In Sant Andreu de la Barca municipality, Barcelona, a new florist’s led by a Cuban entrepreneur has begun to make history. It goes by the name of Jungla Barroca and is the fruit of the perseverance of floral designer Luis Alberto Alonso, a graduate of the Barcelona School of Floral Design, one of the most renowned in Europe.
Based in Spain since 2019, Alonso did not initially imagine that he would end up living in the country, nor that as early as April 2021 he would manage to open his own business in Barcelona.
“This has meant a big change in me and in my way of doing and seeing things. I have grown spiritually and personally. I feel independent,” he explains.
With extensive experience in the world of floral arrangements since 2006 in Cuba, Alonso has worked for personalities such as Karl Lagerfeld, the Rollling Stones, King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Madonna.
“Since I was in Cuba I had in mind to open my own store. When I decided to move to Spain I maintained the idea, but of course, I saw it as more distant,” Alonso told Negolution. The confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the driving forces behind his decision to embark on this new path.
Alonso started out in the world of floral art by the hand of his best friend, artist Jaime Lago, and is very grateful to his studies at the School of Floral Design in Barcelona for his training. “Studying there has given me very useful tools on a professional level, it has taught me techniques that I can then transform and adapt to my needs.”
Among his great teachers is prestigious florist Rosa Valls and the director of school, Daniel Santamaría.
“I have always been attracted to the artistic and creative field, and discovering floristry was an eye-opener to a new world. Now I feel like I’m starting all over again, because I have to apply a whole series of new knowledge and techniques, but I honestly can’t imagine myself doing anything else,” Alonso explains.
Only a month after its opening, Jungla Barroca is already conquering the most demanding clients in Barcelona, promising the beginning of a long path of success for this designer, who in each floral arrangement shares respect and love for one of the most beautiful trades in the world.
