HARPER’S BAZAAR JULY 2018 83
Cof ee can; necklaces; bird’s nest with porcelain eggs; rings; earrings, Tif any & Co.
OPPOSITE: Vases; alarm clock; marker; rings; bracelet; creamer; sugar bowl, Tif any & Co.The elevator door opens to reveal
a three-metre-long display table
dressed up with i nery that would
fit perfectly in the pages of an
interior magazine. To its right is a
cosy corner with sofas and shelves
of cof ee table books that read like
Rizzoli’s summer catalogue. Beyond
that, it’s a retail space that any
respectable urban creative with
disposable cash (or not) would be
happy to shop in: Chic, modern and
stylish. As I soak in the atmosphere,
surrounded by beautiful products I
can’t keep my hands of , I can hardly
believe that it was only 10 months
ago in April that I last visited Tif any
& Co.’s flagship store on Fifth
Avenue, New York.
I’m standing in the midst of the
Home & Accessories collection on the fourth l oor and so much
has changed that it’s almost surreal. For one, the renovated space
(which welcomed visitors to its new look in November) now boasts
The Blue Box Cafe, Tif any’s i rst-ever retail dining concept that
proved so popular, the brand was forced to introduce a month-long
reservations system. Then, there’s the seamless integration of art
with commerce, all delivered with a chic industrial feel, somewhat
like the Pin Art-style portrait of Charles Lewis Tif any who looks
on sagely from one of the walls.
It’s clear that Chief Artistic Oi cer Reed Krakof has been
very busy indeed; not just with how the store looks, but what it
offers: Take, for example, the
headline-grabbing Everyday Object
collection (which includes a
US$1,000 tin can and a US$9,000
ball of yarn; all in sterling silver, of
course) which was released in
November. Then, there’s the healthy
range of leather goods and
handbags, punctuated with the
brand’s signature blue in clever,
snazzy ways, that reinforce the
something-for-everyone motto of
Tifany’s retail mix.
“Everything starts with the
product. To create an of ering that’s
surprising and new so that people
want to come back to the store to
see what we’re doing,” says Krakof
at our interview. “Jewellery is
expensive; it’s something that’s not
at all disposable like ready-to-wear or shoes. You can’t have a new
collection coming in all the time. So, it’s i nding the balance: How
do you create enough newness, at a more rapid pace, so that people
start to think of Tif any when they’re just interested in browsing?
It’s about creating excitement around the brand and desire for
people to want to be a part of it. And clearly many, many people
do. But I think that there’re many who feel that maybe Tif any’s
is a little bit too traditional for them; or they’ve been there recently
and feel they know what’s there. When people walk into the store
and think: ‘Wow, there’s all this new jewellery, new collections, new
ideas that I didn’t expect to see’, that’s really the goal.”Tiffany & Co.’s Chief Artistic Offi cer Reed Krakoff on that magic ingredient called humour.
By Charmaine Ho.
Photographed by Reed Krakoff