Her first name is the promise of a spring bouquet. Avril Aillot was therefore destined to become a florist? Not quite. Before taking the path of flowers, it was on the benches of the university that she knew her first buds. “I was studying the history of psychology. It was very rewarding. But I needed to do something with my ten fingers. My father was a landscaper, I was brought up with nature. »
At 26, his conversion is successful. Six years later, CAP, professional certificate and soon (probably) master’s certificate in hand, she has just won the Oscar for best young florist. The highest award for aspiring florists in their prime (under the age of 30). “Avril is a very motivated person, full of enthusiasm, she wants to want to learn, to excel in what she does”, explains Angélique Malzac, her apprenticeship supervisor at the store. From wire to flower in Saint-Mathieu-de-Trviers, a town about twenty kilometers north of Montpellier.
“Florist means putting our creativity at the service of human relations”
The one who took him on an internship five years earlier does not hesitate to throw roses at him. Without spoofing the begonias, she remembers when she arrived “a smiling, pleasant, motivated young person, who presented a very original CV. I wanted to give a young woman a chance like I was given before”. It was also Angélique Malzac, president of the union chamber of florists in the Hérault, who passed on the competition virus to her. “We present a lot of things and not just bouquets,” smiles Avril Aillot. Floral table decoration, hanging garden… Six events in total that represent the diversity of a trade that she has learned to know over the years of her apprenticeship.
“Two aspects particularly appeal to me,” resumes Avril Aillot. First the extraordinary human relationship. We support people throughout their lives, from birth to death, including baptism, marriage, daily care. We enter into the intimacy of people. And creativity: “You have to be able to create a link with the customer to understand their expectations, it’s exciting. “A beautiful story that has nothing to do with a rose water novel. “Each bouquet must be unique so that the customer has a personal identity. Florist is to put creation to the benefit of human relations. A lot is lost with the Internet, when these exchanges are so important, ”says Angélique Malzac.
The rest, in March, with the final of the French Florists’ Cup. And there, it will be the bouquet. An appointment with the cream of French professionals, of all ages this time. Until then, Avril Aillot will distribute happiness on a daily basis in Saint-Mathieu-de-Trviers. And if a customer wants to flirt with him, he can always offer him one of his favorite flowers: the delphinium, “a magnificent blue flower with a very large floral stem” or the poppy flower “and its extraordinary range of colors with its crepe paper look”. So maybe she will turn red like a peony…