As you walk down Omotesando, you'll come across stylish bouquets wrapped in cellophane with handles. Whether they're gifts or for themselves, the people carrying them all have a look of satisfaction on their faces.

This iconic flower is provided by Diligence Parlour, a popular flower shop located in Omotesando Hills. To learn more about the shop, we focus on the young florist who runs it, Ochi Yasutaka. We asked him about the shop and himself.




FASHION HEADLINE (hereinafter, FH): Please tell us about your career path before becoming a florist.

Ochi Yasutaka (hereinafter, Ochi):After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, I had decided to attend school to obtain a beauty qualification. With about six months until I enrolled, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to try something I had no experience in, and started working part-time at a flower shop in a department store. At the time, I had no knowledge of flowers, so I learned the basics of how to handle and arrange flowers there, while also working as a freelance florist. Through connections with classmates from my vocational school days and people at my part-time jobs, I was often asked to do flower work. The amount of work just kept increasing, and I ended up not attending the school I enrolled in six months later, and have been on the path to becoming a florist ever since.


FH: Why did you decide to pursue a career in flowers while studying fashion?

Ochi:When I was attending vocational school, I really wasn't good at making clothes. I simply didn't think I was cut out for it, and I didn't see any potential in it. On the other hand, flowers felt natural to my hands, and it felt right. Somehow, I felt like, "This will be fine."




FH: When did your interest in flowers first begin to emerge?

Ochi:When I was a student, I worked part-time at the chocolatier Jean-Paul HÉVIN, and I was impressed when he collaborated with Nicolai Bergmann. It made me think, "Oh, there's a job like that." At the time, male flower artists who worked independently were prominent. Going back even further, I had many opportunities to see male flower artists, such as learning about Daniël Ost and Yukio Nakagawa, through my exposure to art in classes and as a hobby. Rather than my interest in flowers coming first, I feel like my interest in artists themselves gradually linked with flowers.


FH: Please tell us how you, working as a freelancer, came to open Diligence Parlor.

Ochi:At the time, I happened to be passing by a boutique called THEATRE PRODUCTS in Omotesando and saw an empty vase on display. I thought it would be a waste to leave it empty, so I called them and said I'd like to arrange flowers in it. That's how I met Akira Takeuchi, director and president of THEATRE PRODUCTS, a collaborator of Diligence Parlor. It turns out Takeuchi had always wanted to run a florist, and it seems I came along at just the right time. At first, I was just asked to create flowers for the shop and for collections, but then in 2011, I started selling flowers at the THEATRE PRODUCTS event shop at the Isetan Shinjuku store, and that's how Diligence Parlor got its start. While running a small flower shop inside the Theater Products Omotesando store, I was able to participate in a competition for a flower shop to open in Omotesando Hills through connections, and in 2016 I opened Diligence Parlour there. "DILIGENCE PARLOUR" is the name of the ice cream wagon that Theater Products opened in front of Laforet Harajuku for a limited time in 2010, and I used the same name.




FH: I'd say you've had a smooth career as a florist.

Ochi:I don't know. At first, I really couldn't do anything. When I called Theater Products, they encouraged me to give it a try, but at the time I didn't understand much about flowers or spaces, so the results were limited. Takeuchi is also an associate professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design, and he has a long-term perspective and is a person who likes to "teach." He often told me harsh things, like that I lacked ideas, but he helped me develop a new perspective and gave me a variety of sensibilities. When Diligence Parlor first opened, it was only open on weekends. So, when I had free weekdays, I also worked at the delicatessen Pariya in Aoyama. Meeting the owner, Yuichi Yoshii, was also a big influence. Yoshii also asked me to order flowers for him, but he had a more florist-like way of thinking than most florists, and his suggestions to customers were very sincere. At that time, I really put a lot of thought into flowers. Both Takeuchi and Yoshii love flowers, and my relationship with them has led to who I am today. Also, being at Theatre Products and Pariya really expanded my connections in the fashion industry. Information obtained visually spreads surprisingly quickly, and I suddenly got more work at exhibitions and commercial facilities, and before I knew it, I was getting inquiries from luxury brands and the like.






The rest of the interview is available on the Omotesando Hills website!
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