Jewellery made from irregular, organic shapes, subtly reflecting light due to their unconventional surface. Taking natural structures created by the flow of molten silver, Queen's Wood Studio's offerings are elemental, statement pieces that are wearable as part of a modern minimalist style. The woman behind the brand - British designer, Hattie Wragg - lives and works in Brno and brings unusually strong, sensitive and especially fresh energy to the local jewellery scene. Her jewellery was shown at the prestigious international Munich Jewellery Week 2019, and is represented by the top platform Not Just a Label, where it has been selected among the greatest talents of contemporary jewellery and included in the group of the so-called Black Sheep. Hattie is concerned with sustainability not only in her personal life but also in her work, and creates her jewellery from recycled sterling silver

 

Jak a kdy vznikla myšlenka založit vaši značku?

I started Queen's Wood Studio in 2014 when I was living in north London - my studio (in my flat) overlooked Queen's Wood! At that point it was a side project. I was studying for a PhD in English Literature at the University of Oxford but I had always made jewellery as well so I decided to start the brand.

 

Objevovaly se tvořivé tendence již během dětství/dospívání? Ovlivnila vás v tomto směru nějakým způsobem škola?

My parents are artists so we were always creative. I started making jewellery of my own accord though, spending hours on the floor in my room surrounded by beads I'd collected from old jewellery or creating bangles and earrings from tin cans and bottle tops. I took a City and Guilds in silversmithing when I was 17 years old and from then on started to work with silver and gemstones I collected during my travels to India and South America.

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Jaké byly začátky značky?

My first pieces were statement gemstone bead necklaces. I discovered the concept of sustainability in the jewellery business a few months after I started. I sourced recycled silver and sustainable gemstones and began the process of transferring to eco-friendly processes in my studio and sourcing recycled and recyclable packaging. I moved to Brno in 2015 and began to be inspired by Czech folklore, including practices like fortune telling by pouring metal into water. This lead to Folk Future, my first true collection of jewellery, made by water-casting silver to make colourful oxidised silver pendants and earrings. Local fashion designers adopted me and I have continued to learn and grow with their help, taking part in Brno Design Days, Mala Noc Mody and doing collaborations and also having a solo exhibition at Industra in Brno. My current collection, New Mythology, made by casting silver on charcoal, is shown in concept stores in Kurator in Prague and Object Concept Store in Brno. I also exhibited it at the prestigious international Munich Jewellery Week 2019.

 

S jakým materiálem/tématem nejraději pracujete a proč?

My current collection is made by casting recycled sterling silver on charcoal. I am inspired by the natural structures made by the flow of the molten metal and like that I am working in collaboration with my material not just shaping it into pre-planned designs. I use silver that has been recycled from electronics, medical equipment and old jewellery and so I also love the transformative element of melting the silver and letting it flow into natural shapes - like rewilding the silver after it has been used for such prosaic purposes. I hope to give some of that spirit to the women who wear my jewellery - that they can feel a little bit wild and free, released from the normal routine of our city lives.

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Co je pro vaši značku typické/specifické?

Each piece I make is truly one of a kind because the shapes I make by casting the silver on charcoal are random and unrepeatable. I then use my artistic sense to select and place pieces together, a lot like collage. There is something very flattering about using truly natural random shapes - neuroscience suggests that we are attracted to curved, free-form objects because they are what is beautiful in nature. My customers are always surprised by how beautiful they feel while wearing my jewellery - I think it is because I use these natural shapes, while also referring to a modern minimalist sensibility when I design each piece, so they are very wearable in daily life.

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Jaký váš produkt je pro vás největší srdcovka?

The process of making and selecting only the most beautiful random pieces is quite time consuming. I make jewellery with only the best pieces made by charcoal casting - some are not so attractive so I melt them and cast again. It takes a lot of time and care to make the perfect combinations of random shapes too. It is not a perfect business model! But I enjoy it that every day I am working on something different.

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Jaká je vaše motivace a co nyní máte v plánu?

I am motivated by the desire to do exceptional work but also be happy and spread happiness. I believe self-confidence leads us to be kinder to others so I hope to play my part in making the world a better place in this way - by making women feel confident and beautiful, and therefore able to be their best selves. For most of my life I worked to get praise from others (my PhD at Oxford); I am now working according to what I believe to be important myself. My plans are to keep creating and developing. Because I did not go to art school, I believe there is still a long way for me to grow and develop my style which I am already told is quite unique and different. I am beginning to experiment with shapes that have more volume and even introduce colour so let's see what the next year will bring :)