Troye Sivan on Layering Scents, Queering Space, and the Chicest Way to Store Eggs
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Growing up in Perth, Australia, Troye Sivan’s parents had an open-door policy, allowing him and his three siblings to bring friends by whenever they wanted. “It was an absolute mad house the entire summer,” Sivan recalls, but that sense of ease and graciousness has stuck with him as he’s cropped up as a pop star, an actor, and now, the proprietor of his own home line, Tsu Lange Yor.
Tsu Lange Yor, meaning “to long years” in Yiddish, is a chic collection of home fragrances and objects that were created by the The Idol star, in collaboration with his brother, Steele Mellet, and design director Joel Adler. It all can be seen at Tsu Lange Yor’s pop-up in a new space outfitted remotely by Sivan alongside the Melbourne, Australia–based design firm Flack Studio in New York City’s SoHo through Sunday, May 3. The space boasts a mix of vintage pieces alongside contemporary design from the Future Perfect and lighting studio In Common With, as well as a curated selection of Australian art from Sivan’s personal collection.
Ahead of the pop-up, ELLE Decor sat down with the 28-year-old entrepreneur to talk about creative ambition, velvet rage, and feeling at home, wherever you are.
ELLE DECOR: Many of the objects in Tsu Lange Yor seem to be queering the home space and this idea of shelter. What inspired you as you developed the visual language for this collection?
Troye Sivan: To me, home is an avenue for self-expression like any other. And I like having a sense of humor in my home, because what I live with says something about me and where I come from and what I think is important. The small bowl is a great example. It’s self-aware, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it’s absolutely no joke as a beautiful object. It does everything I want the brand to do, which is [to encourage you] to take that extra second to care for yourself and your space, and in turn to take care of the people around you by creating something beautiful and interesting for them. Your home is for you, most importantly, but it’s also to share.
ED: How do you use the bowl in your own home?
TS: Being as extra as I am, I display my lemons, but honestly, I cook so much. It can be a catchall for onions, lemons, limes, garlic—all kinds of stuff. I keep my eggs in the fridge, but I do think it would be very chic if you’re an eggs outside kind of person. The big bowl fits a dozen eggs perfectly.
ED: Talk to me about sensuality at home and the way scent plays a role in comfort, since fragrance is such a big part of the brand.
TS: Scent is a very layered thing to me. If it’s personal scent, it starts with what laundry detergent you use, and what body wash you use in the shower. I wear an unscented antiperspirant so that I can layer more on and so that I’m more in control of what I smell like at the end of the day. It’s all of these little microdecisions that you make, and the same thing happens for the home. If it’s a beautiful day and I want to throw the doors open, I’ll light the Pool candle. If I’m throwing a dinner party and I’ve been cooking meat for eight hours, I’ll light TLY 5755 and Sassafras. It all contributes to the atmosphere and creates these special moments to share.
ED: Do you think this idea of building community, especially in a queered context, is in reaction or response to growing up in a suburb to some degree?
TS: My design aesthetic and taste was maybe more influenced when I arrived in California and started to see these beautifully curated gay homes. I was like, OK, wow, this is really interesting to me. But the idea of home comes from [growing up in] Australia for me, for sure. I’m well aware that we’re making luxury products, but I would be so happy if someone took the ideas from the line and made them their own. A scarf on a lamp to change the mood of your lighting is just as beautiful to me as one of these products.
ED: Was there a tipping point, in the evolution of your taste, where you realized the gays are just really good at refining their spaces?
TS: Did you ever read The Velvet Rage? I’m sure there’s some long answer about shame and overcompensation, but I think ultimately it’s just about an appreciation for beauty and a kind of openness to the world. I mean, queer people have defined taste forever and will probably continue to do so forever. I just think we’re really good at it.
ED: From Bloom-era Troye to Rush-era Troye, how has your taste and aesthetic evolved? If you were to articulate this point of view for the home then versus now?
TS: I wouldn’t have done this back then. I think the thing that I really feel emboldened by at the moment is faith in the creative process. I’m realizing that it feels, for me, the same across different mediums, whether I’m building the tour show, making an album, or making a music video—it’s collaboration with people that I love. It’s fun, it’s openness. I feel totally fulfilled.
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