Petal to the metal

Aucklander Hollie Ryan's pretty creations will bloom forever

- Caroline Moratti

After graduating from law school, it didn't take long for Hollie Ryan to feel the pull of creative pursuits. "I should've figured that out before incurring five years of student loan debt," she jokes.

In an old Grey Lynn villa in Auckland, which she shares with her flatmates and cat Sophie, Hollie now spends her time beading bouquets of vibrant, colourful flowers. Her work is unique, ethereal and everlasting, not to mention utterly captivating. Each Hark Handmade creation sells out with every drop she does, but this is only the beginning of her bead journey.

With so much success, it seems these days the only thorn in her side is the occasional swipe from Sophie. "She observes the flower-making process all the time, but her main contribution is knocking my bead containers onto the floor at least twice a week," Hollie laughs.

What drew you to the art of beaded flowers? 

On a boring evening in lockdown, I was reading an article about funerals in 19th-century France and saw some photos of beautiful wreaths adorned with beaded flowers. They were so homespun and sentimental, and I adored the innovation of creating floral memorials when flowers were unable to be sourced due to civil unrest, poverty or war. I researched beaded flowers for days. I learned about peasants gathering beads left over from dressmaking and creating flowers and leaves for religious altar decorations, and that there were even beaded flower shops in the late 1800s and early 1900s in some European cities. Beaded flowers combined my three great loves decorative objects, jewellery making techniques and flowers. I just had to try it out.

Can you walk us through your creative process?