October 8, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode of The BASIC Show, host Viktorija Pashuta welcomes London-based fine jeweler Hannah Martin for a visceral, art-drunk conversation taped at 405 Motoring during Season 4’s “Dark Matter” theme—days before she launches Perfect Drug: Part II at Maxfield.
Hannah opens up about:
💔 Turning a brutal heartbreak (and a Nine Inch Nails mosh pit) into a two-part collection about feeling everything in a numbing world
🧷 Inventing “sensual matter”—small-scale chainmail that warms to skin—and pairing it with hard, cast metal for a push-pull of intimacy and armor
🟡 Why she designs selfishly (“I make what I want to wear”) and refuses to chase trends or money as a compass
⚧ Her 20-year stance on genderless jewelry: “If you like this piece, it’s for you”
🛠️ Mixing ancient craft with modern tech: hand sketches, plasticine, CAD models, and 3D prints before flame and metal
🪙 Materials & stones: 18k gold, hallmarked mixes of sterling + gold, grey/cognac/champagne diamonds, obsidian, and malachite
🤝 Collaboration with Coldplay’s Guy Berryman (Applied Art Forms): scavenging engines for forms, sparks, and ideas
💫 The talismanic “eagle” ring she can’t leave home without—and why jewelry carries the wearer’s stories across generations
🧪 Launching Hannah Martin Pierce for accessible fine piercing pieces (soft-launched in LA with Brian Keith Thompson)
🔥 Real talk for emerging designers: work harder than you think, fail fast, learn faster, and build a voice no one else can copy
Plus: a travel-from-hell arrival story (Stockholm layover + LAX shuttle breakdown), the joy of London sun, and a scent confession—Heretic’s unforgettable perfume that even Uber drivers notice.
If you’ve ever wanted to alchemize pain into power—or wear art that asks to be touched—Hannah’s philosophy will light a fuse.
🎧 Listen now and share: Which feeling are you brave enough to fully experience this week?
📺 Subscribe for more powerful interviews every Wednesday!
🛒 Subscribe to the Print Edition of BASIC Magazine – A Collectible Work of Art Delivered Quarterly: https://buybasicmagazine.myshopify.com
🎙️ The BASIC Show is hosted by Viktorija Pashuta — Editor-in-Chief of BASIC Magazine.
📍 Recorded at: 405 Motoring, Los Angeles @405motoring
🔗 Follow Hannah: @hannahmartinldn
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
I thought I'd this had happened to me before, but I
didn't realise that I could goto lower depths of pain of
heartbreak.
If you like this piece ofjewellery, it's for you.
Like it doesn't matter who youare, what you are.
It's like I want you to want toeat it or lick it or like stroke
your skin with it.
But money doesn't bringhappiness.
It makes your life easier,right?
I literally make things that Iwant to wear.
(00:20):
You know, like I'm like, I can'tstuff because I'm like, I want
that.
And the two people, even Uberdrivers, are like, what's that
smell you're wearing?
And it's so I love it.
I lost it in a river.
Swimming in the river swimmingten years ago and found it.
It was dead.
I was in the mush pit in themiddle of the mush pit in a
nine-inch hour show with likethis really broken heart.
SPEAKER_02 (00:41):
Welcome to the basic show.
SPEAKER_03 (00:59):
Welcome to the basic show season four.
We're here at 405 motoring, uh,the ultimate odor spot
experience.
Anyway, so you guys are readyfor this special episode
because, in fact, surprise,surprise, I do have a very
special guest, Hannah Martin.
Hi, Hanna, welcome to the basicshow.
(01:20):
I'm so happy to have you, guys.
So, you know the little um, youknow, backstory that Hanna just
landed literally yesterday inLos Angeles, right?
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Absolutely, last night.
Perfect timing.
SPEAKER_03 (01:32):
Perfect timing.
So I was planning this episodeand we had this theme for the
season, Dark Matter.
And actually, no, what happenedis I received the book.
It's called The Jewelry Book.
Okay, I received the Jewelrybook, and I'm just browsing
through it.
I see all the icons, you know,all these historical figures,
all of these, you know, amazing,beautiful brands.
And I'm like, oh my God, I knowthis designer.
(01:52):
Hanna Martin is there.
And I messaged her.
I'm like, hey Hanna, I just sawyou in this book.
Like, looks fabulous.
Congratulations.
If you're ever in LA, let meknow.
I would love to, you know, foryou to be on my podcast.
And he said, you know what?
I'm actually flying from Londonto LA literally like this Sunday
with taping today and Tuesday.
SPEAKER_00 (02:09):
So I'm so happy how things were literally was like
the universe looking out for us.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (02:14):
So what happened with your flight?
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
Yeah, so I was supposed to arrive on Sunday
night.
Took me two days to reach LosAngeles.
Uh I didn't walk, almost walked.
Yeah.
Went up in the air, came down inStockholm, got stuck in an
airport hotel in Stockholmbecause there was no flight
broke.
Uh made loads of new friends.
There was loads of people tryingto get to America.
I was like, I've now got like 20new friends.
(02:38):
We all hung out in the StockholmAirport Hotel for a night and
finally made it last night, likeover 24 hours late.
So I was like, yeah, but Iliterally, it was like the
journey from hell.
So everything had gone wrong.
I finally get here, I get off atLAX, I'm like, I made it.
Thank God.
I get on, you know, have to getthe shuttle bus to get to the
camp.
I get on the shuttle bus, itstarts to pull out, and the bus
(02:59):
broke down.
So basically, we were stuck on ashuttle bus.
It blocked the whole the wholeof LAX was in total carnage.
And I was like, of course thatjust happened.
Of course it did.
It was like comical at thatpoint.
Welcome to all the centersairport.
SPEAKER_03 (03:10):
Have you like the worst airport in the entire
country?
SPEAKER_00 (03:12):
Oh my god, I hate Heathrow, but like LAX might
beat it.
Oh my god.
It's like people beeping oars.
It was like we were just stuckon this bus.
I was like, I just want to getthe keys.
Yeah, it was so hot.
I was like, But I bet you loveit.
SPEAKER_03 (03:25):
Last time we talked, I was like, oh, I miss the heat.
I missed the heat.
SPEAKER_00 (03:29):
It's never too hot for me.
I'm like, I literally yeah, turnit up another like 20 degrees
and I'm still happy.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (03:36):
How many sunny days do you have in London?
SPEAKER_00 (03:38):
Well, actually, we've had a really good summer.
So we've had like a verynon-English summer.
It's been sunny for like twomonths, which is unheard, it
happens like once every 10years.
Right?
Yeah.
But usually it's like, you know,you have a sunny day and all
English people go crazy becausethey don't know if it's gonna
come back again.
So you're just like, it's like acarnival, and everyone's like,
the sun, the sun, the sun.
(03:58):
They're like pink in the parksand bikinis, like getting drunk,
everyone goes wild.
Takes days of everything.
SPEAKER_03 (04:03):
I remember this game because the time I lived in
London, there was I remembervividly, it was like dark and
gloomy, and then it was one rayof sun, and I was like, almost
almost people fight for it.
One sun of ray.
I'm like, oh my god, I'm finallyreaching the sun and then it's
gone.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (04:18):
You've got to make the most of it.
SPEAKER_03 (04:20):
But I feel like you get the most creative in the
gloomy weather, no?
SPEAKER_00 (04:22):
Yeah, I mean it's there's less distractions
because you, you know, it's notso fun going in.
SPEAKER_03 (04:26):
That's that's yeah, less distractions, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's all do another go party,go to the beach.
SPEAKER_00 (04:32):
You can lie in the sun.
It's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't really want to gooutside.
Thanks.
SPEAKER_03 (04:37):
Well, enjoyable.
How long are you staying here?
Two weeks.
Two weeks.
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00 (04:41):
Two weeks.
So I've got like this week'skind of full on work, so I'm at
Maxfield launching a newcollection, and then next week's
a bit more chill seeing peoplehanging out with friends, making
the most of the sunshine and oneday work day, and then yeah,
yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (04:54):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Other like 13 days party.
Yeah, I love that.
Well, that's how I get, I guessyou get your inspiration, right?
SPEAKER_00 (05:00):
Yeah, totally.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (05:01):
So you mentioned that.
So you release your newcollection, The Perfect Drug.
Is it your 10th collection?
Yeah.
Wow.
Tell us about what inspired it.
SPEAKER_00 (05:09):
I mean, so it came out that it's actually in two
parts.
So we launched Perfect Drug PartOne last year.
Yeah.
Uh, and then Perfect Drug PartTwo is launching literally on
Thursday this week.
Um, and I mean it's such apersonal collection.
It told it came out of megetting my heartbroken, like
really and truly, like I waslike, I thought I'd this had
(05:30):
happened to me before, but Ididn't realise that I could go
to lower depths of pain ofheartbreak.
This was about two and a halfyears ago.
And that this that breakup hadjust happened, and I I think it
was probably within the sameweek.
I also had to get to a nine-inchnails show in London.
I almost didn't go because I waslike, I can't leave my house.
(05:52):
And actually, my really goodfriend of mine was like, Fuck
that, Hannah.
I'm picking you up, he picked meup on the back of his motorbike,
drove me across London toBrixton Academy, was like, this
will make you feel better.
So I was in a mosh pit in themiddle of the mosh pit in a
nine-inch nail show with likethis really broken heart.
And honestly, I feel like it wasa transcendental experience a
transcendental experience.
(06:13):
It was like I I honestly wasfeeling every feeling I think a
human could feel at the sametime.
Like it was like kind of thepain and sadness, and then this
sort of communal experience oflike all these like hot, sweaty
bodies and loud music, and likeit was really intense.
And I so I when I started I wasstarting a new collection like a
(06:34):
few weeks after that, and I waslike, that is what I want to try
and capture in this work.
It's like that not necessarilyit kind of sort of started from
heartbreak, but it it actuallybecame a collection about love,
and like you know, thosefeelings, feeling all of that
full spectrum of feelings iswhat makes us human.
It's like we spend, we live in aworld that's like it's kind of
(06:55):
almost designed to numb us.
It's like we have screens tolook at, we flick through
socials, like the world's areally hard place to live in at
the minute, anyway.
You know, it's like whether it'sbig things like kind of numbing
yourself with booze or drugs oror screens or just like watching
shit stuff on tell, you know, weso I was like actually maybe I
talk about rebellion like allthe time.
I was like, maybe the biggestrebellion that you can do is to
(07:18):
actually feel everything and letyourself be in it, whether it's
the good stuff or the bad stuffor all of it.
Um, so that's kind of where thecollection started out, and it
turned into this kind of epicjourney was like I wasn't
finished with it last year, so Idid the next I did part two
because I was like, there'sstill more to come for this.
Um so it's kind of the climax ofit now that I'm launching like
(07:39):
this week.
SPEAKER_03 (07:39):
I could feel like I you explained to me your
feelings, I could almost likefeel it and really.
SPEAKER_00 (07:44):
Yeah, you know, like we all know those, and actually,
like for me, those feelings ofintensity, you know, like being
in a mosh bit, I go to loads oflive shows, like that's what I
get from it.
But like other people get itfrom standing in a meadow
watching the sun go down, youknow, like but it's those
moments where you feel likeyou're really in your body and
really in yourself, which we getso rarely because you're always
(08:05):
there's always like an outsidefactor.
There's a like you know, you'reshooting stuff for Instagram,
you're doing this, you'rethinking about other people, and
there's so many, there's so fewmoments that you are like really
purely you that I realizedthat's so important for us not
to forget as well.
And it's like that thecollection I designed, it was
like everything, I wantedeverything to like feel
(08:27):
something.
So it's this chainmail that Ideveloped that like it's really
sensual.
I kept saying to like the guysthat I make it with, it's like
yeah, it's like sensual matter,exactly.
It's like, and you want to likeI was like, I want you to want
to eat it or lick it or likestroke your skin with it, or you
know, so it was like really likehuman and fleshy, and yeah,
anyway.
SPEAKER_03 (08:47):
That's where you know, like it's it's very
fascinating you mentioned thatbecause all the negative stuff
that we read, I feel we feelhelpless because there's nothing
we can do.
We're just small pieces and uh,you know, in this huge puzzle.
But what you do, you use yourfeelings as fuel in your art,
right?
You having those feelings andyou take control, you know, this
(09:07):
expression that says, if youdon't like something, uh wait,
how did it go?
If you can't, uh if you don'tlike something, change how you
feel about it, right?
So true.
Yeah.
So and I'm thinking, like inyour case, right, you actually
using your pain, your feelingsinto your craft, into your art.
SPEAKER_00 (09:23):
And it's really interesting because I've talked
since doing that, and then Iobviously talk to other friends
who are like musicians orartists or whatever, and and
I've had this conversation.
I'm like, God, actually, we'rein such a lucky that's an
amazingly privileged position asa like creative of whatever
you're creating, that you canactually transform this
(09:43):
negativity into something.
It's like you're kind of I don'tknow what do they call it, like
a phoenix from the ashes orwhatever.
Like you're you're managing tomake something positive out of a
really negative experience.
Like that I feel lucky that Ican do that.
You know, at the time it didn'tfeel like that.
At the time it was just like um,but you know it reminds me of
something funny.
SPEAKER_03 (10:03):
My dad used to say, like, hey, uh, I was kind of
grungy, but again, I remember itsaid, you know, there's a skill
to turn uh shit into fertilizer.
Yeah, it's so true.
It's like exactly, yeah, yeah,yeah.
Like you take something soordinary and ugly, and then you
create beautiful things, youknow, with your own hands, with
your imagination.
This is really incredible, yeah.
Yeah.
So tell me about that, what isessential metal?
SPEAKER_00 (10:25):
Yeah.
It was like, so there's thecollection's like almost made up
of two like visual elements.
So it's like a kind of solid,like cast pieces of metal.
Okay.
That's lots of there's a lot ofkind of fetish references in it
as well.
So it's like I was looking atkind of really quite hardcore,
like Tom of Finland sort ofleather straps and like ball
(10:47):
gags and all this shit.
And then the and so there's alot of like that referencing,
but then I also developed this,it's it's basically chain mail
on a really small scale.
So it's it's almost like fabric.
So it's all these tiny littlerings, it acts like fabric, it's
like it feels and it's totallysoft and malleable, so you can
(11:08):
make you know these straps thatkind of wrap around, or and it
that contrast of the hard metaland that kind of chain mail,
it's like you do just you wearthe chain mail and it takes on
the warmth of your body, likeit's really intimate almost.
So it's it because I love gold,as you know, it's like my
favourite thing in the world.
It's like I love it.
Um, but it felt to me like I'dfound a new way to use it
(11:30):
almost, like it's like a wholeyou know, I've been doing this
20 years now, and it's like Ifound like I'd found a new way
with this material I've beenusing for so long.
Or was it actually trial anderror or something?
It was trial and error.
Like I kind of knew what Iwanted, and I don't know where
that idea came from.
And then it took us about a yearto work out how to make it
properly, that we can make it ina way that we can we we sort of
(11:53):
started making it by hand in thestudio, and it's like we could
make it, but you basically can'tsell that because it would cost
about three million poundsbecause it took so long to do.
So we looking for a supplierthat could help us make it on a
scale that we could use it tosell was like a whole journey
that took us around the world.
So, how many pieces exist?
So there's like we've got so thefirst part of Perfect Drug was
(12:16):
like 30 pieces.
Obviously, we make more than oneof everything, and this part is
so it's like a 60-piece totalcollection.
Um and you know, with some ofthose pieces are like super
limited editions, some of themare like more available.
SPEAKER_03 (12:30):
Um, so yeah, a lot of I bet each piece has a like a
unique story or like specificfeeling that you use, you know,
as inspiration for that piece.
Yeah.
I know I read in the in thejewelry book that you mentioned,
uh you already mentioned TomHolland was one of the
inspirations, but also the umclassic photographer Man Ray.
Yeah, right?
So how did you use hisinspiration?
SPEAKER_00 (12:49):
I mean, that was a lot of I was the because I build
like when I start a collection,I have this kind of like seed of
an idea of what I want, but Itry not to think about jewelry,
like I try not to think aboutthe end product at all.
It's like I think about theworld and this kind of visual
world, and I build mood boardsand like I almost make this it's
like I write a film in my head.
(13:11):
It's like I create this wholevisual world that I then I have
all the mood boards like aroundmy studio, I kind of immerse
myself in it.
So like there's there was oneparticular Man Ray picture that
I used, which was kind of it wasbasically like a ass, woman's
ass, but it looked like a peach,so it's like kind of totally
(13:31):
surreal, you couldn't see therest of the female.
Um, and you have that next tolike I had that image and I had
it next to like a piece ofbrutalist architecture, and in
my head, something happens whenyou put those two images
together, and it kind of gave methe feel of it.
And actually, you can kind ofsee that Man Ray picture in some
of the pieces because they'revery like there's a lot of like
quite round and fleshy sort offeeling.
(13:54):
So it's more like it gives me afeeling, which I then translate
into the piece of jewellery thatI'm finally drawing.
It's got it's quite how yourmind works, right?
How you're getting all thisthing.
It's like I have to puteverything in front of my eyes
for it to go into my brain, andthen it kind of mashes.
It's like having um theingredients for a recipe, you
know, like uh you have tomatoes,you have bezel, you have olive
(14:17):
oil, and you have pasta, andthen how you put that together
can be so different.
That's kind of how I see it.
It's like I have all thesedifferent images that on their
own mean one thing, and then youput them together and you make
this mashup and something elsecomes out of your head.
SPEAKER_03 (14:29):
And there's a magic ingredient called Hannah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:32):
Yeah, whatever goes on in there.
SPEAKER_03 (14:34):
But everything goes in there, right?
I think it's good, right, to getinspiration from icons from
legends, but also there's alwaysa little bit disavieu, right?
SPEAKER_00 (14:42):
Absolutely.
And that's why I try never touse like I'd never have another
piece of jewelry on a moodboard.
It's like if you're looking atthings like photography or art
or or architecture or whatever,it's you're kind of using it as
inspiration and using it as likea visual language, but there's
no chance that you can make itlook like something else.
You know, like I always want tomake something that you feel
(15:03):
like you've never seen before.
So by putting all thoseingredients together, hopefully
that works rather than justbeing like, oh, that vintage
piece of cartier is great, orthat you know, it's like I try
not to look at jewelry and notto see what other people are
doing, so I'm making somethingfresh.
SPEAKER_02 (15:18):
If you guys hear the car noise, this is clear.
Clearly can say, Well, we're nottricking you, we're not in the
studio.
We're actually in the car shopwhere they're moving.
What is it, a Porsche?
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
I think it's a beautiful Porsche.
SPEAKER_03 (15:30):
It's a beautiful Porsche that they're moving
right now.
Yeah, they want a little bit ofthis five-minute fame.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
A free shout-up drive up and down in front of
us.
SPEAKER_03 (15:39):
Yeah.
It's just beautiful, like awhite alapasta.
But you know what?
Going back to your point, very,very interesting because going
back to what I do, right?
Fashion photography.
And I remembered in thebeginning, I keep looking at a
lot of fashion photographers.
A lot of fashion photographs.
Because that's how you learn.
Right, right.
Yeah.
You look, you educate yourself,but then I realized, you know
what?
I should actually look at othermedium to create another
(16:00):
concept.
So I started to, you know, watchmovies or, you know, go to the
museums, look at the artwork,right?
I stopped completely myselflooking and comparing myself to
other photographers because whathappens, you start comparing it.
SPEAKER_00 (16:12):
You end up, you it's almost it's not on purpose,
even.
It's like because stuff goesinto your brain and it comes
back out again.
SPEAKER_04 (16:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:18):
You don't even realize that it's an image that
you saw or a piece of jewelrythat you saw.
It just kind of comes out andyou sort of think you've done
it, but it's it's risky.
I was I um go and lecture at St.
Martin's, my old art school,like for a couple of days every
year.
And I always say this tostudents it's like you don't
even know you're doing it.
But if you're looking at otherjewellery, it's bound to come
(16:39):
out in some way.
So just don't look at it.
Like, don't, I mean, obviouslyit's good to know what's going
on in the world, but like ifyou're in that creative moment,
just don't feed anything likethat into your brain because it
will come out, you know.
SPEAKER_03 (16:50):
Like it will come out, and then everybody's your
copy paste, you know, nowadays.
Yeah, yeah.
And I love how your jewelryspecificists stand out, you
know.
Can you maybe talk about yourfavorite collaborations today
that you've done?
SPEAKER_00 (17:03):
Oh man, I think I mean the most I suppose the most
recent and actually the mostlong-lasting one has been with
Guy Berriman, who's the Coldplayguy.
Um, and his he's got a menswear,amazing menswear brand, Applied
Art Forms.
And that was like for me, it'sbeen the perfect collaboration
because it's like I've workedwith people before and they're
(17:24):
all they're all great in theirown way, but like this was like
an actual collaboration of likecreative minds, both bringing
equal amounts of stuff to thetable.
Like we really like inspiredeach other.
I feel like neither of us couldhave made those pieces come to
life alone.
Like it needed both of ourminds, and both of that we were
(17:44):
both like brought differentinspiration, and actually it was
really interesting doing thatbecause I work, I'm so solo when
I work, and usually I'm like,it's just me, I'm in my bubble.
You know, I like to work likethat.
I don't like anyone else'sinput, but actually, so it
pushed me out of my comfort zonea bit with like having somebody
else's kind of input into stuff,but it was really interesting
because I was then looking atstuff that you know.
(18:06):
I went, he's got an amazing umgarage that he collects cars,
and like he's got thisincredible garage down in
Cornwall in Cornwall in theCotswolds where he has a house.
And like one day I just wentdown to the Cotswolds and we
just took engines apart for aday.
I like looked at what was insidethem, like it was so much fun.
Yeah, I would never have donethat if it was just me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And like I don't know what howmuch like that kind of fed into
(18:29):
the collection, but you know, itwas really inspiring to have
like another person's referencepoints that kind of then came
out and we made these babiestogether.
Like it was really cool.
SPEAKER_03 (18:37):
I bet after this episode, the new collection will
be like tired of the.
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm like starting by scanning,scanning the environment.
I love you kind of you know,observing, but you're also
almost like using this meatgrinder.
SPEAKER_00 (18:54):
That's a really good way to put it.
SPEAKER_03 (18:56):
And you kind of transform it, yeah, pressing it
through yourself, right, throughyour perspectives and create
something beautiful.
Yeah, and your jewelry alwaysstands out.
I mean, like right now, I mean,can you tell us what you're
wearing?
I mean, this huge pin, or whatdo you what's the it is a pin,
like a giant safe?
Giant is like freakingincredible, and you know how to
wear it.
Like every time I like see you,it's just I'm so amazed how you
put things together.
Do you know?
SPEAKER_00 (19:17):
I think it's because I'm such a selfish designer and
I I literally make things that Iwant to wear.
You know, like I'm like, I've Idesign stuff because I'm like, I
want that.
So I make it and then hope otherpeople like it.
SPEAKER_03 (19:27):
You know, this is the best approach because I
think the worst approach is whatother people like, what are the
current trends?
And we just end up, like I said,copy pasting each other's
design.
And if you create something thatyou personally want to wear,
yeah, of course there will be anarmy of supporters who you know
will admire your look and youknow want to replicate it.
What is that ring?
Is it like a freaking no, no,the other one, is it like a
(19:48):
tooth or a claw?
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
This one.
That's actually an eagle's soit's an eagle's head with his
beak, but it looks like the ideawas that it looked a bit like a
kind of claw.
There's two eagles that he's aneagle as well, a different one.
Wow.
Yeah, that one's an eagle.
SPEAKER_03 (20:00):
I love it.
Is it heavy?
SPEAKER_00 (20:02):
I mean, quite heavy.
They're all quite heavy.
SPEAKER_03 (20:04):
Quite heavy?
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
I mean, I so used to, and I'm not a very good
judge because people, you know,I do I do bespoke jobs for
people as well, and I kind ofmake, you know, one-of-a-kind
things, and they're like, oh,but I don't want it to be too
heavy.
I'm like, it's not heavy at all.
But I'm so used to wearing thescore, and they're like, what?
You said it wasn't gonna beheavy.
I was like, oh, don't be a wuss,come on.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (20:24):
I love the words they use, the wuss to tell it.
It's such a Britishness iscoming out.
Like, what other words?
I'm like, even trying to dissecta little bit and just to make
sure I get the words.
SPEAKER_00 (20:36):
You might have to have a translation at the
bottom.
I know, right?
Such a wuss.
Did be a wuss, come on.
SPEAKER_03 (20:41):
I love it, I love it.
So, can you dive us in a littlebit into your creative process?
So, from the some of thebehind-the-scenes pictures I've
seen, you have this grungystudio.
Yeah, you have this, you know, Idon't know, the workers melting
metal and you know, this hugeovens.
It just looks like freaking asci-fi, you know, Mad Max movie.
So, can you tell us what there'ssort of two parts of it?
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
Because there's like obviously the designing part,
which I do, which is like, youknow, I did I trained as a to
make, so I'm like, I and foryears I was making everything.
So at the beginning it was justme, it was me designing, making
everything.
And then obviously I can't kindof keep on doing everything.
So now I do more of the cleanbit, which is like the designing
part and all the images.
So I have my design studio, andthen underneath we have the
(21:25):
workshop.
So that's where all the likereally good-looking stuff
happens, like the fire and themelting of the metal and like
all of this stuff.
Um, and it is, I mean, I loveit.
The thing with making jewelleryis like a lot of it has never
changed, you know, like it's akind of a lot of the techniques
we use now, they were literallyusing 2,000 years ago to like
melt metal.
(21:45):
But then there's also been likemassive advances in tech, in
like you know, the we use CAD alot now, so it's like I draw
everything, I'm very umhands-only, so I'm totally
analogue.
I draw everything, I don'tdesign anything on a computer.
It's all like I need everythinglike printed out and ripped up
and drawn, and like um, and thenmy like right-hand man who I've
(22:05):
worked with for years and years,he uh takes what I've done and
then he creates models in acomputer, and it's changed how I
work totally because I used toprototype by hand-carving wax,
which is awesome, but it takesforever, and you can't like keep
you know, it's basically onehand-carved model takes days to
(22:25):
do.
Um, so now we can like makemodels in the computer, we 3D
print them.
I can like look at theproportions, like test it, we
can change it.
It's like it's literally likeanother stage of designing where
you can make it in 3D for likevery little money.
So before we even get intoworking in metal, I know I'm
totally happy.
You know, I know that it's likethe right size, the right scale,
(22:47):
it works well on the body.
It it's amazing.
So I love jewelry, and it's thisreal mix of like absolutely old
school techniques of likemelting metal, soldering, like
all of even the workbenches thatwe use are like they've looked
like that for hundreds andhundreds and hundreds of years.
And then we also have this techthat has that kind of works in
with it.
(23:07):
It's like another tool in thebox.
Yeah, well, you know what?
SPEAKER_03 (23:12):
Like you remind me, like you sound like a tech
virgin, right?
I love how you don't touch thetechnology, right?
It keeps you pure, it keeps yourvision pure, right?
You know, like okay, Ahana,yeah, you know, she handheld
everything, you know, she's shedrafted, she scratched, you
know.
And then it goes into the thing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:27):
I I'm always like, I mean, obviously it's kind of my
age as well, and it's like but Ithink I say this again to
students.
It's like there's something forme about uh holding a pencil and
the connection between like yourbrain, your hand, the thing that
you're making the marks with.
I I can't get that from drawingsomething on a computer.
(23:48):
Like, I just don't have the sameconnection.
I feel there's somethingphysical about the making of
marks, or the I even like, Imean, I use like literally, I
mean it's so old school.
It's like I model make out ofplasticine.
Like, I'll find any way I can tolike try and get quickly the
shape that I want.
Um and I just don't think youcan I can't get that if I've got
(24:09):
this if I'm one part removed bya screen.
Like I need to be able to likerip paper and stick it down and
like it's a few.
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
It's so fascinating because it makes it human,
right?
You know that your item is notby made by a machine, right?
It's not made you know in a hugefactory and millions of copies
of it.
SPEAKER_00 (24:24):
Like for me, it's like it's a bit it's got like
human soul in it.
It's like we've made that withour own hands from the very
beginning to the end, and that II think that puts something
else.
SPEAKER_03 (24:34):
Anyone's buying your piece, they're buying a little
bit of Hannah.
They're buying a little bit ofnot buying, they you know, maybe
they're giving a little bit ofyour soul, right?
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
There's a bit of spirit in there, hopefully
people feel it.
SPEAKER_03 (24:44):
Well, well, this is incredible.
So let's talk about you know,gender and rebellion.
Do you think jewelry is kind ofgender-based or your jewelry is
more unisex and can be worn byanybody?
SPEAKER_00 (24:54):
I mean, that's what I hope.
And I always started out withthat in mind.
It's so interesting because Ihave it's Bran's 20th
anniversary this year, of whichyou believe, which is why.
Oh, oh my god, I believeactually about this month is
about 20 years since I started.
Um, and you know, even when Iwas at art school and studying,
it's like I always had thisthing that I didn't ever
(25:15):
understand why there had to begender put on jewelry.
I mean, I wrote my thesis aboutgender and masculinity, I've
always been something that I'vereally been fascinated with.
But at that stage, we didn'thave terms like gender fluid,
gender fluid didn't exist as aterm, like there wasn't actually
as many ways that you could talkabout this idea that I had.
Um, you know, the only wordsavailable at that time were like
(25:37):
unisex or androgynous, both ofwhich I was like, Yeah, but
you're a bit old school unisexis not and trend and it's it
does work.
I mean, it's like it's a wordthat works, but there's
something unsexy about the wordunisex.
SPEAKER_03 (25:47):
I was like it's not about like making it unsexy,
it's just yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
I'm like ugly unisex.
SPEAKER_03 (25:52):
Anybody can be elephant can be.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
It's like a it's a good term to like cross, you
know, cross up the borders.
But like, so always from thebeginning, I always like this
idea.
And and to start with, I calledit, I call my work men's jewelry
that girlfriends could steal.
But even now I don't like to usethat because it's too gendered.
I'm like, but the idea was itwas like if you like this piece
of jewelry, it's for you.
Like it doesn't matter who youare, what you are, where you
(26:19):
fit, and the scale of gender,it's been for you.
And like I feel like the world'scaught up with that idea a
little bit in the last like 10years.
Like, honestly, when I firststarted, and I was working with
like wholesale stores, so it'slike I'd go for a meeting at
like Liberty, let's say, andthey were like, But do you want
to see the men's wear bio or thewomen's wear bio?
I'm like, well, either or both,or like, does it matter?
(26:39):
Like, do we have to do we haveto put this in a category?
And no one could get their headsaround it.
So it's it's actually amazinghow far we've come in that way
in terms of like fashion way.
SPEAKER_03 (26:50):
But see, when you create something new, right?
It does when it doesn't fit in acertain box, that's where you
make a change.
Yeah, you know, I can make thesame comparison about the
magazine, right?
So it's like I feel like it's aunisex publication, right?
We have everything, but thenthey always put in a woman's
interest.
I'm like, damn, it's not it'sbasic magazine, it's not a just
women's interest.
I mean, but they're like, wheredo we put men's interest?
(27:10):
I'm just put into like art andfashion.
Yeah, exactly.
Like, why do we have to givethis a box?
SPEAKER_00 (27:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right.
It's world.
I mean, I still think there's alike there's a long way to go
with that because you still dohave like magazine.
I'd not even thought about itfor the magazine, but of course
it's the same thing.
SPEAKER_03 (27:24):
It's like a certain box.
Why in your case, you'recreating artwork, right?
I would say it's an art piece,you know.
I don't know what I believe it,you know, deserving the museum.
Yeah, so let's think about let'sthink about longevity and
mortality for a second.
Yeah, so you know, jewelry issuch an artifact that outlasts a
human life.
SPEAKER_00 (27:41):
Or lives beyond all of us, yeah.
Beyond all of us.
SPEAKER_03 (27:44):
So, say 100 years from now, somebody finds one
piece of Hannah Martin jewelry.
What would it be?
Yeah, and what do you thinkwould it mean?
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
Oh god, that's a really hard question to answer.
Uh I mean, I like I like there'sone idea that I always think
about that I love the idea ofthat there'll be a piece that's
passed down through generations.
There'll there'll be stories, sorather than it being like fat, I
like the idea of it being dug upout of the ground as well in
like 500 years.
(28:13):
But you know, like if someonebuys something, it gets passed
down to their kids and grandkidsand whatever.
Because like with jewelry forme, it's like gold, especially.
It's like I feel like it's amaterial that takes on its
wearer, you know, like you holdlike because you wear jewelry
next to your skin all day, everyday.
I feel like it kind of I don'tknow whether it's true, but it
(28:34):
feels like it takes on somethingof the wearer's being, and
people kind of have this veryintense relationship with it,
with their jewelry, especiallysomething that you wear every
day, and it becomes almost likea talisman.
SPEAKER_04 (28:46):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (28:47):
And you know, people have I hear it all the time,
where it's like, oh my god, Ican't leave the house without it
because I feel like it'sunlucky, or I feel like I'm
gonna something's gonna happento me, or like, you know, people
build these stories.
So I love the idea that there'dbe something in like, you know,
five generations down the line.
Like, for example, this ring forme, this is like an eagle's
head.
That's for me, that's the ringthat I can't leave the house
without.
(29:07):
Like, I feel like something'sgonna go terribly wrong.
Like, wow, I it's it's been lostand found.
Like, you know, it's got so manystories multiple times.
It's like I've it's always comesback to me.
Like it's flies back.
I've lost it on, I've lent itfor shoots, it's got lost by
people, it's come back.
I lost it in a river swimming.
In the river swimming.
Ten years ago and found it.
(29:28):
It was there.
SPEAKER_03 (29:29):
It's like honestly, it's wait, hold on a second.
You lost a ring in the river andten years later?
SPEAKER_00 (29:35):
No, I found it that day.
No, it wasn't ten years later.
No, no, no, no.
No, it's not that great a story.
SPEAKER_03 (29:42):
I mean, still.
So you I still found it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:44):
It was on like a stone on the edge of the river.
I was like, I thought I'd lostit forever.
It was like three hours fromthat way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like, oh my God.
Incredible story.
So, yeah, I kind of like theidea that that, for example,
that ring, if someone has it inlike five generations' time, it
will be the same.
Have the same like talismanicpower to it.
Um, yeah, I don't know if thatanswers the question.
SPEAKER_03 (30:05):
But no, that does answer the question.
No, speaking about the energy,yeah, you're absolutely right.
If I go like to vintage stores,I'm thinking, if I get this
ring, will I get the energy ofthe previous first one?
SPEAKER_00 (30:14):
I hope it's gonna be good energy.
SPEAKER_03 (30:15):
Yeah, but you definitely have really strong
positive energy that it feelslike you're putting your heart
and soul into your project.
It's not like something you'rejust creating, you know,
commercially, you know,commercially liked by everybody.
Sums it up here.
Yeah, you're creating for you.
Wow, this isn't you know, thisis a really great story, and I
love to hear stories like thatbecause they inspire other
people to, you know, lookingmore inwards rather than looking
(30:39):
for external, you know, ideas orexternal um, you know, factors
that move them and push them,force them to do something,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (30:47):
Yeah, I think it's so important.
I mean, I you know, there'sobviously space in the world for
lots of different kinds ofcreativity and all of that.
I'm like I do believe that ifyou're only looking outside, if
you're only kind of followingtrends or like thinking, you
know, trying to anticipate, Isuppose, a more commercial, a
more commercial way of doing itof like what are people gonna
(31:07):
want to buy?
It's very hard to make somethingunique doing that because you're
always you're always basicallythe the market is leading you
rather than your creativityleading you.
And I don't feel like you cancreate something that breaks any
molds, that can rebel in anyway, that can do anything new if
you're just following that.
(31:28):
I mean, I know some people thatI work with are probably like,
honey, you'd probably make loadsmore money if you maybe did
that.
But I'm like, I'm like, I don'tcare.
I was like, otherwise I couldjust go and get a job.
SPEAKER_03 (31:37):
Yeah, because at the end of the day, right, like
money does, I mean, it's cliche,right?
But money doesn't bringhappiness, it makes your life
easier, right?
But at the end of the day, ifyou let's say, I mean, let's go
that route.
If you do imagine you have allthe money in the world, what is
the first thing you would do forthe first week?
SPEAKER_00 (31:52):
I'd make all the pieces of jewelry in my head
that I've really wanted to makefor years that I haven't been
able to afford to do.
That's what I do.
I do answer.
Right, you see you answer yourquestion.
SPEAKER_03 (32:01):
So, like, it will just give you an opportunity to
do something which you love,which will bring you, you know,
happiness.
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
I can't imagine having all the money in the
world, I would still be doingwhat I'm doing.
Like, I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (32:13):
So, what is that grand piece that I don't know
costs so much that you wouldnever were able to create all
this thing?
Is it the material?
Is it shape?
Is it material, right?
SPEAKER_00 (32:23):
Material.
I mean, the the like I supposeit's also the like you know, I'd
make something huge in gold,basically.
Like, I'd make something hugeand completely outrageous and
probably unsellable.
Like I'd in my head, I was justlike, it was something that goes
up your arm, or like somethingthat's like absolutely
(32:43):
impractical, and I probablywouldn't do, even me wouldn't
do, because I was like, there isno chance in the world that
yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Something ridiculous out ofgold.
I that yes, that it's somethinglike that.
I'm like, no one's gonna buythis, but I just want it to be,
I want it to exist in the world.
It's like, yeah, something likethat.
SPEAKER_03 (32:59):
I love it.
What about um, you know, likeusing natural materials from
cosmos?
What about like volcanic rock orstuff like that?
SPEAKER_00 (33:06):
Do you know what I've done something?
I've done a few projects I didfor one client with moon rock.
So it's this amazing couplewho've become friends of mine,
um, who I met through work, andthey commissioned me.
It was the first commission thatI did, and one of them wanted to
uh create a 50th birthdaypresent for his husband, and
he'd bought this moon rock.
(33:28):
I mean, we actually don't knowwhether it's even real or not,
but it was like he'd bought itat a flea market in New York or
something, and he was like, Ihave this piece of moon rock,
and I made an earring and set weset the moon rock in it, and we
kind of loved the idea of it.
Whether it's real or not, I itdidn't even matter.
It was like more the concept oflike having this piece of moon
rock.
And I've the one I would love todo, there's like apparently you
(33:51):
can get um are they calledmeteorites.
So meteorites are meteorites,it's almost metallic.
Okay, I've never done anythingof that with that, but I would
love to do something with thatbecause I know that actually
exists and it is a metal likematerial somewhere between metal
and rock.
SPEAKER_03 (34:09):
Would it be like different uh ways or different
tools to cut it to work on this?
SPEAKER_00 (34:12):
I think so.
I we'd have to do I've nevereven got my hands on it.
I've just heard I've read aboutit.
SPEAKER_03 (34:16):
Can you imagine filling it like something you
know out of space?
SPEAKER_00 (34:19):
I mean that would be so cool, you know, that you
could because gold feels likeit's made by magic anyway.
You know, I find gold sofascinating, and to be able to
set something that's come out ofspace into a piece of gold, like
combining those two things, Iwould love to do.
I'll do it one day.
Watch this space nextcollection.
SPEAKER_03 (34:36):
So you know, I I actually wanted I did mention it
in the beginning.
So the extension of your companyis Hannah Martin Pierce, right?
Yes.
So can you give us a little bitmore info about your Pierce
collection?
Maybe Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (34:47):
Um I mean that started out, I think we launched
that three years ago, four yearsago.
I've been thinking about it foreight years.
We were actually about to do itjust before the pandemic, and
then obviously COVID hit andlike launching a brand, a thing
that involves close personalcontact was not great at that
time.
I was like, we're gonna wait forthat.
Um so we I think we launched itin 22.
(35:07):
Um, and it really that kind ofcame out of like personal need.
It's one of those things where Iwas like, I actually wanted to
get this um industrial barpierced years ago.
And you know, when you dosomething like that, you have to
wait for like a year or sobefore you can change the
jewellery.
And I was like, I I can't, Icould only find ugly pieces of
jewellery.
I was like, okay, I'm gonna haveto make something.
(35:28):
So I made my own and I gotpierced with it, and then I
would start making other bitsand like some for my team, and
they were like, Oh, can you makeme something for my nose?
So we were just doing it, andthen clients obviously saw it
and they were like, that'sreally cool.
I was like, okay, we'll make yousomething.
So in the end, I was like, weshould probably just do this
because everyone seems to wantit.
So we launched Hannah MartinPierce.
SPEAKER_03 (35:47):
Um, that's how we no, it's not how we met, but we
did a shoot with Brian becausethat's how so you introduced so
guys, Hannah introduced me toBrian Keith Thompson, who was in
the first season of the basicshow.
So like the old.
There's a whole nice circlegoing on, but it's happened to
the full circle.
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
So yeah, when we launched in LA, shout out to
Brian.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (36:04):
That'll be fine.
SPEAKER_00 (36:06):
Um we did like um we we sort of soft launched at
Brian's store, and he was likereally part of it.
And so it's been amazing becauseit also like my idea was because
of the scale.
I mean, literally the thing thatmakes my pieces expensive is the
amount of gold in them.
It's like if they're bigger,they're more expensive because
gold's really expensive, and youthat's it.
(36:27):
So actually, for the piercings,they're made out of 18 karat
gold and diamonds, but they'remuch smaller, so it's kind of
becomes a accessible price pointa bit more than say, like that
gold eagle ring.
Yeah.
So I like the idea of it beingthis kind of part of the brand
which you could kind of start,you know, it's like a starter
(36:48):
version of Hannah Martin thatyou can kind of begin with and
then kind of move on up and endup with your big giant eagle
ring.
SPEAKER_03 (36:56):
So, what other materials do we work with?
Maybe educate us a little bitabout depending on mainly gold.
SPEAKER_00 (37:00):
So it's like it's all 18 carat, the metal.
We've started working now, so inthe perfect drug collection was
the first time that I'veactually introduced silver as
well.
So we made some pieces and itwas kind of an experiment.
And again, because it felt kindof rebellious.
SPEAKER_03 (37:14):
That I can't remember how anything not
rebellious that you would.
I tried to rebel.
SPEAKER_00 (37:21):
Everything I try to do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So it was like we were I'd sortof designed the whole collection
as this mixed colour, so likewhite and yellow, because again,
I really I wear like lots ofmixed colours, and actually it
was it was Michael, who's myhead of production, that was
like, well, we could try doingit in like silver and 18 karat
gold.
And uh honestly, even myreaction to start with was like,
we can't do that because injewelry world, like silver's one
(37:43):
thing, gold is another thing.
They're two very different typesof jewelry.
I was like, fuck it, why not?
Like, and actually they used tolike back in the third twenties
and thirties, silver had thesame kind of you know, it was
considered the same preciousnessas gold.
It's just over the years it'skind of been like silver's like
this entry level and gold's likeup here.
I was like, well, let's do it,let's mix.
(38:05):
Oh, now we're doing like thesepieces where it's like sterling
silver and 18 karat gold.
We had to kind of fight with thebecause in the UK we have to
legally have everythinghallmarked, so it's like
whatever metal you use.
And we had to have big argumentswith the assay office about that
we could hallmark these thingswith silver and gold, because no
one really does it.
So which we won and we do nowhave like a silver hallmark and
(38:27):
a gold hallmark.
Going to the upper level.
Yeah, it's like we must lead themovement.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like, come on.
Um, so this idea of mixingmetals.
So yeah, I work with like mainly18 karat gold, but then we
obviously work with stone, so Iwork with diamonds.
I try and I mean I lovediamonds, but they're also a bit
predictable.
(38:47):
So I'm like, they are my girls'best friends.
But for me, there's moreinteresting things, so I'm like,
I love diamonds.
I use a lot of differentcoloured ones.
So in the perfect drug, I'vefound they're amazing.
They're these grey diamonds, sothey're like just a bit
off-white, they're like slightlyless yeah, they're but they're
clear, so they're not um,they're just they're a bit more
(39:08):
they're steely coloured ratherthan that kind of bright white.
I also work with like in HannahMartin Pierced, we work with
like cognac diamonds andchampagne diamonds, so they
basically browns brown diamondsand like kind of yellowy brown
diamonds, yeah.
They're much so much sexier whenyou call them cognac and
champagne.
Um, but then I really loveworking with like the less
(39:30):
obvious stones.
So like I I've started doing alot of carved stones.
So actually, in the last coupleof collections, I've done like
in the perfect drug, we've beenusing obsidian, which is like a
really amazing, like it's black,but it's kind of got silvery
hues to it.
It looks like the world, itlooks like the globe from a
distance.
It looks very spacey, actually.
It looks very like you.
(39:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah.
Exactly.
Um, and that we've we've usedmalachite, like stones that are
kind of again less obvious orlike they're not kind of we used
to call them semi-precious.
They don't use that termanymore.
They're a couple of yeah, andeach one of them's different.
It's like even though I can makethe same piece out of malachite
(40:13):
and we carve it, it's the sameshape, but nothing will ever be
the same because every singlepiece of malachite is different.
Diamonds, they're amazing, butlike they're kind of all look
like diamonds.
Yeah, like it's not like boring.
Diamonds are diamonds arediamonds, and they're beautiful
and sparkly and like obsidian.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
But yeah, you never get the same piece exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (40:34):
I'm like, that's what I want.
Stuff that you don't, yeah,yeah.
It's less obvious.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (40:38):
You know, off topic, kind of like you always look so
fabulous.
But may I ask you, what is theperfume you're wearing?
I can't.
SPEAKER_00 (40:47):
It's the best, right?
Actually, I it's a friend ofmine in LA.
Um it's a brand called Heretic,and you should get Douglas on
your podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (40:56):
I was actually talking to Douglas team.
No way.
There you go.
I can't believe, oh my god.
Douglas, Douglas come on theshow.
Douglas, come on the podcast.
Heretic, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (41:06):
It's I and actually Douglas gave me this scent.
It was maybe two or three yearsago for my birthday, and I was a
bit, yeah, it's like by givingsomeone a perfume is quite a
specific thing to do.
He was like, I think this ismade for you, Hannah.
It's like, it's so your scent.
And I put it on for the firsttime.
I was like, honestly, people,even Uber drivers are like,
what's that smell you'rewearing?
I was like, it's so I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (41:26):
I've yeah, he has cool names for the perfumes like
something like Midnight Vampire.
Yeah, they're not likeMoscaratu.
SPEAKER_00 (41:33):
I mean it's like dirty vanilla.
I love it.
He's so good.
He's so good, and they all smellamazing.
All the smells he makes areamazing.
They're so unusual.
Um, so yeah, there you go.
It's horrendous.
That's like you.
SPEAKER_03 (41:44):
It's really, it really portrays your character
so well.
SPEAKER_00 (41:47):
He picked the perfect scent for me as well.
I was like, oh, you know whatyou're doing.
SPEAKER_03 (41:50):
Oh, definitely.
I was like, I need to ask youthat question.
So maybe again, like the ideasof our viewers to have an
immersive experience as if theyhear with us in the studio and
hearing like airplanes andimagining the scents.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, maybe get them out oftheir, you know, mundane day and
just transform to a little bitdifferent reality, you know, a
(42:11):
little bit different universe,you know?
SPEAKER_00 (42:13):
Nice.
Yeah, that's what I'm all about.
SPEAKER_03 (42:15):
So, Hannah, you've been in this business for many,
many years.
Your brand, you know, wentthrough so many different
journeys.
Is there any advice you can giveuh younger or uh emerging
designers who just finding theirpath or trying to find their
way?
What's like the first or youknow, one advice you would give
them?
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
Be prepared to work hard.
You know, advice.
I feel like it everything, youknow, even this, like whenever I
do interviews and stuff, it'slike you obviously hear all the
great sides.
Like it ain't easy, it's stillnot easy.
It's like you've got to reallylove it.
Um, so yeah, don't be afraid ofhard work.
But also, I think again, what wetouched on it earlier, it's like
(42:55):
do what you love.
Like it's got to come out ofyour soul.
Otherwise, there's no point.
I wouldn't be able to put upwith the hard work and the long
hours and the like rollercoaster emotions that involves
like running a jewellerybusiness if I didn't absolutely
love what I was doing.
And I feel like you have tofollow that, like follow your
heart, follow what it is youwant to make, because you are
(43:17):
essentially making art.
It's like yeah, it's not an easyroute to choose.
So if you choose it, it's andand if you do find your own, you
know, everyone has their ownvoice, everyone has their own
thing that they love.
And there's no point beingcookie cutter because there's
loads of people that have gotbigger businesses that will
always be beating you at doingthat.
(43:37):
So it's like you've got to beyourself, otherwise, what what's
the point of doing it?
You know, that would be my ex myadvice.
SPEAKER_03 (43:43):
If I could add a little bit, usually I don't, but
I just want to expand yourthought that sometimes we have
such high expectations, right?
Yeah, we expect so much ofourselves to happen so fast.
And you're the love of what youcraft takes time, right?
Maybe life is testing you,right?
It's saying, you know what, ifyou're not willing to go through
these hardships, maybe it's notthe love of your life, maybe
(44:06):
it's not your true love.
And if you give up uh after oneobstacle or two obstacles,
right?
It's like okay, maybe it's notyour true passion.
Because if it is your truepassion, even if you fail, even
if you stumble, even if yearsfrom now nobody's gonna believe
in you, and you still in yourheart 100%, 200% believe this is
what I'm meant to do, successwill come to you eventually,
(44:27):
right?
So lower your standards a littlebit, guys, lower your
expectations a little bit andjust keep going, keep going.
SPEAKER_00 (44:32):
And I think we get we're in this world where, you
know, especially with socialmedia and everything, you know,
it's hard to kind of judgewhat's real and what's not.
And I feel like the expectationsare even higher because you're
like, well, I should be able tosucceed, you know, I'm gonna go
from like naught to a hundredmiles an hour in like a year.
It just doesn't happen likethat.
I mean, it happens for the oddperson, but like, and there's
(44:53):
also no there's no room to kindof learn in that quick
turnaround time.
I feel like, you know, you youonly learn by failing.
You only learn by I mean, God, Icould write books and books and
books about all the things I'vedone wrong.
You know, like more some waymore things wrong than I've done
things right.
You learn by failing.
I don't know.
(45:14):
Literally, it's like the onlything, I suppose that's a yeah,
another good thing to add.
It's like don't be afraid offailing, take risks, and learn
from them and keep going.
And don't give up.
SPEAKER_03 (45:23):
Don't give up, right?
Always get yourself out of yourcomfort zone because if you
always do what you're good atright now, you'll never perfect.
You'll never you know getbetter.
SPEAKER_00 (45:32):
There we go.
SPEAKER_03 (45:32):
Well, and this beautiful phrase, wow, short and
sweet.
I know you have a lot of thingsto do and to party in the lab
take you too long, but I reallyappreciate the stars aligned.
The moon rock help us.
Absolutely.
Moonrock got us here and helpyou to be here and be the guest
on the basic show.
(45:53):
Thank you, Hannah, for beinghere, and thank you for being my
guest, and thank you for thisconversation.
That was great.
Thanks.
Thank you, thank you.
Bye.
I thought I'd this had happened to me before, but I
didn't realise that I could goto lower depths of pain of
heartbreak.
If you like this piece ofjewellery, it's for you.
Like it doesn't matter who youare, what you are.
It's like I want you to want toeat it or lick it or like stroke
your skin with it.
But money doesn't bringhappiness.
It makes your life easier,right?
I literally make things that Iwant to wear.
(00:20):
You know, like I'm like, I can'tstuff because I'm like, I want
that.
And the two people, even Uberdrivers, are like, what's that
smell you're wearing?
And it's so I love it.
I lost it in a river.
Swimming in the river swimmingten years ago and found it.
It was dead.
I was in the mush pit in themiddle of the mush pit in a
nine-inch hour show with likethis really broken heart.
SPEAKER_02 (00:41):
Welcome to the basic show.
SPEAKER_03 (00:59):
Welcome to the basic show season four.
We're here at 405 motoring, uh,the ultimate odor spot
experience.
Anyway, so you guys are readyfor this special episode
because, in fact, surprise,surprise, I do have a very
special guest, Hannah Martin.
Hi, Hanna, welcome to the basicshow.
(01:20):
I'm so happy to have you, guys.
So, you know the little um, youknow, backstory that Hanna just
landed literally yesterday inLos Angeles, right?
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Absolutely, last night.
Perfect timing.
SPEAKER_03 (01:32):
Perfect timing.
So I was planning this episodeand we had this theme for the
season, Dark Matter.
And actually, no, what happenedis I received the book.
It's called The Jewelry Book.
Okay, I received the Jewelrybook, and I'm just browsing
through it.
I see all the icons, you know,all these historical figures,
all of these, you know, amazing,beautiful brands.
And I'm like, oh my God, I knowthis designer.
(01:52):
Hanna Martin is there.
And I messaged her.
I'm like, hey Hanna, I just sawyou in this book.
Like, looks fabulous.
Congratulations.
If you're ever in LA, let meknow.
I would love to, you know, foryou to be on my podcast.
And he said, you know what?
I'm actually flying from Londonto LA literally like this Sunday
with taping today and Tuesday.
SPEAKER_00 (02:09):
So I'm so happy how things were literally was like
the universe looking out for us.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (02:14):
So what happened with your flight?
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
Yeah, so I was supposed to arrive on Sunday
night.
Took me two days to reach LosAngeles.
Uh I didn't walk, almost walked.
Yeah.
Went up in the air, came down inStockholm, got stuck in an
airport hotel in Stockholmbecause there was no flight
broke.
Uh made loads of new friends.
There was loads of people tryingto get to America.
I was like, I've now got like 20new friends.
(02:38):
We all hung out in the StockholmAirport Hotel for a night and
finally made it last night, likeover 24 hours late.
So I was like, yeah, but Iliterally, it was like the
journey from hell.
So everything had gone wrong.
I finally get here, I get off atLAX, I'm like, I made it.
Thank God.
I get on, you know, have to getthe shuttle bus to get to the
camp.
I get on the shuttle bus, itstarts to pull out, and the bus
(02:59):
broke down.
So basically, we were stuck on ashuttle bus.
It blocked the whole the wholeof LAX was in total carnage.
And I was like, of course thatjust happened.
Of course it did.
It was like comical at thatpoint.
Welcome to all the centersairport.
SPEAKER_03 (03:10):
Have you like the worst airport in the entire
country?
SPEAKER_00 (03:12):
Oh my god, I hate Heathrow, but like LAX might
beat it.
Oh my god.
It's like people beeping oars.
It was like we were just stuckon this bus.
I was like, I just want to getthe keys.
Yeah, it was so hot.
I was like, But I bet you loveit.
SPEAKER_03 (03:25):
Last time we talked, I was like, oh, I miss the heat.
I missed the heat.
SPEAKER_00 (03:29):
It's never too hot for me.
I'm like, I literally yeah, turnit up another like 20 degrees
and I'm still happy.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (03:36):
How many sunny days do you have in London?
SPEAKER_00 (03:38):
Well, actually, we've had a really good summer.
So we've had like a verynon-English summer.
It's been sunny for like twomonths, which is unheard, it
happens like once every 10years.
Right?
Yeah.
But usually it's like, you know,you have a sunny day and all
English people go crazy becausethey don't know if it's gonna
come back again.
So you're just like, it's like acarnival, and everyone's like,
the sun, the sun, the sun.
(03:58):
They're like pink in the parksand bikinis, like getting drunk,
everyone goes wild.
Takes days of everything.
SPEAKER_03 (04:03):
I remember this game because the time I lived in
London, there was I remembervividly, it was like dark and
gloomy, and then it was one rayof sun, and I was like, almost
almost people fight for it.
One sun of ray.
I'm like, oh my god, I'm finallyreaching the sun and then it's
gone.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (04:18):
You've got to make the most of it.
SPEAKER_03 (04:20):
But I feel like you get the most creative in the
gloomy weather, no?
SPEAKER_00 (04:22):
Yeah, I mean it's there's less distractions
because you, you know, it's notso fun going in.
SPEAKER_03 (04:26):
That's that's yeah, less distractions, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's all do another go party,go to the beach.
SPEAKER_00 (04:32):
You can lie in the sun.
It's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't really want to gooutside.
Thanks.
SPEAKER_03 (04:37):
Well, enjoyable.
How long are you staying here?
Two weeks.
Two weeks.
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00 (04:41):
Two weeks.
So I've got like this week'skind of full on work, so I'm at
Maxfield launching a newcollection, and then next week's
a bit more chill seeing peoplehanging out with friends, making
the most of the sunshine and oneday work day, and then yeah,
yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (04:54):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Other like 13 days party.
Yeah, I love that.
Well, that's how I get, I guessyou get your inspiration, right?
SPEAKER_00 (05:00):
Yeah, totally.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (05:01):
So you mentioned that.
So you release your newcollection, The Perfect Drug.
Is it your 10th collection?
Yeah.
Wow.
Tell us about what inspired it.
SPEAKER_00 (05:09):
I mean, so it came out that it's actually in two
parts.
So we launched Perfect Drug PartOne last year.
Yeah.
Uh, and then Perfect Drug PartTwo is launching literally on
Thursday this week.
Um, and I mean it's such apersonal collection.
It told it came out of megetting my heartbroken, like
really and truly, like I waslike, I thought I'd this had
(05:30):
happened to me before, but Ididn't realise that I could go
to lower depths of pain ofheartbreak.
This was about two and a halfyears ago.
And that this that breakup hadjust happened, and I I think it
was probably within the sameweek.
I also had to get to a nine-inchnails show in London.
I almost didn't go because I waslike, I can't leave my house.
(05:52):
And actually, my really goodfriend of mine was like, Fuck
that, Hannah.
I'm picking you up, he picked meup on the back of his motorbike,
drove me across London toBrixton Academy, was like, this
will make you feel better.
So I was in a mosh pit in themiddle of the mosh pit in a
nine-inch nail show with likethis really broken heart.
And honestly, I feel like it wasa transcendental experience a
transcendental experience.
(06:13):
It was like I I honestly wasfeeling every feeling I think a
human could feel at the sametime.
Like it was like kind of thepain and sadness, and then this
sort of communal experience oflike all these like hot, sweaty
bodies and loud music, and likeit was really intense.
And I so I when I started I wasstarting a new collection like a
(06:34):
few weeks after that, and I waslike, that is what I want to try
and capture in this work.
It's like that not necessarilyit kind of sort of started from
heartbreak, but it it actuallybecame a collection about love,
and like you know, thosefeelings, feeling all of that
full spectrum of feelings iswhat makes us human.
It's like we spend, we live in aworld that's like it's kind of
(06:55):
almost designed to numb us.
It's like we have screens tolook at, we flick through
socials, like the world's areally hard place to live in at
the minute, anyway.
You know, it's like whether it'sbig things like kind of numbing
yourself with booze or drugs oror screens or just like watching
shit stuff on tell, you know, weso I was like actually maybe I
talk about rebellion like allthe time.
I was like, maybe the biggestrebellion that you can do is to
(07:18):
actually feel everything and letyourself be in it, whether it's
the good stuff or the bad stuffor all of it.
Um, so that's kind of where thecollection started out, and it
turned into this kind of epicjourney was like I wasn't
finished with it last year, so Idid the next I did part two
because I was like, there'sstill more to come for this.
Um so it's kind of the climax ofit now that I'm launching like
(07:39):
this week.
SPEAKER_03 (07:39):
I could feel like I you explained to me your
feelings, I could almost likefeel it and really.
SPEAKER_00 (07:44):
Yeah, you know, like we all know those, and actually,
like for me, those feelings ofintensity, you know, like being
in a mosh bit, I go to loads oflive shows, like that's what I
get from it.
But like other people get itfrom standing in a meadow
watching the sun go down, youknow, like but it's those
moments where you feel likeyou're really in your body and
really in yourself, which we getso rarely because you're always
(08:05):
there's always like an outsidefactor.
There's a like you know, you'reshooting stuff for Instagram,
you're doing this, you'rethinking about other people, and
there's so many, there's so fewmoments that you are like really
purely you that I realizedthat's so important for us not
to forget as well.
And it's like that thecollection I designed, it was
like everything, I wantedeverything to like feel
(08:27):
something.
So it's this chainmail that Ideveloped that like it's really
sensual.
I kept saying to like the guysthat I make it with, it's like
yeah, it's like sensual matter,exactly.
It's like, and you want to likeI was like, I want you to want
to eat it or lick it or likestroke your skin with it, or you
know, so it was like really likehuman and fleshy, and yeah,
anyway.
SPEAKER_03 (08:47):
That's where you know, like it's it's very
fascinating you mentioned thatbecause all the negative stuff
that we read, I feel we feelhelpless because there's nothing
we can do.
We're just small pieces and uh,you know, in this huge puzzle.
But what you do, you use yourfeelings as fuel in your art,
right?
You having those feelings andyou take control, you know, this
(09:07):
expression that says, if youdon't like something, uh wait,
how did it go?
If you can't, uh if you don'tlike something, change how you
feel about it, right?
So true.
Yeah.
So and I'm thinking, like inyour case, right, you actually
using your pain, your feelingsinto your craft, into your art.
SPEAKER_00 (09:23):
And it's really interesting because I've talked
since doing that, and then Iobviously talk to other friends
who are like musicians orartists or whatever, and and
I've had this conversation.
I'm like, God, actually, we'rein such a lucky that's an
amazingly privileged position asa like creative of whatever
you're creating, that you canactually transform this
(09:43):
negativity into something.
It's like you're kind of I don'tknow what do they call it, like
a phoenix from the ashes orwhatever.
Like you're you're managing tomake something positive out of a
really negative experience.
Like that I feel lucky that Ican do that.
You know, at the time it didn'tfeel like that.
At the time it was just like um,but you know it reminds me of
something funny.
SPEAKER_03 (10:03):
My dad used to say, like, hey, uh, I was kind of
grungy, but again, I remember itsaid, you know, there's a skill
to turn uh shit into fertilizer.
Yeah, it's so true.
It's like exactly, yeah, yeah,yeah.
Like you take something soordinary and ugly, and then you
create beautiful things, youknow, with your own hands, with
your imagination.
This is really incredible, yeah.
Yeah.
So tell me about that, what isessential metal?
SPEAKER_00 (10:25):
Yeah.
It was like, so there's thecollection's like almost made up
of two like visual elements.
So it's like a kind of solid,like cast pieces of metal.
Okay.
That's lots of there's a lot ofkind of fetish references in it
as well.
So it's like I was looking atkind of really quite hardcore,
like Tom of Finland sort ofleather straps and like ball
(10:47):
gags and all this shit.
And then the and so there's alot of like that referencing,
but then I also developed this,it's it's basically chain mail
on a really small scale.
So it's it's almost like fabric.
So it's all these tiny littlerings, it acts like fabric, it's
like it feels and it's totallysoft and malleable, so you can
(11:08):
make you know these straps thatkind of wrap around, or and it
that contrast of the hard metaland that kind of chain mail,
it's like you do just you wearthe chain mail and it takes on
the warmth of your body, likeit's really intimate almost.
So it's it because I love gold,as you know, it's like my
favourite thing in the world.
It's like I love it.
Um, but it felt to me like I'dfound a new way to use it
(11:30):
almost, like it's like a wholeyou know, I've been doing this
20 years now, and it's like Ifound like I'd found a new way
with this material I've beenusing for so long.
Or was it actually trial anderror or something?
It was trial and error.
Like I kind of knew what Iwanted, and I don't know where
that idea came from.
And then it took us about a yearto work out how to make it
properly, that we can make it ina way that we can we we sort of
(11:53):
started making it by hand in thestudio, and it's like we could
make it, but you basically can'tsell that because it would cost
about three million poundsbecause it took so long to do.
So we looking for a supplierthat could help us make it on a
scale that we could use it tosell was like a whole journey
that took us around the world.
So, how many pieces exist?
So there's like we've got so thefirst part of Perfect Drug was
(12:16):
like 30 pieces.
Obviously, we make more than oneof everything, and this part is
so it's like a 60-piece totalcollection.
Um and you know, with some ofthose pieces are like super
limited editions, some of themare like more available.
SPEAKER_03 (12:30):
Um, so yeah, a lot of I bet each piece has a like a
unique story or like specificfeeling that you use, you know,
as inspiration for that piece.
Yeah.
I know I read in the in thejewelry book that you mentioned,
uh you already mentioned TomHolland was one of the
inspirations, but also the umclassic photographer Man Ray.
Yeah, right?
So how did you use hisinspiration?
SPEAKER_00 (12:49):
I mean, that was a lot of I was the because I build
like when I start a collection,I have this kind of like seed of
an idea of what I want, but Itry not to think about jewelry,
like I try not to think aboutthe end product at all.
It's like I think about theworld and this kind of visual
world, and I build mood boardsand like I almost make this it's
like I write a film in my head.
(13:11):
It's like I create this wholevisual world that I then I have
all the mood boards like aroundmy studio, I kind of immerse
myself in it.
So like there's there was oneparticular Man Ray picture that
I used, which was kind of it wasbasically like a ass, woman's
ass, but it looked like a peach,so it's like kind of totally
(13:31):
surreal, you couldn't see therest of the female.
Um, and you have that next tolike I had that image and I had
it next to like a piece ofbrutalist architecture, and in
my head, something happens whenyou put those two images
together, and it kind of gave methe feel of it.
And actually, you can kind ofsee that Man Ray picture in some
of the pieces because they'revery like there's a lot of like
quite round and fleshy sort offeeling.
(13:54):
So it's more like it gives me afeeling, which I then translate
into the piece of jewellery thatI'm finally drawing.
It's got it's quite how yourmind works, right?
How you're getting all thisthing.
It's like I have to puteverything in front of my eyes
for it to go into my brain, andthen it kind of mashes.
It's like having um theingredients for a recipe, you
know, like uh you have tomatoes,you have bezel, you have olive
(14:17):
oil, and you have pasta, andthen how you put that together
can be so different.
That's kind of how I see it.
It's like I have all thesedifferent images that on their
own mean one thing, and then youput them together and you make
this mashup and something elsecomes out of your head.
SPEAKER_03 (14:29):
And there's a magic ingredient called Hannah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:32):
Yeah, whatever goes on in there.
SPEAKER_03 (14:34):
But everything goes in there, right?
I think it's good, right, to getinspiration from icons from
legends, but also there's alwaysa little bit disavieu, right?
SPEAKER_00 (14:42):
Absolutely.
And that's why I try never touse like I'd never have another
piece of jewelry on a moodboard.
It's like if you're looking atthings like photography or art
or or architecture or whatever,it's you're kind of using it as
inspiration and using it as likea visual language, but there's
no chance that you can make itlook like something else.
You know, like I always want tomake something that you feel
(15:03):
like you've never seen before.
So by putting all thoseingredients together, hopefully
that works rather than justbeing like, oh, that vintage
piece of cartier is great, orthat you know, it's like I try
not to look at jewelry and notto see what other people are
doing, so I'm making somethingfresh.
SPEAKER_02 (15:18):
If you guys hear the car noise, this is clear.
Clearly can say, Well, we're nottricking you, we're not in the
studio.
We're actually in the car shopwhere they're moving.
What is it, a Porsche?
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
I think it's a beautiful Porsche.
SPEAKER_03 (15:30):
It's a beautiful Porsche that they're moving
right now.
Yeah, they want a little bit ofthis five-minute fame.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
A free shout-up drive up and down in front of
us.
SPEAKER_03 (15:39):
Yeah.
It's just beautiful, like awhite alapasta.
But you know what?
Going back to your point, very,very interesting because going
back to what I do, right?
Fashion photography.
And I remembered in thebeginning, I keep looking at a
lot of fashion photographers.
A lot of fashion photographs.
Because that's how you learn.
Right, right.
Yeah.
You look, you educate yourself,but then I realized, you know
what?
I should actually look at othermedium to create another
(16:00):
concept.
So I started to, you know, watchmovies or, you know, go to the
museums, look at the artwork,right?
I stopped completely myselflooking and comparing myself to
other photographers because whathappens, you start comparing it.
SPEAKER_00 (16:12):
You end up, you it's almost it's not on purpose,
even.
It's like because stuff goesinto your brain and it comes
back out again.
SPEAKER_04 (16:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:18):
You don't even realize that it's an image that
you saw or a piece of jewelrythat you saw.
It just kind of comes out andyou sort of think you've done
it, but it's it's risky.
I was I um go and lecture at St.
Martin's, my old art school,like for a couple of days every
year.
And I always say this tostudents it's like you don't
even know you're doing it.
But if you're looking at otherjewellery, it's bound to come
(16:39):
out in some way.
So just don't look at it.
Like, don't, I mean, obviouslyit's good to know what's going
on in the world, but like ifyou're in that creative moment,
just don't feed anything likethat into your brain because it
will come out, you know.
SPEAKER_03 (16:50):
Like it will come out, and then everybody's your
copy paste, you know, nowadays.
Yeah, yeah.
And I love how your jewelryspecificists stand out, you
know.
Can you maybe talk about yourfavorite collaborations today
that you've done?
SPEAKER_00 (17:03):
Oh man, I think I mean the most I suppose the most
recent and actually the mostlong-lasting one has been with
Guy Berriman, who's the Coldplayguy.
Um, and his he's got a menswear,amazing menswear brand, Applied
Art Forms.
And that was like for me, it'sbeen the perfect collaboration
because it's like I've workedwith people before and they're
(17:24):
all they're all great in theirown way, but like this was like
an actual collaboration of likecreative minds, both bringing
equal amounts of stuff to thetable.
Like we really like inspiredeach other.
I feel like neither of us couldhave made those pieces come to
life alone.
Like it needed both of ourminds, and both of that we were
(17:44):
both like brought differentinspiration, and actually it was
really interesting doing thatbecause I work, I'm so solo when
I work, and usually I'm like,it's just me, I'm in my bubble.
You know, I like to work likethat.
I don't like anyone else'sinput, but actually, so it
pushed me out of my comfort zonea bit with like having somebody
else's kind of input into stuff,but it was really interesting
because I was then looking atstuff that you know.
(18:06):
I went, he's got an amazing umgarage that he collects cars,
and like he's got thisincredible garage down in
Cornwall in Cornwall in theCotswolds where he has a house.
And like one day I just wentdown to the Cotswolds and we
just took engines apart for aday.
I like looked at what was insidethem, like it was so much fun.
Yeah, I would never have donethat if it was just me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And like I don't know what howmuch like that kind of fed into
(18:29):
the collection, but you know, itwas really inspiring to have
like another person's referencepoints that kind of then came
out and we made these babiestogether.
Like it was really cool.
SPEAKER_03 (18:37):
I bet after this episode, the new collection will
be like tired of the.
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm like starting by scanning,scanning the environment.
I love you kind of you know,observing, but you're also
almost like using this meatgrinder.
SPEAKER_00 (18:54):
That's a really good way to put it.
SPEAKER_03 (18:56):
And you kind of transform it, yeah, pressing it
through yourself, right, throughyour perspectives and create
something beautiful.
Yeah, and your jewelry alwaysstands out.
I mean, like right now, I mean,can you tell us what you're
wearing?
I mean, this huge pin, or whatdo you what's the it is a pin,
like a giant safe?
Giant is like freakingincredible, and you know how to
wear it.
Like every time I like see you,it's just I'm so amazed how you
put things together.
Do you know?
SPEAKER_00 (19:17):
I think it's because I'm such a selfish designer and
I I literally make things that Iwant to wear.
You know, like I'm like, I've Idesign stuff because I'm like, I
want that.
So I make it and then hope otherpeople like it.
SPEAKER_03 (19:27):
You know, this is the best approach because I
think the worst approach is whatother people like, what are the
current trends?
And we just end up, like I said,copy pasting each other's
design.
And if you create something thatyou personally want to wear,
yeah, of course there will be anarmy of supporters who you know
will admire your look and youknow want to replicate it.
What is that ring?
Is it like a freaking no, no,the other one, is it like a
(19:48):
tooth or a claw?
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
This one.
That's actually an eagle's soit's an eagle's head with his
beak, but it looks like the ideawas that it looked a bit like a
kind of claw.
There's two eagles that he's aneagle as well, a different one.
Wow.
Yeah, that one's an eagle.
SPEAKER_03 (20:00):
I love it.
Is it heavy?
SPEAKER_00 (20:02):
I mean, quite heavy.
They're all quite heavy.
SPEAKER_03 (20:04):
Quite heavy?
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
I mean, I so used to, and I'm not a very good
judge because people, you know,I do I do bespoke jobs for
people as well, and I kind ofmake, you know, one-of-a-kind
things, and they're like, oh,but I don't want it to be too
heavy.
I'm like, it's not heavy at all.
But I'm so used to wearing thescore, and they're like, what?
You said it wasn't gonna beheavy.
I was like, oh, don't be a wuss,come on.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (20:24):
I love the words they use, the wuss to tell it.
It's such a Britishness iscoming out.
Like, what other words?
I'm like, even trying to dissecta little bit and just to make
sure I get the words.
SPEAKER_00 (20:36):
You might have to have a translation at the
bottom.
I know, right?
Such a wuss.
Did be a wuss, come on.
SPEAKER_03 (20:41):
I love it, I love it.
So, can you dive us in a littlebit into your creative process?
So, from the some of thebehind-the-scenes pictures I've
seen, you have this grungystudio.
Yeah, you have this, you know, Idon't know, the workers melting
metal and you know, this hugeovens.
It just looks like freaking asci-fi, you know, Mad Max movie.
So, can you tell us what there'ssort of two parts of it?
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
Because there's like obviously the designing part,
which I do, which is like, youknow, I did I trained as a to
make, so I'm like, I and foryears I was making everything.
So at the beginning it was justme, it was me designing, making
everything.
And then obviously I can't kindof keep on doing everything.
So now I do more of the cleanbit, which is like the designing
part and all the images.
So I have my design studio, andthen underneath we have the
(21:25):
workshop.
So that's where all the likereally good-looking stuff
happens, like the fire and themelting of the metal and like
all of this stuff.
Um, and it is, I mean, I loveit.
The thing with making jewelleryis like a lot of it has never
changed, you know, like it's akind of a lot of the techniques
we use now, they were literallyusing 2,000 years ago to like
melt metal.
(21:45):
But then there's also been likemassive advances in tech, in
like you know, the we use CAD alot now, so it's like I draw
everything, I'm very umhands-only, so I'm totally
analogue.
I draw everything, I don'tdesign anything on a computer.
It's all like I need everythinglike printed out and ripped up
and drawn, and like um, and thenmy like right-hand man who I've
(22:05):
worked with for years and years,he uh takes what I've done and
then he creates models in acomputer, and it's changed how I
work totally because I used toprototype by hand-carving wax,
which is awesome, but it takesforever, and you can't like keep
you know, it's basically onehand-carved model takes days to
(22:25):
do.
Um, so now we can like makemodels in the computer, we 3D
print them.
I can like look at theproportions, like test it, we
can change it.
It's like it's literally likeanother stage of designing where
you can make it in 3D for likevery little money.
So before we even get intoworking in metal, I know I'm
totally happy.
You know, I know that it's likethe right size, the right scale,
(22:47):
it works well on the body.
It it's amazing.
So I love jewelry, and it's thisreal mix of like absolutely old
school techniques of likemelting metal, soldering, like
all of even the workbenches thatwe use are like they've looked
like that for hundreds andhundreds and hundreds of years.
And then we also have this techthat has that kind of works in
with it.
(23:07):
It's like another tool in thebox.
Yeah, well, you know what?
SPEAKER_03 (23:12):
Like you remind me, like you sound like a tech
virgin, right?
I love how you don't touch thetechnology, right?
It keeps you pure, it keeps yourvision pure, right?
You know, like okay, Ahana,yeah, you know, she handheld
everything, you know, she's shedrafted, she scratched, you
know.
And then it goes into the thing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:27):
I I'm always like, I mean, obviously it's kind of my
age as well, and it's like but Ithink I say this again to
students.
It's like there's something forme about uh holding a pencil and
the connection between like yourbrain, your hand, the thing that
you're making the marks with.
I I can't get that from drawingsomething on a computer.
(23:48):
Like, I just don't have the sameconnection.
I feel there's somethingphysical about the making of
marks, or the I even like, Imean, I use like literally, I
mean it's so old school.
It's like I model make out ofplasticine.
Like, I'll find any way I can tolike try and get quickly the
shape that I want.
Um and I just don't think youcan I can't get that if I've got
(24:09):
this if I'm one part removed bya screen.
Like I need to be able to likerip paper and stick it down and
like it's a few.
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
It's so fascinating because it makes it human,
right?
You know that your item is notby made by a machine, right?
It's not made you know in a hugefactory and millions of copies
of it.
SPEAKER_00 (24:24):
Like for me, it's like it's a bit it's got like
human soul in it.
It's like we've made that withour own hands from the very
beginning to the end, and that II think that puts something
else.
SPEAKER_03 (24:34):
Anyone's buying your piece, they're buying a little
bit of Hannah.
They're buying a little bit ofnot buying, they you know, maybe
they're giving a little bit ofyour soul, right?
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
There's a bit of spirit in there, hopefully
people feel it.
SPEAKER_03 (24:44):
Well, well, this is incredible.
So let's talk about you know,gender and rebellion.
Do you think jewelry is kind ofgender-based or your jewelry is
more unisex and can be worn byanybody?
SPEAKER_00 (24:54):
I mean, that's what I hope.
And I always started out withthat in mind.
It's so interesting because Ihave it's Bran's 20th
anniversary this year, of whichyou believe, which is why.
Oh, oh my god, I believeactually about this month is
about 20 years since I started.
Um, and you know, even when Iwas at art school and studying,
it's like I always had thisthing that I didn't ever
(25:15):
understand why there had to begender put on jewelry.
I mean, I wrote my thesis aboutgender and masculinity, I've
always been something that I'vereally been fascinated with.
But at that stage, we didn'thave terms like gender fluid,
gender fluid didn't exist as aterm, like there wasn't actually
as many ways that you could talkabout this idea that I had.
Um, you know, the only wordsavailable at that time were like
(25:37):
unisex or androgynous, both ofwhich I was like, Yeah, but
you're a bit old school unisexis not and trend and it's it
does work.
I mean, it's like it's a wordthat works, but there's
something unsexy about the wordunisex.
SPEAKER_03 (25:47):
I was like it's not about like making it unsexy,
it's just yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
I'm like ugly unisex.
SPEAKER_03 (25:52):
Anybody can be elephant can be.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
It's like a it's a good term to like cross, you
know, cross up the borders.
But like, so always from thebeginning, I always like this
idea.
And and to start with, I calledit, I call my work men's jewelry
that girlfriends could steal.
But even now I don't like to usethat because it's too gendered.
I'm like, but the idea was itwas like if you like this piece
of jewelry, it's for you.
Like it doesn't matter who youare, what you are, where you
(26:19):
fit, and the scale of gender,it's been for you.
And like I feel like the world'scaught up with that idea a
little bit in the last like 10years.
Like, honestly, when I firststarted, and I was working with
like wholesale stores, so it'slike I'd go for a meeting at
like Liberty, let's say, andthey were like, But do you want
to see the men's wear bio or thewomen's wear bio?
I'm like, well, either or both,or like, does it matter?
(26:39):
Like, do we have to do we haveto put this in a category?
And no one could get their headsaround it.
So it's it's actually amazinghow far we've come in that way
in terms of like fashion way.
SPEAKER_03 (26:50):
But see, when you create something new, right?
It does when it doesn't fit in acertain box, that's where you
make a change.
Yeah, you know, I can make thesame comparison about the
magazine, right?
So it's like I feel like it's aunisex publication, right?
We have everything, but thenthey always put in a woman's
interest.
I'm like, damn, it's not it'sbasic magazine, it's not a just
women's interest.
I mean, but they're like, wheredo we put men's interest?
(27:10):
I'm just put into like art andfashion.
Yeah, exactly.
Like, why do we have to givethis a box?
SPEAKER_00 (27:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right.
It's world.
I mean, I still think there's alike there's a long way to go
with that because you still dohave like magazine.
I'd not even thought about itfor the magazine, but of course
it's the same thing.
SPEAKER_03 (27:24):
It's like a certain box.
Why in your case, you'recreating artwork, right?
I would say it's an art piece,you know.
I don't know what I believe it,you know, deserving the museum.
Yeah, so let's think about let'sthink about longevity and
mortality for a second.
Yeah, so you know, jewelry issuch an artifact that outlasts a
human life.
SPEAKER_00 (27:41):
Or lives beyond all of us, yeah.
Beyond all of us.
SPEAKER_03 (27:44):
So, say 100 years from now, somebody finds one
piece of Hannah Martin jewelry.
What would it be?
Yeah, and what do you thinkwould it mean?
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
Oh god, that's a really hard question to answer.
Uh I mean, I like I like there'sone idea that I always think
about that I love the idea ofthat there'll be a piece that's
passed down through generations.
There'll there'll be stories, sorather than it being like fat, I
like the idea of it being dug upout of the ground as well in
like 500 years.
(28:13):
But you know, like if someonebuys something, it gets passed
down to their kids and grandkidsand whatever.
Because like with jewelry forme, it's like gold, especially.
It's like I feel like it's amaterial that takes on its
wearer, you know, like you holdlike because you wear jewelry
next to your skin all day, everyday.
I feel like it kind of I don'tknow whether it's true, but it
(28:34):
feels like it takes on somethingof the wearer's being, and
people kind of have this veryintense relationship with it,
with their jewelry, especiallysomething that you wear every
day, and it becomes almost likea talisman.
SPEAKER_04 (28:46):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (28:47):
And you know, people have I hear it all the time,
where it's like, oh my god, Ican't leave the house without it
because I feel like it'sunlucky, or I feel like I'm
gonna something's gonna happento me, or like, you know, people
build these stories.
So I love the idea that there'dbe something in like, you know,
five generations down the line.
Like, for example, this ring forme, this is like an eagle's
head.
That's for me, that's the ringthat I can't leave the house
without.
(29:07):
Like, I feel like something'sgonna go terribly wrong.
Like, wow, I it's it's been lostand found.
Like, you know, it's got so manystories multiple times.
It's like I've it's always comesback to me.
Like it's flies back.
I've lost it on, I've lent itfor shoots, it's got lost by
people, it's come back.
I lost it in a river swimming.
In the river swimming.
Ten years ago and found it.
(29:28):
It was there.
SPEAKER_03 (29:29):
It's like honestly, it's wait, hold on a second.
You lost a ring in the river andten years later?
SPEAKER_00 (29:35):
No, I found it that day.
No, it wasn't ten years later.
No, no, no, no.
No, it's not that great a story.
SPEAKER_03 (29:42):
I mean, still.
So you I still found it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:44):
It was on like a stone on the edge of the river.
I was like, I thought I'd lostit forever.
It was like three hours fromthat way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like, oh my God.
Incredible story.
So, yeah, I kind of like theidea that that, for example,
that ring, if someone has it inlike five generations' time, it
will be the same.
Have the same like talismanicpower to it.
Um, yeah, I don't know if thatanswers the question.
SPEAKER_03 (30:05):
But no, that does answer the question.
No, speaking about the energy,yeah, you're absolutely right.
If I go like to vintage stores,I'm thinking, if I get this
ring, will I get the energy ofthe previous first one?
SPEAKER_00 (30:14):
I hope it's gonna be good energy.
SPEAKER_03 (30:15):
Yeah, but you definitely have really strong
positive energy that it feelslike you're putting your heart
and soul into your project.
It's not like something you'rejust creating, you know,
commercially, you know,commercially liked by everybody.
Sums it up here.
Yeah, you're creating for you.
Wow, this isn't you know, thisis a really great story, and I
love to hear stories like thatbecause they inspire other
people to, you know, lookingmore inwards rather than looking
(30:39):
for external, you know, ideas orexternal um, you know, factors
that move them and push them,force them to do something,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (30:47):
Yeah, I think it's so important.
I mean, I you know, there'sobviously space in the world for
lots of different kinds ofcreativity and all of that.
I'm like I do believe that ifyou're only looking outside, if
you're only kind of followingtrends or like thinking, you
know, trying to anticipate, Isuppose, a more commercial, a
more commercial way of doing itof like what are people gonna
(31:07):
want to buy?
It's very hard to make somethingunique doing that because you're
always you're always basicallythe the market is leading you
rather than your creativityleading you.
And I don't feel like you cancreate something that breaks any
molds, that can rebel in anyway, that can do anything new if
you're just following that.
(31:28):
I mean, I know some people thatI work with are probably like,
honey, you'd probably make loadsmore money if you maybe did
that.
But I'm like, I'm like, I don'tcare.
I was like, otherwise I couldjust go and get a job.
SPEAKER_03 (31:37):
Yeah, because at the end of the day, right, like
money does, I mean, it's cliche,right?
But money doesn't bringhappiness, it makes your life
easier, right?
But at the end of the day, ifyou let's say, I mean, let's go
that route.
If you do imagine you have allthe money in the world, what is
the first thing you would do forthe first week?
SPEAKER_00 (31:52):
I'd make all the pieces of jewelry in my head
that I've really wanted to makefor years that I haven't been
able to afford to do.
That's what I do.
I do answer.
Right, you see you answer yourquestion.
SPEAKER_03 (32:01):
So, like, it will just give you an opportunity to
do something which you love,which will bring you, you know,
happiness.
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
I can't imagine having all the money in the
world, I would still be doingwhat I'm doing.
Like, I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (32:13):
So, what is that grand piece that I don't know
costs so much that you wouldnever were able to create all
this thing?
Is it the material?
Is it shape?
Is it material, right?
SPEAKER_00 (32:23):
Material.
I mean, the the like I supposeit's also the like you know, I'd
make something huge in gold,basically.
Like, I'd make something hugeand completely outrageous and
probably unsellable.
Like I'd in my head, I was justlike, it was something that goes
up your arm, or like somethingthat's like absolutely
(32:43):
impractical, and I probablywouldn't do, even me wouldn't
do, because I was like, there isno chance in the world that
yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Something ridiculous out ofgold.
I that yes, that it's somethinglike that.
I'm like, no one's gonna buythis, but I just want it to be,
I want it to exist in the world.
It's like, yeah, something likethat.
SPEAKER_03 (32:59):
I love it.
What about um, you know, likeusing natural materials from
cosmos?
What about like volcanic rock orstuff like that?
SPEAKER_00 (33:06):
Do you know what I've done something?
I've done a few projects I didfor one client with moon rock.
So it's this amazing couplewho've become friends of mine,
um, who I met through work, andthey commissioned me.
It was the first commission thatI did, and one of them wanted to
uh create a 50th birthdaypresent for his husband, and
he'd bought this moon rock.
(33:28):
I mean, we actually don't knowwhether it's even real or not,
but it was like he'd bought itat a flea market in New York or
something, and he was like, Ihave this piece of moon rock,
and I made an earring and set weset the moon rock in it, and we
kind of loved the idea of it.
Whether it's real or not, I itdidn't even matter.
It was like more the concept oflike having this piece of moon
rock.
And I've the one I would love todo, there's like apparently you
(33:51):
can get um are they calledmeteorites.
So meteorites are meteorites,it's almost metallic.
Okay, I've never done anythingof that with that, but I would
love to do something with thatbecause I know that actually
exists and it is a metal likematerial somewhere between metal
and rock.
SPEAKER_03 (34:09):
Would it be like different uh ways or different
tools to cut it to work on this?
SPEAKER_00 (34:12):
I think so.
I we'd have to do I've nevereven got my hands on it.
I've just heard I've read aboutit.
SPEAKER_03 (34:16):
Can you imagine filling it like something you
know out of space?
SPEAKER_00 (34:19):
I mean that would be so cool, you know, that you
could because gold feels likeit's made by magic anyway.
You know, I find gold sofascinating, and to be able to
set something that's come out ofspace into a piece of gold, like
combining those two things, Iwould love to do.
I'll do it one day.
Watch this space nextcollection.
SPEAKER_03 (34:36):
So you know, I I actually wanted I did mention it
in the beginning.
So the extension of your companyis Hannah Martin Pierce, right?
Yes.
So can you give us a little bitmore info about your Pierce
collection?
Maybe Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (34:47):
Um I mean that started out, I think we launched
that three years ago, four yearsago.
I've been thinking about it foreight years.
We were actually about to do itjust before the pandemic, and
then obviously COVID hit andlike launching a brand, a thing
that involves close personalcontact was not great at that
time.
I was like, we're gonna wait forthat.
Um so we I think we launched itin 22.
(35:07):
Um, and it really that kind ofcame out of like personal need.
It's one of those things where Iwas like, I actually wanted to
get this um industrial barpierced years ago.
And you know, when you dosomething like that, you have to
wait for like a year or sobefore you can change the
jewellery.
And I was like, I I can't, Icould only find ugly pieces of
jewellery.
I was like, okay, I'm gonna haveto make something.
(35:28):
So I made my own and I gotpierced with it, and then I
would start making other bitsand like some for my team, and
they were like, Oh, can you makeme something for my nose?
So we were just doing it, andthen clients obviously saw it
and they were like, that'sreally cool.
I was like, okay, we'll make yousomething.
So in the end, I was like, weshould probably just do this
because everyone seems to wantit.
So we launched Hannah MartinPierce.
SPEAKER_03 (35:47):
Um, that's how we no, it's not how we met, but we
did a shoot with Brian becausethat's how so you introduced so
guys, Hannah introduced me toBrian Keith Thompson, who was in
the first season of the basicshow.
So like the old.
There's a whole nice circlegoing on, but it's happened to
the full circle.
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
So yeah, when we launched in LA, shout out to
Brian.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (36:04):
That'll be fine.
SPEAKER_00 (36:06):
Um we did like um we we sort of soft launched at
Brian's store, and he was likereally part of it.
And so it's been amazing becauseit also like my idea was because
of the scale.
I mean, literally the thing thatmakes my pieces expensive is the
amount of gold in them.
It's like if they're bigger,they're more expensive because
gold's really expensive, and youthat's it.
(36:27):
So actually, for the piercings,they're made out of 18 karat
gold and diamonds, but they'remuch smaller, so it's kind of
becomes a accessible price pointa bit more than say, like that
gold eagle ring.
Yeah.
So I like the idea of it beingthis kind of part of the brand
which you could kind of start,you know, it's like a starter
(36:48):
version of Hannah Martin thatyou can kind of begin with and
then kind of move on up and endup with your big giant eagle
ring.
SPEAKER_03 (36:56):
So, what other materials do we work with?
Maybe educate us a little bitabout depending on mainly gold.
SPEAKER_00 (37:00):
So it's like it's all 18 carat, the metal.
We've started working now, so inthe perfect drug collection was
the first time that I'veactually introduced silver as
well.
So we made some pieces and itwas kind of an experiment.
And again, because it felt kindof rebellious.
SPEAKER_03 (37:14):
That I can't remember how anything not
rebellious that you would.
I tried to rebel.
SPEAKER_00 (37:21):
Everything I try to do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So it was like we were I'd sortof designed the whole collection
as this mixed colour, so likewhite and yellow, because again,
I really I wear like lots ofmixed colours, and actually it
was it was Michael, who's myhead of production, that was
like, well, we could try doingit in like silver and 18 karat
gold.
And uh honestly, even myreaction to start with was like,
we can't do that because injewelry world, like silver's one
(37:43):
thing, gold is another thing.
They're two very different typesof jewelry.
I was like, fuck it, why not?
Like, and actually they used tolike back in the third twenties
and thirties, silver had thesame kind of you know, it was
considered the same preciousnessas gold.
It's just over the years it'skind of been like silver's like
this entry level and gold's likeup here.
I was like, well, let's do it,let's mix.
(38:05):
Oh, now we're doing like thesepieces where it's like sterling
silver and 18 karat gold.
We had to kind of fight with thebecause in the UK we have to
legally have everythinghallmarked, so it's like
whatever metal you use.
And we had to have big argumentswith the assay office about that
we could hallmark these thingswith silver and gold, because no
one really does it.
So which we won and we do nowhave like a silver hallmark and
(38:27):
a gold hallmark.
Going to the upper level.
Yeah, it's like we must lead themovement.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like, come on.
Um, so this idea of mixingmetals.
So yeah, I work with like mainly18 karat gold, but then we
obviously work with stone, so Iwork with diamonds.
I try and I mean I lovediamonds, but they're also a bit
predictable.
(38:47):
So I'm like, they are my girls'best friends.
But for me, there's moreinteresting things, so I'm like,
I love diamonds.
I use a lot of differentcoloured ones.
So in the perfect drug, I'vefound they're amazing.
They're these grey diamonds, sothey're like just a bit
off-white, they're like slightlyless yeah, they're but they're
clear, so they're not um,they're just they're a bit more
(39:08):
they're steely coloured ratherthan that kind of bright white.
I also work with like in HannahMartin Pierced, we work with
like cognac diamonds andchampagne diamonds, so they
basically browns brown diamondsand like kind of yellowy brown
diamonds, yeah.
They're much so much sexier whenyou call them cognac and
champagne.
Um, but then I really loveworking with like the less
(39:30):
obvious stones.
So like I I've started doing alot of carved stones.
So actually, in the last coupleof collections, I've done like
in the perfect drug, we've beenusing obsidian, which is like a
really amazing, like it's black,but it's kind of got silvery
hues to it.
It looks like the world, itlooks like the globe from a
distance.
It looks very spacey, actually.
It looks very like you.
(39:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah.
Exactly.
Um, and that we've we've usedmalachite, like stones that are
kind of again less obvious orlike they're not kind of we used
to call them semi-precious.
They don't use that termanymore.
They're a couple of yeah, andeach one of them's different.
It's like even though I can makethe same piece out of malachite
(40:13):
and we carve it, it's the sameshape, but nothing will ever be
the same because every singlepiece of malachite is different.
Diamonds, they're amazing, butlike they're kind of all look
like diamonds.
Yeah, like it's not like boring.
Diamonds are diamonds arediamonds, and they're beautiful
and sparkly and like obsidian.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
But yeah, you never get the same piece exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (40:34):
I'm like, that's what I want.
Stuff that you don't, yeah,yeah.
It's less obvious.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (40:38):
You know, off topic, kind of like you always look so
fabulous.
But may I ask you, what is theperfume you're wearing?
I can't.
SPEAKER_00 (40:47):
It's the best, right?
Actually, I it's a friend ofmine in LA.
Um it's a brand called Heretic,and you should get Douglas on
your podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (40:56):
I was actually talking to Douglas team.
No way.
There you go.
I can't believe, oh my god.
Douglas, Douglas come on theshow.
Douglas, come on the podcast.
Heretic, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (41:06):
It's I and actually Douglas gave me this scent.
It was maybe two or three yearsago for my birthday, and I was a
bit, yeah, it's like by givingsomeone a perfume is quite a
specific thing to do.
He was like, I think this ismade for you, Hannah.
It's like, it's so your scent.
And I put it on for the firsttime.
I was like, honestly, people,even Uber drivers are like,
what's that smell you'rewearing?
I was like, it's so I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (41:26):
I've yeah, he has cool names for the perfumes like
something like Midnight Vampire.
Yeah, they're not likeMoscaratu.
SPEAKER_00 (41:33):
I mean it's like dirty vanilla.
I love it.
He's so good.
He's so good, and they all smellamazing.
All the smells he makes areamazing.
They're so unusual.
Um, so yeah, there you go.
It's horrendous.
That's like you.
SPEAKER_03 (41:44):
It's really, it really portrays your character
so well.
SPEAKER_00 (41:47):
He picked the perfect scent for me as well.
I was like, oh, you know whatyou're doing.
SPEAKER_03 (41:50):
Oh, definitely.
I was like, I need to ask youthat question.
So maybe again, like the ideasof our viewers to have an
immersive experience as if theyhear with us in the studio and
hearing like airplanes andimagining the scents.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, maybe get them out oftheir, you know, mundane day and
just transform to a little bitdifferent reality, you know, a
(42:11):
little bit different universe,you know?
SPEAKER_00 (42:13):
Nice.
Yeah, that's what I'm all about.
SPEAKER_03 (42:15):
So, Hannah, you've been in this business for many,
many years.
Your brand, you know, wentthrough so many different
journeys.
Is there any advice you can giveuh younger or uh emerging
designers who just finding theirpath or trying to find their
way?
What's like the first or youknow, one advice you would give
them?
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
Be prepared to work hard.
You know, advice.
I feel like it everything, youknow, even this, like whenever I
do interviews and stuff, it'slike you obviously hear all the
great sides.
Like it ain't easy, it's stillnot easy.
It's like you've got to reallylove it.
Um, so yeah, don't be afraid ofhard work.
But also, I think again, what wetouched on it earlier, it's like
(42:55):
do what you love.
Like it's got to come out ofyour soul.
Otherwise, there's no point.
I wouldn't be able to put upwith the hard work and the long
hours and the like rollercoaster emotions that involves
like running a jewellerybusiness if I didn't absolutely
love what I was doing.
And I feel like you have tofollow that, like follow your
heart, follow what it is youwant to make, because you are
(43:17):
essentially making art.
It's like yeah, it's not an easyroute to choose.
So if you choose it, it's andand if you do find your own, you
know, everyone has their ownvoice, everyone has their own
thing that they love.
And there's no point beingcookie cutter because there's
loads of people that have gotbigger businesses that will
always be beating you at doingthat.
(43:37):
So it's like you've got to beyourself, otherwise, what what's
the point of doing it?
You know, that would be my ex myadvice.
SPEAKER_03 (43:43):
If I could add a little bit, usually I don't, but
I just want to expand yourthought that sometimes we have
such high expectations, right?
Yeah, we expect so much ofourselves to happen so fast.
And you're the love of what youcraft takes time, right?
Maybe life is testing you,right?
It's saying, you know what, ifyou're not willing to go through
these hardships, maybe it's notthe love of your life, maybe
(44:06):
it's not your true love.
And if you give up uh after oneobstacle or two obstacles,
right?
It's like okay, maybe it's notyour true passion.
Because if it is your truepassion, even if you fail, even
if you stumble, even if yearsfrom now nobody's gonna believe
in you, and you still in yourheart 100%, 200% believe this is
what I'm meant to do, successwill come to you eventually,
(44:27):
right?
So lower your standards a littlebit, guys, lower your
expectations a little bit andjust keep going, keep going.
SPEAKER_00 (44:32):
And I think we get we're in this world where, you
know, especially with socialmedia and everything, you know,
it's hard to kind of judgewhat's real and what's not.
And I feel like the expectationsare even higher because you're
like, well, I should be able tosucceed, you know, I'm gonna go
from like naught to a hundredmiles an hour in like a year.
It just doesn't happen likethat.
I mean, it happens for the oddperson, but like, and there's
(44:53):
also no there's no room to kindof learn in that quick
turnaround time.
I feel like, you know, you youonly learn by failing.
You only learn by I mean, God, Icould write books and books and
books about all the things I'vedone wrong.
You know, like more some waymore things wrong than I've done
things right.
You learn by failing.
I don't know.
(45:14):
Literally, it's like the onlything, I suppose that's a yeah,
another good thing to add.
It's like don't be afraid offailing, take risks, and learn
from them and keep going.
And don't give up.
SPEAKER_03 (45:23):
Don't give up, right?
Always get yourself out of yourcomfort zone because if you
always do what you're good atright now, you'll never perfect.
You'll never you know getbetter.
SPEAKER_00 (45:32):
There we go.
SPEAKER_03 (45:32):
Well, and this beautiful phrase, wow, short and
sweet.
I know you have a lot of thingsto do and to party in the lab
take you too long, but I reallyappreciate the stars aligned.
The moon rock help us.
Absolutely.
Moonrock got us here and helpyou to be here and be the guest
on the basic show.
(45:53):
Thank you, Hannah, for beinghere, and thank you for being my
guest, and thank you for thisconversation.
That was great.
Thanks.
Thank you, thank you.
Bye.
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