In an industry driven primarily by exceptional women, narrowing the field to just a handful each year is no easy task. Across retail, design, seed breeding and cultivation, women continue to influence every facet of the global floriculture sector through creativity, leadership and innovation. This year, Florists’ Review highlights professionals from multiple countries who are making a meaningful impact—not only through their distinctive talents, but also through their commitment to supporting their communities and inspiring their fellow (and future) colleagues. We’re proud to present our 2026 class of remarkable women in floristry.
Daria Bokova | Shanghai, China | @dariabokova.flowers
Daria Bokova is an editorially specialized designer in Shanghai, China. She has experience with floral styling and set design for luxury brands like Burberry, Harrods and Viktor & Rolf, among others. She has worked at high-profile events, such as Hortiflorexpo IPM, Russian-China Expo, Shanghai Fashion Week, Swiss Week and more. Bokova is an experienced speaker and demonstrator for numerous floral events and is also a floral design instructor. In 2024, she won the Hanaike Flower Battle, beating competitors from China and Japan in three rounds of fast-paced design challenges.
How did you make your way into floral design and what inspired you to do so?
I was working in a large Chinese IT corporation when I started to imagine a different way of working with creativity in my life. As I began paying closer attention to my own interests, I realized that my Instagram feed had been filled with floral designers for years, ever since I was planning my wedding. That was when I first discovered the world of professional floristry, and I was completely captivated by it.
I began making bouquets while still working in the office. The response from my first clients, and how deeply I enjoyed the process itself, made it clear that this was not just a hobby. It was something I could grow into a profession. Not long after, I left my corporate job, moved to Shanghai, and started building a new life from scratch around flowers.
Your portfolio is impressively full of editorial projects and high-fashion events. What is your creative process like from one project to the next?
For commercial projects, I always begin with a simple question: What should these flowers make people feel? If the flowers could speak, what would they say about the brand or the event? Some clients come with a very clear visual identity, and in those cases I work within their framework. More often, clients trust me with the overall concept, and I create a full design proposal with sketches, a color palette and flower selections before we move into production.
For creative projects, everything starts with an idea. Something stays with me, sometimes for a long time, until I find a way to express it through flowers. In that sense, flowers become my medium. I then bring together a team of photographers, models and stylists to help turn that idea into something tangible. In my personal projects, I explore themes like loneliness, uncertainty and how fleeting everything is.
One of my favorite parts of the process is working with raw materials. I love digging through huge piles of branches and driftwood at the flower market, searching for pieces with exactly the right shape and presence to build a composition around.
Tell us about your champion win at the 2024 Hanaike Flower Battle.
Being invited to Hanaike was already a surprise. The competition is dominated by Japanese and Chinese masters, and the format is extremely intense. You have only five minutes per round to build large-scale compositions while the audience watches and votes. It feels more like a performance than a traditional competition.
I joined with curiosity and excitement, wanting to put myself in a completely new format. Winning was unexpected. I discovered that I could work fast, take risks and build large structures with heavy branches while racing against the clock. Later, I was told that what set me apart was my sense of color and form. I am deeply grateful to the Japanese teachers at Hanaike for the knowledge they shared with me. It was a great honor to compete alongside them.
Your designs are architecturally striking with color palettes. How do you describe your aesthetic and inspiration?
Over the years, I experimented with many styles, from lush garden arrangements to dyed and heavily modified flowers, before arriving at a fusion inspired by Eastern traditions and Western floristry. My work draws on the philosophy and forms of Chinese floral art, while also incorporating elements of Japanese ikebana, particularly its attention to line, balance and use of space. I enjoy combining these Eastern influences with Western approaches to shape, texture and scale. Branches, bamboo, driftwood and other natural materials often become part of the design itself, adding structure and character.
I still enjoy working with color gradients and rich combinations, but these days I lean toward simplicity, using fewer colors whenever possible. I am drawn to monochrome compositions or strong, deliberate contrasts. I love playing with contrast in color, texture and weight.
Natural materials inspire me deeply. Bamboo, for example, can be rigid and architectural when thick and round, or soft and flexible when split into thin strips. That balance between strength and flexibility is something I try to express in my work—and live by.
What is an achievement you are particularly proud of?
I am most proud of finding my own voice in floristry while living between cultures. As a foreigner living in China, I’ve worked with both Chinese and international brands, which has taught me to navigate very different styles and approaches. This experience has allowed me to gradually define my own aesthetic and the kind of florist I want to be.
On a personal level, I am proud to have built this career while raising a family. My husband supports my work, and my 4-year-old daughter often comes with me to the flower markets, which makes this journey feel deeply intertwined with my life.
The SuperFloral Team brings you news, trends and practical ideas for supermarket and mass-market floral professionals. Our editors gather and curate the stories that matter most to floral teams in grocery and retail, from industry news and events to merchandising inspiration and business advice. Have a story idea or news tip? Write to us at editorial@superfloral.com.
