Botanical Couture Blossoms: Exploring the Wearable Art of Françoise Weeks

Acclaimed Belgian-born and Portland-based designer Françoise Weeks is celebrated for transforming nature’s raw beauty into stunning wearable statements. Her imaginative use of bark, moss, seed pods, and succulents blurs the boundaries between floral design, fashion, and sculpture, creating pieces that are both whimsical and refined.

From woodland-inspired headpieces and cascading floral scarves to botanical jewelry and reinvented footwear, her creations reveal the mechanical precision and inventive spirit that define botanical couture. Each piece tells a story of texture, sustainability, and artistry—bringing the quiet magic of the forest to the world of high fashion.

Students from around the globe travel to her Portland studio to learn these signature techniques. Her workshops are known for their intimate, hands-on approach and focus on materials exploration, mechanics, and natural design. The studio itself feels like a cabinet of curiosities—filled with flowers, bark, and seed pods at every stage of transformation.

In 2024, Françoise released her book Wonder of the Woodlands: The Art of Seeing and Creating with Nature (Clarkson Potter), a richly photographed guide to woodland-inspired floral design and foraging philosophy. In summer 2025, she unveiled an avant-garde fashion show in Portland, where botanical stoles, jewelry, and couture gowns graced the runway.

Next February, she will share her creative journey on the national stage at the Garden Club of America’s Blooms & Beyond 2026 Virtual Conference, presenting her keynote talk:

“From Concept to Catwalk: Transforming Nature into Wearable Art.”

Visit the PRESS Page here to read the full article and images from the Garden Club of America's Fall 2025 Vol. 36 No. 3.

📸 All photos courtesy of Françoise Weeks
🪴 Excerpted from “By Design,” Fall 2025, The Garden Club of America Floral Design Committee.