“I have a blue sweater and glasses.” Going down the stairs to Flora Bar, a spacious restaurant tucked away in the Met Breuer building in Manhattan, we look for the woman who matches these indications. It turns out that there are two. We’re aiming for the youngest. Won!
Lilya Turki is there, in front of her coffee and her bottle of water, ready to unfold her journey. And you have to hang on. Because it is the type that does not stay in place for long in one place. The Swiss love challenges and novelty. As soon as she finds herself in a cocoon that is a little too comfortable, she has a tendency to get bored, to want to tear down the invisible walls that oppress her. “It’s almost psychology,” she laughs. But she is like that: do not venture to cut off her wings, to infringe her artistic freedom and her inventiveness, she could fly away very quickly.
Simple and no frills
Lilya Turki arrived in New York in February 2018, where she holds a position of artistic director (creative director/director of ideation) at Tiffany & Co, a famous American jewelry and tableware company, founded in 1837. A head hunter spotted his CV. “In Switzerland, my many experiences and back and forth can be a bit scary. Here, it’s rather considered a plus, ”she says. Thinking of new collaborations and visual creations for Tiffany is part of her job.
David James believed in me. He’s an ex-punk turned artistic director. It suits me enough
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Two details before continuing: if you imagine her mannered, in designer clothes, ultra-makeup, evolving in the ruthless world of luxury, ready to crush her colleagues with her stiletto heels to shine, and adept of small talk between happy few in social evenings where spontaneity remains in the wardrobe, you have it all wrong. It is rather simple and natural style, without fuss. With false airs of Sandra Bullock, the Hollywood actress with the mischievous air. “There is no imposed dress code in our section at Tiffany, we have total freedom which is great. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken it, ”Lilya Turki slips, her eyes laughing.
Then, her position is prestigious, and she benefits from the famous American 0-1 visa for “exceptional talents”, valid for three years. But she isn’t at the top of Tiffany’s hierarchy either. “It’s a huge box. And we are indeed a handful to occupy the function of artistic director. ”
“I was one of the only girls”
How did this ex of ECAL, who dreamed of being a photojournalist and saw herself traveling the world with her camera slung over her shoulder, did she end up in New York? She has always had an artistic streak, and it’s not a family affair. At the university, she launches in several branches, then gives up – “it was not for me”. She then enrolled at ECAL, the Cantonal Art School of Lausanne. “A training with a very high level of requirement. It was not obvious; I was one of the only girls. It was violent because we were taken out of our comfort zone, but very formative. ”
In spring 2005, she needed to leave Switzerland to express her creativity. She went to Paris, first for a magazine, then an advertising agency, and then worked as a freelance. Among its clients: Dior, Hermès, Purple Magazine or EMI-Virgin. “After two years, I was a little bored. I moved to London in November 2006, where I stayed for four years, ”she says, swallowing her coffee. Again, she works for magazines (Another Magazine and Another Man), for Prada, McQueen, Dior or Belstaff. And especially finds his mentor, David James. “He was the one who made me come. He believed in me. He’s an ex-punk turned artistic director. It suits me enough. “
Lilya Turki has always been drawn to fashion, art and design. She likes creativity, not the superficiality of the environment. She returns to Switzerland for a few months. Going back to basics is always good, especially for someone in a phase of perpetual questioning. She participates in the launch of a new Lifestyle magazine. At the same time, she has a mandate at the EPFL-ECAL Lab, in a research unit around augmented reality. She adds a string to her bow.
Take refuge in the kitchen
In December 2011, the designer returned to London for a few months. This time for an online clothing store, to redefine the visual universe of the men’s section. A new experience. She then landed a job for Swatch in Switzerland, and left the company after two years. “A very, very masculine environment,” she emphasizes without keeping only good memories. She goes back to her own business. Then went back to Paris, as artistic and image director for the women’s magazine Marie Claire, from October 2015 to January 2018, with the mission to relieve it. Until he was offered New York.
There it is, in this town where you can walk around with a salad on your head without anyone looking at you. “We feel good there! New York is fascinating and there is so much to do culturally that I get a little frustrated sometimes when I don’t do enough on the weekends. ” When she is not developing a project, she takes refuge in the kitchen. “I love eating! I also like to discover cities through food. ” Her husband, a designer, is still moving between the United States and Europe, but he should soon join her.
Lilya Turki, who owes her first and last name to her father’s Tunisian roots, chose to live in Brooklyn, far from the hubbub of Manhattan. She presents herself as an anti-routine warrior, but there is still a little cocoon that she loves: her own. Especially when the squirrels come to eat on his balcony.
Profile
1980 Born January 30, in Lausanne.
2000-2004 Studies at ECAL.
2005-2006 First stay in Paris.
2006-2010 First stay in London.
2018 Leaves to settle in New York, for Tiffany.
Our portraits: for a few months, the portraits of “Time” are devoted to the personalities who will be distinguished during the 2019 edition of the Forum of 100. Appointment le 9 mai 2019.
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