Well hello there! Welcome! Take a seat… As I’m sure you’ve seen, Iris & Co has officially cocooned over winter and metamorphosed into the epic new brand – Femme Petale.
So… Why?
Is a question that I’ve been asked a lot. I had a successful and well known business with Iris & Co. I had brilliant backlinks from some incredible websites pushing my google ranking nice and high… why would I change that?
To be honest, it just felt right. I had been feeling for quite a few months that my brand just didn’t match up with the work I had been doing and the direction I was taking the business. My florals are loud, unapologetic, style led and full of colour. My branding felt a little too traditional for me to take my style evolution even further and at some point something had to give.
I’d been thinking about it for months but various things were holding me back for a ‘better’ time. I actually made the decision to push ahead with it on my way back from a trip to B&Q – an inspiring place if ever there was one. I reached out to my brand designer Becky Lord who didn’t have any availability for the next 6 months (boo!). However, very shortly after my email pinged through cyberspace and into her inbox, one of her clients booked in for a few weeks ahead wanted to move to the new year, opening up a space for me… a definite sign from the universe that it was the right thing to do, I’m sure of it.
What about Iris & Co?
Those who know the reason for my previous brand name (Iris was my grandma, hugely loved and even more missed) and that’s made it so much harder to make the decision I needed to make. Iris & Co will always play a huge part in my business’ history. It took me from no bookings, no website, no money to an established and respected brand and for that I can never forget. However, it’s important when to know that something isn’t right and let it go. I feel SO excited about the next part of my journey and I can’t wait to share it with you all!
How did you come up with the name?
It took a while to come up with the name and to be honest, the credit doesn’t even fall to me! I was vibing names with friend, illustrator and woman-with-words Charlotte Argyrou who suggested it. We both agreed that such epic wordplay would surely already be taken by a florist but nope! Over the next few weeks and months I snapped up the domains, insta handles and registered the trademark (I know, we’re really doing things properly!)
Who created that EPIC logo?
Isn’t it though?! I gave Becky Lord my usual word heavy, content light brief of rabbit holes and tangents and by some miracle she came up with my logo as one of the two options. I think a few of the words I gave her were ‘feminist, 70’s, creative’ and she managed to encapsulate all of my energy into one beautiful logo. Initially, Becky presented me with 2 mood boards, with colours, fonts and patterns on for me to pick one. I was super tempted by the first one as it had mustard and lilac on – my two current fave colours. But I’m a fickle egg and change my mind on things like that so often, I didn’t want something that would age too quickly. I also adored the font on the second moodboard – chunky, rounded, with attitude – so that’s what we went with.
She then spent the next week or so developing 2 options for my logo. When the email came, I struggled not to open it and go through them in the van (I’d just finished driving) and did what Becky said. Come home, get a cup of tea and just take it in. She presented them in video form and I loved the first one. It was creative, fun, a little quirky and I thought that was it. Then the second one came on the screen. Without realising it, I had a huge smile on my face, I was SO excited by it and couldn’t stop staring at it. The weird thing is, I was worried it was too strong and I’d sort of settled on the first logo option. It was only when I showed it to my partner and he saw the two options and said ‘well, you’ve got to go with that one’ that I realised I did – it was exactly what I’d asked for, coming straight back to me. We discussed my concerns but decided that my audience will definitely ‘get it’ and anyone who doesn’t? Well, they can choose someone a bit more traditional.
What are these brand words you’re talking about?
I’ve sat through so many business and coaching calls where they tell you that you need to ‘identify your brand words’ and ‘what does your brand stand for’ and I’ve stared blankly at the screen or written down random words I don’t really associate with because it’s what I was supposed to do. Going back to the drawing board (and having an actual professional to help me!) has given me a list of words that really speak to me and really align with the new brand. I have them saved on my desktop and before I share anything/when I’m creating content, I look at them to make sure what I’m doing aligns to them – you can have that idea for free ;). If you’re interested, Femme Petale’s brand words are:
Fun
Playful
Art-led
Creative
Positive
Effortless
Unique
What have peoples reactions been?
Some people were initially wary of my decision to rebrand, knowing how hard I’d worked to establish Iris & Co. The reaction when I shared the new branding with a handful of close friends and fellow suppliers has been ‘oh my god’, ‘holy sh*t, that’s amazing’ and running up and down a road in Islington with excitement after we’d just finished installing a window display. Probably the best reactions I could have asked for. I’ve had a few raised eyebrows, a few people who don’t get it and I’ll be honest, that’s fine! We’re not everyone’s cup of tea and neither should my brand be. I know it will speak to the people I want to work with and I’m ready to meet them.
So what’s the future for Femme Petale?
The future brings a lot of exciting opportunities I think! I’ve got many incredible weddings lined up for this year and I would LOVE to do some more brand work in the future too. We’re also planning on leaving London at some point in the next year or so. I’d love a bit more space to roam, some fresher air and a big garden for Jasper to run around in. That means I’ll start taking on more weddings further out west, think Bristol/Bath way so if you’re planning anything out there, get in touch! I will of course still be flowering all weddings already booked in and a few of the best after we move 😉
How can I support you in the new name?
The absolute best thing you can do is share, share, share! The thing that keeps me awake at night is that someone who wants to find me as Iris & Co and they don’t know that I’ve changed the name of the business. If you’re a supplier or previous client who has photos of my work – please share with the new tag! It’s @femme_petale, I’d love to drive as many people as possible to the new website and insta to try and get some of that traction back.
Literally every share means the world, thank you for your support and for all your kind words so far. If you want to chat, share your thoughts or just say hi please do DM me or ping me an email, I’d so love to hear from you.
