiskey Bar. We were both young creatives ready for whatever came our way. We moved to New York around the same time and have continued a creative friendship throughout over two decades. When I left my full time job in May of 2018, Kim reached out to see if I was available to create an experiential stage for a Florence and the Machine concert in an empty lot in Greenpoint. I had absolutely no experience in this kind of creative work, and had predominately been involved in the fashion industry up until that point. She convinced me it was “basically the same thing” so I went for it, with her help of course, and the help of my closest friends. Somehow we pulled it off…me – without knowing what a certificate of insurance was, or how to budget for an event of this scale. It was the accomplishment of a lifetime.
Fast forward 7 years later, Kim asked me to help with the stage and design for the Everybody Scream album release on Halloween of 2025. It felt surreal to come back to the artist and friend that launched my career and gave me the confidence to believe in myself. This time I certainly knew what a Certificate of Insurance was, and I carried not only that but workers comp for the 12 freelancers I brought on to the project. This time I knew exactly what to do, and boy did we deliver. Watching the show with Kim and my team, all decked out in Halloween garb was truly a full circle moment that brought more than one tear to my eyes.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Laurel St Romain, and I am a florist for lack of better description. Im not your typical florist – more of a scenic designer, or a creator of worlds. My specialty is in film and television premieres and post receptions so I have this incredible opportunity to tailor my designs to a corresponding film or show. It keeps the work interesting and relevant, and pushes me to always think outside the box.
I worked in the fashion industry almost all of my life, up until 2018 that is. When I decided to start Dead Flowers I thought maybe it would be a shop? Maybe id do small bouquet deliveries? I truly didn’t know that the career I have could be possible, or even an option for someone like me. It took a lot of sleepless nights, tears, financial mistakes and actual blood to get here, but I am truly so proud of myself, and mostly the incredible team of artists I get to work with day in and day out.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
In the seven years ive been working on events, it’s hard to reconcile the waste that comes along with it. To mitigate this, we have partnered with Groundcycle, a company that does event breakdowns and composts all organic materials. They also return all hard goods for reuse, donate usable materials to a community based pick up spot at Flower Aggregate, and are just all around incredible people. Being a florist you are close to nature, however that comes with a large global impact. Flowerts are coming in from all over the world, and are mostly being thrown out at the end of events. Partnering with Groundcycle has allowed us to work to be as conscious as allowed in event design.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
I have no clue and I hope I never have to,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deadflowersnyc.com
- Instagram: deadflowersnyc
