Calling themselves “A tandem of people and what grows from Earth’s soil,” startup ROŚLINY (Polish for “PLANTS”) brings the best of applied arts to the fabulous world of plants. There’s the power of the finest graphic & interior design on the side of the people there – then there’s also the intriguing variety and diversity of nature on the side of what grows from Earth’s soil. Together as one – in a well-balanced 1 to 1 relationship – these two factors comprise for an impressive result.
The Original Tandem
ROŚLINY was founded by Weronika Muszkieta and Ola Sieńko, two girls from Wrocław, Poland, passionate about plants (of course!) and design. Both girls are Wrocław’s SWPS University students (at the Department of Journalism and Communication) and both share the passion for the analog photography.
The idea for ROŚLINY was born in July, spontaneously, after one of the girls’ visits to the Wrocław’s botanic garden. Both found the place special, and the species growing there – truly inspiring. From this point on, the duo has been working to bring their customers the best of the plant’s world, their ambition – to get to the rarest, most unique and uncommon of plant species.
Apart from selling plants (of course!), ROŚLINY offers an extensive choice of cactus/tropical plants/succulent compositions to arrange/rearrange one’s living space/workplace/office, providing assistance to people who’d like to have their places greened. The compositions are arranged with care and mindfulness. There’s something special, personal to each of them – a touch of authentic fondness and passion.
Unexpected Growth
Though one’s project can be born out of passion, passion alone is rarely enough for it to succeed. Success depends more on hard work, knowledge, resilience, timing, and, sometimes, on sacrifices: a lesson that Weronika and Ola learned well. Both had to turn their lives around to find more time to take care of ROŚLINY. Both had to change their habits and invest their resources into making it what it is. The dedication paid off: though the startup isn’t old, it is already becoming a recognizable brand, and not only on the local level. Due to its foundresses’ commitment, ROŚLINY was able to beat most of its local competitors (and let us not forget that it’s quite a crowded market!) and – somehow – to find its actual niche.
ROŚLINY’s customers are often unconventional people (their age from 20 to 60), who view owning a plant as a challenge. Some of them would like to have a pet, but can’t afford it for some reason (like, for example, traveling or moving too often). Others simply like succulents. For them, just as for Weronika and Ola, a plant is something to take care for, to grow attached to. A plant has its own character – its owner should never forget it. It’s not a cat nor a dog, of course, but still – on this deeper, emotional level, where people develop their feelings, owning a plant can prove to be just as demanding as owning an animal. Even if the plant is as undemanding as a cactus or succulent.
That’s one of the reasons that ROŚLINY’s customer base is expanding so fast. Because there’s a personal touch to each sold plant, people become attached to them, and through them – to ROŚLINY. Weronika and Ola are receiving a lot of e-mails and messages: people are asking how to take care of their new plant, how to make it grow, to strengthen it, how to best extend its life. Sometimes they simply send the girls a photo to show how the plant has developed.
Girls do answer all of them.
Promotion & Branding
Remaining connected with their customers is but one of the reasons for people to come to ROŚLINY – the other two being its promotion and branding.
To promote one’s project is one of the hardest parts – if not the hardest – of starting up such project, especially in already crowded market. To show ROŚLINY to the wider public, Weronika and Ola have been attending and participating in design- and lifestyle-related events and shows. Preparing oneself for such an event requires a lot of time and patience, as well as mention thoroughness and simple hard work. The shows themselves are often demanding in terms of resistance to stress and fatigue. Not that it could stop the girls: for them, the challenges are something to overcome, not to struggle with and be stopped by.
The response so far was more than good – it was great. The duo has gathered a lot of much needed positive feedback and support (not to mention recognition). Now, Weronika and Ola’s plan assumes attending more such events with the project – while also further expanding ROŚLINY’s reach with the help of the connections that can be established there.
The promotion – however – is nothing without a thing to promote. What contributed most to ROŚLINY’s initial success was – apart from the quality of the girls’ work – the project’s most impressive branding. Drawing inspiration from a series of plant-focused books printed in Poland in 80s, Ola and Weronika were able to outfit their project with a unique image: one that manages to draw one’s attention while remaining authentic at the same time. And no wonder: all of it – from the project’s logo to all of the particular promotional materials – is the girls’ own creation. Thus, the authenticity came naturally, not as something that was enforced – as it is in most cases. With its retro touch, the image communicates one thing: “What we do, we do with passion, and there is a part of us in what we’re striving to create.”
ROŚLINY’s logo…
… and its inspirations:
A peek at the project’s promo materials:
As of this moment…
As of this moment, the girls are preparing to open ROŚLINY’s first stationary shop in Wrocław. If the demand keeps rising, one may not be enough, however, so they’re preparing to face the need for even more commitment on their side. They’re also working hard to expand their already expansive offer of plants and plant compositions with some new, beautiful species, ones that are hard to come by in the European climate.
We keep our fingers crossed for them!
