From corporate London fashion to the flowers of the Colne Valley

Teb Moema left her corporate fashion career as a learning and development manager in London, moved to the Colne Valley and set up her own floristry business, Moema Floral Design during the height of lockdown.

After working in London and having a long career as training and development consultant for brands such as ASOS, Armani, YSL and Estée Lauder, Teb decided a move to the North was on the cards. After settling in the Colne Valley, she decided the time was right to go after her dream of working with flowers.

Teb says: “When my father passed away in 2020, I found it comforting having a creative release via arranging flowers. I found this a real escape and therapeutic at a difficult time in my life. I found such solace and comfort creating floral installations and designs. That feeling was one I never wanted to let go of, and so in his name Moema Floral Design was born, in memory of my dad's family name.”

Moema Floral Design offers wedding flowers, but she also uses her training background to her advantage and hosts flower crown & wreath workshops and corporate events. Recently joining Empire House in Slaithwaite as a member, she will be hosting many events from her new base.

The flower industry is changing and she is doing her bit by practicing sustainable seasonal floristry. Where possible she chooses locally grown, not flown stems and foam free designs. Teb understands the importance of sustainability and has grown her own allotment of flowers, where she goes every week to select from. By 2022 her goal is to be able to grow all of her own filler flowers, making her business as environmentally friendly as possible. Teb also wants to help establish the UK as having some of the best flowers and designers in the world. Her corporate training background has allowed her to share her passion for flowers through one-to-one bespoke tutorials and her soon to launch Floral Academy. She says that Yorkshire is one of the best places in the UK for flower farms.

“I set up my floristry business in the height of lockdown which was a real risk for me, but the investment and passion has paid off and I grew 95% of my business through Instagram. After leaving my home of London in my mid-thirties, I settled down in a nature filled village in West Yorkshire with my partner. The pace of life is so much calmer and after spending years rushing around the rat race of the city, I started doing more of what I love. People often ask me if I miss the corporate life, but I still get that exciting buzz via installations that I do, where I still get to plan, design and budget and seeing the finished product makes me so proud.”