Ireland’s elfin-like Danielle Ryan became rich in her mid-20s – inheriting a family fortune of over 100 million dollars - but rather than simply live the celebrity lifestyle, she’s following her dream: developing ‘Roads,’ a Dublin-based luxury products company focusing on perfumes, publishing and movies.
Interestingly, Danielle’s first-floor office opposite the trendy Temple Bar district in downtown Dublin is not clearly marked. No plaque outside, or inside the doorway, only a number on Dame Street, a short stroll from Trinity College, erstwhile home to famous writers such as Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Anne Enright, Eavan Boland, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett.
An expansive, contemporary-style lobby-cum-atelier features wood floors, white walls, a long reception desk on one side and a low couch along the middle. Minimalist in style, an impressive – though rather gruesome – print decorates one wall depicting fibrous tissue and blood vessels under an eye socket. “It’s by Fernando Vicente,” a soft voice murmurs beside me. I turn and there she is poised, smiling, bright-eyed. “He’s based in Spain. We really like what he does. That’s why we published a collection of his work.”
The Vicente collection is one in a range of books published by the three-year-old lifestyle brand company, ranging from old classics to high-end, illustrated coffee table books. The latter specialize mostly in art, photography and culture and include ‘Haute Coiffure Special’ in a bespoke black and neon box with hinged lid and ribbon and ‘Paparazzo,’ the first definitive collection of award-winning photography by Elio Sorci, one of the first-ever paparazzi in 1950s Rome.
Within the handmade laser-cut box rests a wax sealed custom gold envelope containing a rare archival Sorci digital print specially produced on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta. Danielle also collaborated with hair stylist, Charlie Le Mindu, on a book entitled ‘Haute Coiffure’ and a special edition that was sold with wigs and a pocket sewed in for a condom.
Aside from books, ‘Roads’ also produces a range of perfumes, now retailing in Selfridges in the UK and Barneys in the US, as well as being on sale in the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco and Russia. Danielle’s idea for the perfumes originated in the world of theatre, particularly at The Lir, the National Academy of Dramatic Art, that she established four years ago at Trinity College. Attracted to the use of fragrance in immersive theatre to create emotions and fascinated by their impact on the brain, she contacted French perfumers and designed ten, all with diverse identities. ‘White Noise,’ for example, is based on ‘technology’ while Harmattan is based on ‘a wind that crosses that Sahara’. The latest release is a collection based on the theme of Africa, including ‘I Am Dance’ reflecting the continent’s native ‘free expression’ rhythm and ‘Big Sky,’ based on the ‘vast African skies that frame the ever-changing landscapes beneath.’ Scent notes, packaging and design are all inspired by native art.
‘Roads’ also specializes in high-calibre, commercial art-house films and documentaries, including ‘After The Dance’ for the BBC and the Irish Film Board and ‘Being AP,’ made in partnership with Moneyglass Films for BBC Films, the Irish Film Board, the British Horseracing Association and Northern Ireland Screen. The next movie project is ‘The Shee,’ set in 1960s Ireland.
While books, perfumes and movies may seem like an incongruous constellation of products and ‘Roads’ a surprising name for a luxury brands company, Danielle explains: “Roads - as a name – is a metaphor for the many choices and decisions we are faced with each day. These decisions shape us and make the paths for how we live. Every choice we make – what we wear, what we read, where we travel, how we communicate – informs our character. Therefore ‘Roads’ celebrates the individual in every sense. I wanted to create an artistic brand that would not be limited by its own definition, or confined to only one idea.”
Born to a Sri Lankan-German mother and Cathal, an Irish father, Danielle spent her formative years in Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Dublin and London. Such cosmopolitanism and a strong entrepreneurial background - her family founded Ryanair and other successful businesses – led Danielle to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, before establishing ‘Roads.’
Considering she doesn’t have to work another day in her life, the 32-year-old mother-of-two, Carla and Ethan– her husband, Richard, is a barrister - has a grounded attitude to entrepreneurialism. “I don’t like to have an overt sense of hierarchy in my company. I lean on my staff for their intelligence, insight and expertise. We all meet on a Monday and decide the week’s priorities, delegate, roll up our sleeves and get on with the work. Then, come Friday, we sign off the week with a wrap-up of what we’ve accomplished and what’s still to be done.”
So convinced is Danielle of theater’s importance as a vital form of communication, she has even brought trainers to her company to teach her staff how to master, transmit and translate vocal resonance and body movement.
As for her own character? “I’m curious, decisive, very determined to the point of being dangerous,” the slim, dark-haired woman says with a beguiling smile. “But I always keep in mind the words of Socrates – ‘The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.’ While I often work on gut instinct, I’m also very analytical, always watching, observing, a combination of investigative journalist and curator. I see my role in the company as that of a producer on a movie. I bring parts of a project together, whether that be people or products, and try to bring organization out of chaos. I tend to be brave about projects, willing to take risks, but calculated ones. I’m optimistic by nature but believe in the rule of performance-related criteria.”
So what, ultimately, is Danielle’s definition of luxury?
“The idea of luxury has changed,” she says. “It is a slightly misleading word. I believe it is anything that has been deeply considered and produced, something that profoundly affects the senses rather than just having a physical quality.”
