Presenting

10 August | 2022 Rodrigo " Varito" Vásquez, AIFD, CFD, FSMD, FPCF Floral director at e Special Event Resource & Design Group Owner of R .Varito Designs & Institute LLC West Palm Beach, Fla. Florist Spotlight E very fl oral designer's hope is to create a signature style, something that is unique to him or her. When we see wire masterfully crafted into a piece of art, one person immediately comes to mind: Rodrigo "Varito" Vásquez, AIFD, CFD, FSMD, FPCF, fl oral director at e Special Event Resource & Design Group and owner of R .Varito Designs & Institute, both in West Palm Beach, Fla. Originally from San José, Costa Rica, Vásquez began his studies as a musician in 1972, when he was 7 years old, and he graduated from secondary school (high school) with a diploma in musical arts. At university, he earned bachelor's degree in hotel management, but in 1990, at age 25, he opened a fl oral studio, Varo Flowers, in Costa Rica. After nearly 25 years as a successful fl oral designer in Costa Rica, Vásquez moved to the United States in 2014, where he became an avid fl oral design competitor, started his quest to become an "Accredited Member of AIFD" and, along the way, developed a reputation for creating spectacular fl oral jewelry. FR : Where did your interest in fl oral jewelry originate, and how have you developed your profi ciency and expertise in that area? RV: My fascination with jewelry started when I was doing the beading and embroidery on dresses in my mother's wedding shop in Costa Rica. I started working with decorative wire and fl owers, and people kept telling me this was how I should brand myself in the fl ower industry. I fi rst practiced with fl at wire and lily grass, but it was plain and not impressive. en I called a friend, who was a jewelry artisan in Costa Rica, and he put me in contact with a jeweler in Spain, with whom I started a mentorship. I learned to work with copper, silver, gold and precious stones. To this day, my daily routine includes taking a piece of wire and testing new techniques. I have a box of copper, rustic and regular wire next to my bed, and I work with it before I go to sleep every night. It helps me perfect myself. It is all about practice, practice, practice.

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