When is a flower more than just a mere flower? When it’s a delicate poppy that’s been cast in copper and formed into a gold-plated belt showing exquisite detail. And that’s only one of the dozen or so accessories—a series that also includes necklaces, rings and earrings made in collaboration with the French sculptor Julie Haminsky—that will be revealed alongside Ulla Johnson’s fall 2025 collection this weekend.
Johnson’s recent collections have showcased works by notable female artists, including last season’s first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Lee Krasner estate. Her partnership with Haminsky continues the legacy-building narrative. As the granddaughter of sculptors François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, Haminsky is continuing a legacy of her own, most especially through their shared technique known as electroplating (in which electricity is used to coat an object with a thin layer of metal).
That Haminsky works almost exclusively with flowers makes her an ideal match for Johnson, who has a thing for gardens and makes frequent references to the natural world in her work. “The collection was rooted in this gilded opulence, and also this idea of imperfection. I think the narrative of what Julie does, and what I do seemed uniquely well-paired for this season and this time. It all just sort of fell into place,” says Johnson. After meeting for the first time last fall while a show of Haminsky’s work was on display at New York’s Kasmin Gallery, the two very quickly decided to work together.
Given the production time required for each piece (sometimes a week or more, according to Haminsky), it was a race against the clock to immortalize the ephemeral: a selection of flowers that also included dahlias, ranunculus, and lilies, in addition to that poppy belt. “Freezing flowers as I can do with that technique is so magical,” says Haminsky from her studio outside Paris. “A flower is so fragile in reality, but then it becomes this forever thing when you galvanize it.”
