Kim Francisco on Making a Difference and Forming Connections with Paraluman Flora

At first thought, flowers seem to be just simple colorful, vibrant objects that we find in the landscapes of nature or as backdrops of our homes. However, as with any natural objects in the world, it serves an ecological purpose—may it be helping to absorb carbon dioxides, aiding a plant’s reproduction through pollination, and more.

But apart from its simplistic ecological role, its aesthetic power is something to behold. With its effervescent and pastel colors, aromatic and almost spell-binding scents, it is sure to give life to any dull household garden or special celebration. Enter the unsung heroes who create a different kind of art without a brush or canvas, but through nature’s gifts: floral artists. They live and breathe the art form that they’ve got it down to a science. From handpicking only the freshest flowers to styling them into tasteful pieces of work, their art form can range from signifying important life moments, remarkable milestones, and even add a bit of color on an otherwise normal day.

For some, business ventures are considered as the foundation wherein lasting relationships are formed – meaning behind every artist’s success is a supportive team of creative minds willing to be by your side on the good and bad days. With the right amount of blood, sweat, tears, and a whole lot of passion – you’ve got yourself a killer business you’ll be proud to call your own.

We sat down with Filipina Toronto-based Floral Artist and Paraluman Flora founder, Kim Francisco to talk about her journey with flowers, her Filipina roots and how she has built a home with creative, like-minded kababayans in the community.

How did you and your team of fellow Filipinos came together to form Paraluman Flora?

Even though Paraluman is just built by myself, I consider all my Filipino friends who have ever been a part of a Paraluman Flora project to be a part of my team. I can’t even begin to explain how lucky I feel that I’ve found a Filipinx community in Toronto that makes me feel like I’m not doing this alone! My wonderful friend Tyrone also joined the team recently and has been of great help. They often sit down with me at the studio and think of ideas on how we can better Paraluman.

I knew you visited Siargao before the pandemic, how was that for you? In any way, did it affect your outlook on Paraluman Flora?

Siargao is a whole other world. I will never be able to describe in words how much I love that place and how beautiful it is. It is where I saw the type of lifestyle I believe humans were meant to have—simple and joyful. I first went with three of my cousins and it was the most fun I’ve ever had with them. One of them, Kasey, came from Florida and it was the first time we all spent time together in more than 20 years. We decided to purposely miss our flight back to Manila and rescheduled a few days later. That’s how much we loved it. On my way back to Manila, I was already looking at flights to come back. A month later, I went alone and ended up meeting a few friends in General Luna. Siargao was a magical place.

That being said, Siargao definitely pushed me to focus on my business so I can go back in a few years and settle down there.

Can you also tell us about Tahanan Studios?

Tahanan Studios is a physical space where all our dreams live. My insanely talented friend Em (@em.esquivel) is a painter, ceramist, tattoo artist who I actually met up with in Siargao, and I took some big risks and got a studio in the middle of the pandemic. I’m supposed to be living in Siargao right now. I got a job there as an Art and Community Director, but the pandemic totally redirected my whole life. That being said, I’m so happy I was able to build Tahanan with Em. Our goal was to provide space and support for other BIPOC artists in the city. Currently, there’s the two of us, an amazing painter Theo (@eyeamtheo), and another ceramist Hilary (@metaworldshrimp). It’s honestly so magical that we have a small room where all our art can live. The idea that one day Theo’s paintings that he made in our space will be hanging at a gallery makes me so emotional. Hilary’s ceramics will be sitting in people’s home waiting to be admired—that inspires me! Besides them, we’ve also had a long list of other talented artists who have walked through our doors and it still excites me each time.

You also partner up with other Filipino-owned brands. What’s the motivation for this?

In my opinion, there’s something really easy in partnering up with other folks who are part of the Filipino diaspora especially the younger generations. My guess is because we are all longing to become a part of a community that is collectively trying to reconnect with our culture. Using my personal experience as an example. I grew up in a very white neighbourhood called Whitby so I didn’t have too many Filipino friends. Even during my early adult years, I was always surrounded by white folks, and I eventually forgot how it’s like to be Filipina. So now being surrounded by Filipinos everyday make me so happy. Actually, 3 out of 4 artists in Tahanan Studios are Filipinos! It feels a lot more like home. I rarely have to explain myself because we all just “get it”. Besides that, I think Filipinos are also wanting to take up more space, and rightfully so! Everyone needs to know about our food, our fashion and our culture. That’s why I’m so proud of all these new Filipino businesses and artists in Toronto that are really making their mark in the city. Honestly, most of the artists I’ve worked with have either been long term friends I’ve known for years or ones I met through Instagram. If there’s someone I want to work with, I simply just message or email them and let things flow naturally from there.

With sustainability getting much of the limelight recently, I’m curious, how does a florist or floral concept become sustainable? Also, can you share the story behind Paraluman’s Tulong Tulong fundraiser?

I feel like nowadays when you hear the word sustainability, others think of the environment. In that sense, I don’t think I’m the best at it. The flower industry is not the most environmentally friendly, which is sad considering we work with flowers and plants, but there’s definitely a huge problem with plastic usage. I reuse most plastic in floral packaging, and also stopped using floral foam which is actually single-use plastic. I sometimes still use them when it’s avoidable, but not as much as before. I’ve also eliminated cellophane from our everyday orders, as well as plastic water bags.

That being said, sustainability for me is a little bit more than that. For example, I’ve been working on a fundraiser called Tulong Tulong for the past half a year intermittently. Currently, we just raise funds through raffle tickets, where 97% of funds get donated and the rest cover payment processing fees. Our first fundraiser was for the recent typhoon in the Philippines where we raised about $6,800 (approx. Php 330,000+), and just recently we finished another fundraiser for BIPOC + Asian sex workers and raised about $8,500 (approx. Php 413,000+). Admittedly, this is not the most sustainable way to create impact. Funds don’t fix the deep-rooted problems our society face. I eventually want to create a program where our support is steadier, and I want it to bring long-term effects. I want it to be sustainable. But admittedly I don’t have the capacity to give my 100% to that, so I’m taking things one step at a time.

I knew I had to get a little bit louder when speaking out about this. Before I dig deeper, the Asian women in Atlanta were not confirmed to be sex workers, and assuming this because they worked at a parlor is dangerously misleading. That being said, there are a lot of BIPOC and Asian workers that are in great danger and need as much support as possible.

When I say a little bit louder, I don’t just mean verbally talking about this issue. I wanted it to reach more people than just a well-designed infographic on the internet. I wanted people who never supported sex workers to see others doing so, and perhaps start thinking about why they should too. Doing that while also contributing to two sex work support groups. Truthfully, I don’t believe raising funds is the best way to help. It doesn’t really fix the deep-rooted issues we face. But hopefully, it can assist the process.

What about your candles? Can you tell us why you decided to use baby powder and sampaguita as the scent?

I needed my first candle to be super special and personal. I wanted others to feel visceral comfort and nostalgia the second they light the candle. Personally, baby powder and sampaguita was it. My family moved to Canada in 2006 so you can imagine that it was a long time ago, but I clearly remember that I was always being covered in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder as a sweaty little Filipina kid, and all the nights I went to church (which is a sampaguita land) with Papa just so I can ask for a treat or balut! Crazy enough, a lot of people felt exactly that. Comfort and nostalgia. That’s when I realized how much of my personal essence is in Paraluman and how beautiful it is that people can connect to it.

What is the inspiration behind your card illustrations?

The whole theme of Valentine’s Day 2020 was how it’s not just for lovers so I knew I wanted different cards that show a little bit of how Filipinos are with their loved ones! Raya suggested creating three different scenes that feel personal. A woman on facetime with their mom/grandma, a tito belting words to a BeeGees song in karaoke, and two friends watching TV. Speaking of Raya, they are a duo consisting of two badass Filipina illustrators named Roxanne and Anna from London, UK (@we.are.raya).

How would you describe your products’ aesthetics? How did you develop it?

The only goal I ever had related to aesthetics is how I want them to feel personal. Flower-wise, you can always figure out how I’m feeling at that time depending on how I design things, especially with what colors I use. That’s why I only ever do Designer’s Choice (A term where the floral designer will create a one-of-a-kind arrangement.).

When it comes to graphics, I’m so happy to have a good friend as a designer. Taylor Hand does all my graphics now and because she knows me well, she’s able to make them still feel personal.

If a customer comes in and asks you to create a bouquet, do you ask for instructions from them or do you prefer to have the creative freedom to put the flowers together?

There’s only Designer’s Choice on my website because I prefer to have creative freedom. Of course, I would not mind some guidance on how my client would like the arrangement to feel, but I wouldn’t accept a project that doesn’t look Paraluman. Luckily, my clients all trust me and I’m grateful for that.

How is your flower subscriptions like?

People buy into a 3-month or 6-month subscription and the recipient gets their flowers every Friday of the month.