A Runway of Petals and Imagination

The Busy Bloom kicks off Wilmington’s first Fleur Couture show, an experiment in creativity for local florists 

Story and Photos by Jade Neptune

Walking into The Busy Bloom Co., you smell the flowers before you see them. Fresh blooms hit first—then the quiet, meditative music, the bohemian space, and Amanda Adkins stationed behind the counter. Most days, she’s bundling bouquets for weddings and special events. This season, she’s twisting flower crowns and shaping bodices from wire. She’s no longer only a florist. She’s a fashion designer.

This April, The Busy Bloom will host Wilmington’s first Fleur Couture fashion show—featuring everything but fabric.

“I want to highlight and showcase that floral designers do more than just take pretty flowers and stick them into vases,” Adkins says. “Fleur Couture is about showcasing our artistry, our talent, and our creativity.”

To some, flowers may seem far from the high-fashion world. For Adkins and the local designers behind Fleur Couture, they’re central to the work.

“We are capable of doing really phenomenal things with flowers,” she says. “I think this is going to be a really cool way to highlight the craft of floral design—how it’s art—and give people a new appreciation for what we do.”

The show is a collaborative effort among local florists, models, and creative minds in the Wilmington area. In a city often tied to its “Hollywood East” reputation, fashion is finding new ways to take the spotlight. But instead of draping fabrics and sewing seams, Adkins is deconstructing hoop skirts and sourcing chicken wire and other materials to build the frameworks for floral looks.

Outfitting a runway with living materials comes with its own set of challenges—chief among them, freshness and fragility.

“We’re not going to be able to create anything in advance,” she says. “I joke, but even if the feathers fly and roses pop off or petals are all over the floor, it’s OK—because it’s going to be so fun. The audience is going to see something that I don’t think Wilmington’s ever seen before.”

Adkins may be spearheading this new wave of fresh fashion, but she hasn’t always felt so sure of herself. When The Busy Bloom Co. began, she launched it as a husband-and-wife operation. Their flower carts for a mobile build-your-own-bouquet experience were pieced together from scrap wood and old stroller wheels. Today, it’s a full-fledged family business.

“About a year and a half ago, I was really struggling with how I was going to make myself known,” Adkins says. “I was nervous because I’m not a Wilmington native. I’m not from around here, and I knew there were going to be several longtime florists here and other businesses.”

The idea for Fleur Couture arrived slowly—then all at once. For Adkins, it feels like a return to her roots, drawing on her years on stage as a dancer, starting at age 2.

“I remember just sitting outside in front of my shop one day and thinking of all the different ways I could potentially do something really cool,” she says. “It just came to me that if I could create flower arrangements, I could create flower art. Then it all snowballed into, ‘We’ve got to put on a show.’ We’ve got to do something fun and funky and cool.”

Fleur Couture will be hosted at Azalea Station, a local venue known for its open space and natural beauty—an intentional choice, Adkins says.

“Azalea Station is very pretty,” she says. “I think it’s really cool to have that kind of natural space when you host a fashion show—to draw those natural elements in.”

Even in its early stages, Fleur Couture has grown through community support. The show’s guiding idea is its tagline: Curative for Creatives.

“Curative for creatives and our community involvement are things I wanted to make sure I highlighted,” Adkins says. “We’ve had a lot of people volunteer—not only their time, but their talent and services, too. People want to see this come to fruition, which is really cool. Without them, this wouldn’t be possible.”

There’s still plenty to do before opening night, but Adkins is focused on the joy of building something new—and on what she hopes the audience carries home.

“There’s been a lot of times in my life where I’ve been met with strict criticism and negativity about what I do, or stigma,” she says. “But with floral design, the artistry comes out every single day. I hope they leave the event feeling empowered—that they can choose to be creative and not be afraid of what people think.”

The Fleur Couture Fashion Show—“a runway of petals and imagination”—will take place April 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Azalea Station. Tickets are available now.