Published: Thursday, May 12
Section: MISCELLANEOUS
Page: 4NH

FLOWER ARTIST TRICKS THE SENSES

BY SIDONIE SAWYER, ssawyer@herald.com

In a perfect world, nothing would age and flowers would stay beautiful forever.

Emilio Robba helps nature a bit.

Even though they are all fake, the magical orchids, mystical bamboos, artful Agapanthus, magnolias, Calla Lilies and multitude of other faux flowers that he creates and sells at his Design District showroom bedazzle the senses - all the senses.

To the eye, the perfection of the delicate blossoms tricks you into taking a second glimpse.

To the touch, the velvet feel of peonies or the silky shine of tulips seems real.

A pleasant, lingering fragrance seems to confirm the authenticity, as Emilio Robba concocted subtle smells to fit each type of burgeon, from light and airy fragrances to heavy-scented perfumes and fresh green bamboo mist.

Forget the silk confections of the past, the stiff look of plastic leaves and the kitschy side of false bouquets. Robba's new technology utilizes digital imagery, computerized molded shapes, hand-printing and finishing to create a perfect flower that only a butterfly could bust.

Born 50 or so years ago in Paris (a true French playboy does not divulge his age), he started the Emilio Robba Company in France in the 1980s, and quickly found markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

``I started teaching the creation of fake flowers [in Japan], which was a field of ignorance, with workers mixing the leaf from a flower with the stem from another'' Robba says.

He moved to South Florida eight years ago, and now lives in Coconut Grove, a perfect place to grow orchids, his favorite species. He came, in part, because business opportunities beckoned at the ports.

``Sometimes you end up in a place by destiny and my path took me to Miami and its ocean liners,'' Robba said.

He maintains flagship stores in Paris, and now in the Miami Design District, where customers can walk in and buy a bouquet for prices starting at around $40. Neiman Marcus also carries a line of decorating flowers in its home decor section. But his primary business these days is with cruise companies - Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are among clients that use massive, custom-made plants.

Emilio Robba, whose background is in the arts, is unique in his field. His Italian florist mother gave him her love of the buds and soon after graduating from the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he knew his artistic adventures would always include flowers.

He embarked on his career by working with the Trigano brothers, the creators on the now-famous Club Mediterranée, fabricating a garden of metal blossoms.

At his first store in Paris, named Miraflor, he sculpted real flowers into works of art. He was fascinated by orchids, reputably the most expensive and difficult type of flower to work with.

``I started my love for flowers with orchids and I often associated flowers with other creations, using them as a business card to sell antiques and perfumes,'' Robba said.

When asked to create a jungle of orchids on the roof of a fashionable department store in Paris, artist Robba mixed real and fake ones he had created.

After the success of the exhibit, he decided to continue creating silk orchids for the flower shop of his store.

For his efforts to spread the use and love of orchids, he was rewarded by the London Society of Orchidology in 1980, which named a new hybrid Phalaenopsis Emilio Robba.

In time, French designer Pierre Cardin asked Robba to create an entire store offering both real and fake flowers. Maxim's Fleurs concept was born, leading to contracts with Japanese designers allowing the Emilio Robba Co. to expand into the Asian market, and 60 locations in Japan started carrying his creations.

After the huge success of his creations in Asia, he decided to expand his American market, and opened the Miami store where his office and staff create custom-made floral sculptures that are fabricated in China and Thailand to his specifications with the technology he invented.

A Zen-like tranquility permeates Robba's Design District showroom, and invites a walk through thousands of exotic flowers and plants. Statuesque compositions springing from vases and planters are so realistic-looking that, Robba notes, ``we had to instruct the staff on a cruise ship to stop adding water to top a waterline made of clear resin imitating water in a transparent vase.''

Monumental trees and artistic arrangements have the power to fill huge spaces in office buildings, hotels - the Setai on South Beach was happy to pay $10,000 for a lifelike Christmas tree - and ocean liners, the biggest consumer of artificial greenery.

``Depending on the flowers, they can stay for up to five years before we change them,'' Robba said. ``Of course, we rotate and update the bouquets all the time.''

The flower-power artist and businessman would like one day to start an art school. He plans to continue seducing people and the senses, evolving with newer technology to enable him to still imitate mother Nature.

``I am a creator,'' Robba said, ``not a florist. Flowers are accessories to my creative ideas. I like to create atmospheres.''
SMART BOX
EMILIO ROBBA CO.
* Where: 4242 NE Second Ave., Miami.
* Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday
* For information: Call 305-572-1261 or visit www.emiliorobba.com.

Illustration: photo: Emilio Robba (A), Customers (A)
Caption: PHOTOS BY RONNA GRADUS/HERALD STAFF `I AM A CREATOR': Emilio Robba, a designer of life-like floral arrangements, in his Design District showroom, above, where customers can walk in and buy a bouquet for prices starting at around $40. Below is one of his orchid creations.