When Linda Hamasaki of Hawai'i Kai creates a floral arrangement, she doesn't go to the flower shop; she goes to her recycling bin or her own yard, or seeks treasures in disguise along the sidewalk. As a Sogetsu Ikebana sensei (teacher), she's even been known to encourage her students to follow landscapers' trucks to collect their detritus to create their arrangements. Hers is a decidedly green — and unconventional — approach to ikebana.

The Sogetsu philosophy, Hamasaki explained, is based on the fact that flowers are beautiful in nature and man cannot compete with that beauty, but when you cut a flower you bring a new life to it, infusing the flower with the arranger's spirit. By communicating with the flower, she said, "You can create something new and give the flower material new life."

Hamasaki and 26 of her students have partnered with Neiman Marcus Ala Moana on a project called "It's Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom Time," combining art, fashion and ikebana. Hamasaki toured the store with Joyce Tomonari, one of her students and the wife of Neiman Marcus' general manager, Al Tomonari. Together they identified areas of the store that might benefit from a floral work of art.

Hamasaki then assigned her students a particular area and asked them to create an ikebana that would complement that aspect of the store. "I tried to match the person to the fashions or areas. Knowing their abilities and their personalities we determined where they would best fit," Hamasaki explained.

There will be around 25 Sogetsu ikebana arrangements throughout Neiman Marcus. A directory will be available to help viewers navigate to all the art pieces.

A STUDENT ART PROJECT

Joyce Tomonari of Kahala was given the assignment of creating an arrangement for the Jil Sander boutique. The stipulation: It must be minimalist, in keeping with the subtle, minimalist aesthetic of the German fashion designer. Tomonari borrowed a hanger from the Jil Sander boutique and created a wearable art piece with pine needles she recycled from the family kadomatsu (New Year's arrangement). It took more than 60 hours to sew and glue the tiny pine needles together. Graceful and elegant, the blouse looks like it belongs on a Paris runway.

Naomi Lowe and Marlene Tom, both of Makiki Heights, partnered to create an arrangement for the cosmetics department. They first studied the area and sketched the tables where their arrangement would be featured. "Since the tables are stark, we thought it would be best to keep it zen," Lowe explained. They used twigs that they painstakingly peeled and painted pink, the hottest color for spring, according to the fashion experts at Neiman Marcus. The black river rock is in keeping with the zen aesthetic and the stargazer lilies and green spider mums add a pop of seasonal color.

Tom studied floral design in France and brought a European fashion approach to the hot pink mannequin, dressing her with a necklace of twigs and flowers.

Hamasaki and Tomonari will collaborate on the large window fronting the valet area. Their plan is to work with leaves, very Eve-in-the-garden, they said with shy smiles.

ABOUT SOGETSU IKEBANA

While many think of ikebana as a discipline, a strict art form with prescribed guidelines, Sogetsu is neither strict nor structured. Founded in 1927 by Sofu Teshigahara, Sogetsu is recognized as a creative art, based on the art principles of space, movement and line. "Sogetsu takes the arrangement away from the tokunoma so it better fits in the Western environment," Hamasaki explained. "It brings new life to things found on a hiking trip or just on the side of the road. One of my students said, 'Since starting Sogetsu, I have developed an awareness of nature and the trees I see along the roadways.' That just really made me smile."

Hamasaki started ikebana as an empty nest occupation, studying under sensei Alice Uchigakiuchi. Asked what sparked her interest in the art form, she replied: "A best friend in Kula who sent me bunches of flowers nearly every month. My husband suggested that I take ikebana so I could do more with them than just plunking them in a vase." After eight years of study, from 1993 to 2000, she took over the classes when her sensei retired.

With the cost of flowers skyrocketing, this innovative show proves that ikebana can be both a money-saver, and an eco-conscious activity.

The Advertiser's video reports