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Q&a / Why Troye Sivan’s Penfolds collaboration is unlike anything he’s done before

STORYVincenzo La Torre
Australian singer-songwriter and actor Troye Sivan is Penfolds’ new creative partner. Photo: Handout
Australian singer-songwriter and actor Troye Sivan is Penfolds’ new creative partner. Photo: Handout
Wine and Spirits

The Tsu Lange Yor founder on designing limited edition pieces, why wine taps the same creativity as music, and his pride in his homeland

Like most young creatives these days, Australian singer-songwriter and actor Troye Sivan is not defined by one single category and doesn’t like to put himself in a box. The 30-year-old multihyphenate – who has appeared in campaigns for brands such as Prada, Cartier and Valentino – is also the founder of lifestyle and fragrance brand Tsu Lange Yor, a Yiddish toast meaning “to long years”.

Sivan’s latest project, however, doesn’t involve fashion, beauty or music. He was recently named creative partner of Penfolds, the Australian winemaker founded more than 180 years ago in Adelaide. While you’d think the two wouldn’t have much in common besides their Australian heritage, there is more to the union than meets the eye.

The partnership begins with a limited edition 750ml gift box and 1.5-litre magnum art piece for Penfolds Bin 389 cabernet shiraz, one of Australia’s most famous red wines.

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Style sat down with Sivan in Paris during fashion week to learn more about this collaboration and his creative process.
Troye Sivan has described his collaboration with Penfolds as “empowering for me creatively”. Photo: Handout
Troye Sivan has described his collaboration with Penfolds as “empowering for me creatively”. Photo: Handout

Tell me about working with Penfolds on the design of these limited edition pieces.

This is very different from [my previous] collaborations because I was brought in not just as the face of it, but as a creative partner, so it’s really been empowering for me creatively. I do all the creative direction for my brand Tsu Lange Yor, and I think the Penfolds team saw a young Australian brand … and they’re this heritage brand, they’re 180 years old, an Australian icon. To be able to bring a fresh take on this beautiful legacy as a creative was really exciting and really fun for me. I was involved in every step of the process.

How did you start the design process?

There’s such a strong brand legacy that I wanted to be respectful of, and then I reimagined what it meant to me. Wine is a communal experience: it’s all about community, and family and friends. To be able to sit in a park and open a beautiful bottle of wine is such a joyous thing. The magnum was an opportunity to creatively express myself because there are only 20 of them. We worked with an artist from South Korea, who did an incredible job of creating this one beautiful bottle that’s essentially suspended in the air and in this fog – almost like a beautiful memory, and something you’d share over a glass of wine. To preserve this beautiful moment in time, there are 20 different photographs I’ve taken over the years. It’s the memory of opening this bottle.
The Penfolds x Troye Sivan Bin 389 gift box. Photo: Handout
The Penfolds x Troye Sivan Bin 389 gift box. Photo: Handout
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