Like Mother, Like Daughter: The Ladies Behind our Brand
Is it safe to say that Summer is finally here? It’s the time of the year when everything starts to grow. From flowers and leaves to all the other shrubbery in between, the British landscape certainly comes alive with a new-found sense of purpose.
With so many new things setting their roots into the earth, we’ve been having a think about our own beginnings, so to kick off our brand new blog series (yes, we have a blog now!), we thought we’d start by sharing with you the story behind Ladytree Designs.
Family: the oldest trade in the book
To begin with, it’s important to point out that craftsmanship runs deeper than our Mother and Daughter founders, Hannah and Ela; from a Grandad as a blacksmith and gunsmith to a Grandmother as a potter, it’s very much a family affair that has inspired the jewellery brand you see before you today.
Even before their jeweller days, Hannah has been making handmade items for years, from up-cycled bags to greeting cards showcasing her passion for nature photography. It’s not surprising then that Ela has followed in her footsteps.
We all learn from our parents, but our ladies have a special bond through jewellery – it was Hannah’s collection of wirework jewellery that sparked a passion in Ela for the craft.
Discovering Silver
Five years ago after Ela moved to Bristol, she started to attend Silversmithing classes. After seeing the amazing things her daughter was creating, Hannah decided to turn her hand to the trade, and pretty soon they were both taking classes on a weekly basis.
Using Eco Sterling Silver, they quickly became passionate about the idea of creating jewellery that incorporated the textures and colours of the earth. As their interest grew, they soon cut down their day job hours to focus on the art, and with hard work and determination, their mother-daughter hobby has successfully developed into fully fledged business venture.
But who is the lady of Ladytree Designs?
Whilst this inspiring tale of family craftsmanship is all well and good, another question still remains… who is the lady of Ladytree Designs?
We all know the Wiltshire countryside is known for its long, picturesque walks and quaint village housing, but it holds something even more special for our lovely founders.
Growing up there, Hannah often took Ela for walks by a beautiful river that had a tree hanging over the water. With a natural lady’s face and body carved into the bark, looking over the water like she was on the bow of a ship, the tree soon became their very own ‘ladytree’ and they often spent sunny afternoons admiring it.
Despite being cut down, it is this ‘ladytree’ that has remained in their hearts, inspiring their art and bringing forward the mother-daughter bond in all their creative endeavours.
When it came to branding their work and uniting their creative endeavours, both Hannah and Ela immediately thought about their tree by the river. Connoting the strong sense of family and natural inspiration they’d come to cherish, Ladytree Designs was born.
Unfortunately as it was many years ago that ‘Ladytree’ existed, this is the only photo we have of her.