PITCH sat down last
week with jewellery designer Holly Ryan, whose latest collection Zephyr will be launched at Blonde Venus
in the next couple of weeks.
"The name Zephyr has a
long history in my family – it was my parents’ dog’s name – and it is a name that
really resonates with me because it means cool, soft, westerly breeze. I find
that to be very calming. A large part of my work is about finding balance in
design, and zephyr and the ‘calming breeze’ is all about that."
‘The vision behind the
collection is minimal futurism, so basically I’m inspired by the divide between
architecture and nature, and I’m always trying to focus on dualism, contradictions
and things that complement one another.’
Ryan, who studied
fashion at QUT and graduated in 2010, didn’t begin with her sights set on
following her parents into their careers of silversmithing. Instead, the change
came naturally after stores picked up on the whimsical designs her mother had
made to accompany her graduate collection.
‘I’d never learned anything
about silversmithing. I’d designed a few pieces – stud earrings and bolo ties –
which were made by my mum to go with the squirrel and acorn prints in the
collection.’
During her time
working as a studio intern at Sarah Phillips in Sydney, Ryan’s mother continued
to fill orders for the jewellery line in Brisbane. However, Holly soon became
disillusioned with working under another designer and the lack of creative
control.
‘I realised that there
was this product out there that had my name on it, and it was becoming unfair
to mum to put it all on her. It wasn’t fulfilling in the sense that I had any
creative output. I wanted to be involved in the artistic process and making
something that I had envisioned myself.’
Ryan finally decided
to make the move back home to the Sunshine Coast, enlisting her parents’
expertise to learn the silver trade.
‘Through that I built
up my first collection, which was all about patience. Balance is something I’m
always trying to get through with what I do. Every piece was the first time I
had done it, so I was so proud that I could do it myself. It was a new world to
me, but it’s so satisfying. Maybe on some level there was a rebellion, to not
want to do jewellery because my parents did it, but I find it so much more
enjoyable than making clothes – it’s more of a trade, something artisanal.’
‘I come from a family
of total greenies, so I’m always looking to work as ethically and sustainably
as I can. With silver, you can melt everything down and use it again for new
designs, and it’s not trend driven the way clothing can be – people are still
buying the designs that I made while I was still studying.’
‘Something else I love
about jewellery is the way that it can have a life or a history – you could
pick up a ring at an op-shop and know it has other stories, and it’s romantic.
It’s a keepsake, it’s something that you can pass on and it’s something that
lasts. I love to wear items that are gifts from someone else, because they all
remind you of that person.’
‘Some of the symbols
and elements I use often hold different meanings for different people – the
idea that something is protective, or warding off evil spirits. There
definitely is a power to jewellery and gemstones.’
‘I’ve used only
Australian fire opals in the latest collection – they have the most beautiful
array of colours. I’m very passionate about keeping it a very Australian label,
I don’t source anything from outside, because I don’t think there’s enough of a
focus on supporting local industries. That’s why I’ve stayed in Brisbane too,
because I don’t see that culture celebrated here when everyone just packs up
and moves down south so quickly. If a few of us could stick around, we could
create something really wonderful and long-lasting. Living in West End, I have
that small-town community spirit – everyone lives so close to one another!’
Ryan names it-girls
Alexa Chung and Chloe Sevigny among her style inspirations, but is also
influenced by art, counting Frank Stella, Art Deco, the Bauhaus and the Russian
Constructivist movement in the early part of the 20th century as
muses.
‘Some of the
Constructivist women are really inspiring to me. I would love to see Popova or
Stepanova in some of my designs! I’m inspired by all things geometric, symmetry
and clean lines. That ethos of creating form over function is so important –
you’ll always see triangles and spheres as recurring symbols, and that’s a
direct influence of these modernist movements.’
‘Over the next few
years, I’m just looking to expand the brand in Australia and New Zealand. I
really want to take everything slowly and steadily, because theres so much room
for error and I don’t want to rush into things too quickly. Once you do that
you can’t budge. In saying that, if I wanted to I could pack up my tools and
jump on a bus tomorrow!’