LONDON, United Kingdom — British fashion's favourite florist is coming to America.

Flowerbx, a London-based direct-to-consumer and wholesale delivery service, has raised £4.2 million ($5.5 million), and will use the capital to launch in New York this May and eventually expand throughout the US.

Founded by Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, the former senior vice president of communications at Tom Ford, the online floral brand earned the early backing of Natalie Massenet, Carmen Busquets and the late former Net-a-Porter chief executive Mark Sebba, who was chairman of the Flowerbx board. Massanet and Busquets both participated in the latest round of funding, and were joined by British internet entrepreneur Alex Chesterman and venture capitalist Rupert Hambro CBE.

Flowerbx aims to be the first international flower brand — one that offers the same level of upscale quality across countries. In addition to London, it already has a presence in Belgium, Ireland, France and Germany.

“I don’t think anyone is doing this at the same level and with the same branded aspect that we are. There are a lot of online players with much lower [average order volumes] that aren’t premium or luxury,” Bromberg Hawkings said.

“In my mind, if you go to Prada in LA, Tokyo or Shanghai, you’re getting the same consistency of products.”

That luxury of consistency, she added, is what Flowerbx provides.

Currently, the company sources from the Netherlands and South America. Product offerings in New York will be similar to that of in London.

The launch in New York, according to Bromberg Hawkings, will be expedited by her existing relationships with international labels such as Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Farfetch and Christian Dior, with whom she has worked with on dinners and events.

"It's like how the fashion show that showcases Chanel haute couture would help sell the Chanel lipstick to people across America," she said. "Our work with brands creates a halo effect which then drives the [individual] online customer."

In the US, the floral gifting market is projected to reach $16 billion by 2023, growing at a rate of 6 percent since 2017, according to Research and Markets.

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