Boat International - May 2018

BOAT LIFE

“I love the sea. In dicult

momentsIpraytothequeen

ofthesea.WhenItold[Sevan]

this he came up with this

beautifulpieceintwomonths”

saw him appear with his big smile, I immediately thought he was someone wonderful. I love the
way he started work so young, at 12 years old, and worked in the Grand Bazaar where he learned
everything. It reminded me of my life. I also started young, training for many hours a day.”
Born in 1981, to a couple of athletes, Ortiz was identified early as a budding sports talent,
joined the national Cuban volleyball team and later became a professional player. “The discipline
I learnt in sports has helped me. I worked day and night to complete this collection,” she says.
After Bıçakçı appointed a team of designers to work with her, Ortiz immersed herself in
research on the flora, fauna and cultural history of her native Cuba and Latin culture. Currently
36 pieces strong, Latin Winds by Sevan Bıçakçı includes pieces for men and women, with
culinks, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings among them. The cultural heritage and
nature of Latin America, its wildlife, streets and people are represented in vibrant colours.
They incorporate the tocororo (the Cuban national bird), the famed Tropicana club and the

Malecón (Havana’s

waterfront promenade)

• but also the flowers,
  jungle and rivers
  of South America.
  But this is just the beginning. “I might
  manage to introduce the first 30 pieces this
  year, but I hope to keep adding new designs
  around the same idea for many years to come,”
  Bıçakçı says. “As the pace of production is
  extremely slow in my atelier, I can never
  come up with seasonal or annual collections,
  which is something I don’t miss at all. I would
  rather keep my imagination busy on a given
  subject for much longer periods of time
  and hence allow ideas to evolve along with
  resulting designs.”
  Plans for unveiling the collection are
  still being worked out, but Bıçakçı last year
  opened a boutique with Ottoman-inspired
  ceilings in the Miami Design District and
  the 2018 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach is
  a possibility. “Miami has been a second home
  to me since the opening of my boutique. And
  along with Puerto Rico and Cuba, Miami
  has also held a special place for Latin Winds,
  especially thanks to my dear friend Yaima’s
  involvement,” Bıçakçı says. It’s an involvement
  that looks set to last quite some time.B

THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE

Interior design inspiration needn’t come just from

your marina neighbours. Before your next yacht

makeover, take a virtual tour of The Lakes by

Yoo, a collection of high-end holiday homes in

the UK, which sport interiors by internationally

renowned style icons and designers including

Philippe Starck, Kate Moss, Marcel Wanders and

EXCLUSIVELY ONLINEJade Jagger. boatint.com/lakes-by-yoo

Actress Whoopi

Goldberg wore a

Bıçakçı piece on

her hand at the

2016 Academy

Awards: an

octopus in pearl,

diamond and silver

Bıçakçi at work.

The master

jeweller has a

boutique near

Istanbul’s Grand

Bazaar (right),

and last year he

opened another

in the Miami

Design District

(below right)

73