Photography pending
A workbench at the Shakee's studio in Colombo, with stems being shaped by hand in daylight.About Shakee's
The day is the point.
Shakee's is a Colombo studio for the days worth marking properly. We make every flower by hand, one occasion and one person at a time.
The work is shaped around what the day calls for, then wrapped, written and packed so it arrives ready to give.
Nothing here is made to imitate a fresh bouquet. It is a different kind of flower, made to remain part of the day long after it has passed.
How it is made
Every stem takes about six minutes.
On its own, the word handmade means very little. So here is what actually happens, which is also the honest explanation of why a bouquet costs what it costs.
Scroll through the work.
In the studio
We shape it
Every petal is formed by looping the wire back on itself and pinching the fold, which sets the curve. Each loop has to match the one before it, because if it doesn't the finished flower looks lopsided from across the room. The only way to match them is by eye, and there's no jig for it.
A stem takes about six minutes once your hands know the shape.
In the studio
We put it together
The stems are arranged, trimmed to length and bound. We choose the colours for the person who'll be receiving them rather than picking from a fixed range, which is why the same piece made twice is never quite the same.
A full bouquet holds twelve to twenty stems.
In the studio
We pack it
The piece is wrapped in kraft paper and tissue, boxed, and finished with a card written out by hand exactly as you sent it. We don't put a price, an invoice or a receipt in the box.
It leaves the studio ready to give.
What they are made of
It's wire, fibre and a lot of hours.
We name them plainly, because being vague about materials convinces nobody, and anyone who cares enough to ask deserves a real answer.
- Pipe cleaner stems
- This is a wire core with a soft fibre nap over it. The wire does two jobs at once, because it holds the shape and it remembers it, which is why a bent petal can be bent back instead of being ruined.
- Cotton fibre
- This goes into the centres and the detail work. It's the part nobody looks at closely on a finished flower, and it's also the part that decides whether the petals sit evenly.
- Kraft paper and ribbon
- These make up the wrap. We choose them so the piece looks like a gift rather than a parcel, and they're recyclable.