Cover Tiffany Loy in her studio. She wears the Tiffany & Co Tiffany Lock small pendant in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock medium pendant in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock bangle in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock bangle and narrow bangle in yellow and white gold with half pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in white gold with pavé diamonds
Tiffany Loy in her studio. She wears the Tiffany & Co Tiffany Lock small pendant in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock medium pendant in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock bangle in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock bangle and narrow bangle in yellow and white gold with half pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in white gold with pavé diamonds
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Tatler+
Tiffany & Co’s tradition of artistry and innovation is mirrored in the work of local artist Tiffany Loy, who channels the same commitment to precision and a deep passion for craftsmanship in her creations.
What does a 187‑year‑old luxury jewellery house have in common with this young female artists in Singapore? As it turns out, a lot—namely, an unwavering commitment to precision and a passion for fine craftsmanship.
Tiffany & Co has long been a pivotal name in the jewellery sphere, globally celebrated for its artistry and innovation. Since 1837, it has established an illustrious legacy of creating pieces that are not just accessories, but also works of art. Partnerships with legendary designers such as Elsa Peretti, Jean Schlumberger and Paloma Picasso further cement its reputation for pushing the boundaries of design and craftsmanship. All this is best exemplified in the brand’s icons, from the instantly recognisable T motif to the bold gauge links of the Tiffany HardWear collection and the innovative Lock bangle. These indelible creations illustrate true artistry that transcends time, boundaries and borders.
Closer to home, these very values are echoed in the works of Singaporean artist Tiffany Loy. Much like Tiffany & Co, Loy bring an extraordinary level of pride, precision and innovation to her craft of intricately woven textile structures.
Read more: Enamellist Charlotte Hoe on pushing the boundaries of her craft with passion and precision
Tiffany Loy: The Threads That Bind
Loy’s foray into textile and fibre art was not always the plan. She was trained in industrial design at the National University of Singapore and her first encounter with textiles happened in 2012 at the university’s Design Incubation Centre, where she was assigned to a project using fabrics. Having never worked with the medium before—“Not even in home economics classes in secondary school,” she quips—she found her maiden experience curiously humbling yet liberating.
“In industrial design, we usually work with timbre, plastic, metal and other materials that are high precision. You cut it and it stays that way,” she shares. “Textiles, on the other hand, are soft; they drape and don’t do exactly what you tell them to do. There’s an ambiguity to the medium and I liked that.”
This marked the beginning of Loy’s journey as a textile artist. Intrigued, she headed to Kyoto’s Kawashima Textile School to train in textile weaving before furthering her studies at the Royal College of Art in London, ultimately earning a Master of Arts degree in textiles. Now, at 37, she has accomplished much in the field of textile and fibre art, with exhibitions at venues across the globe, including the Singapore Art Museum, La Triennale di Milano and the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art.
“When I think of a lock, I think of protection; a sense of assertiveness … Yet, in jewellery form, it’s delicate and refined. This paradoxical aspect … makes [the Lock by Tiffany collection] genius.”
Although seemingly worlds apart, there are clear parallels between Loy’s works and those of Tiffany & Co. Take the Tiffany Lock collection. Arguably one of the brand’s most definitive collections of late, it defied the norm of jewellery with gender‑fluid bangles that are the epitome of bold minimalism. Translating the simple form and functionality of a padlock into elegant wrist candy, each features a sleek, elongated silhouette as well as an innovative swivelling design and clasp mechanism to securely and comfortably hug one’s wrist. The inventive clasp took the brand’s engineers over a year to develop, and the collection has since expanded to include earrings, pendants and rings.
Similarly embodying a spirit of experimentation, Loy’s works redefine what is possible and reflect an outside‑of‑the‑box thinking not unlike that of the minds driving the brand. Her multifaceted works are celebrated for their inventive use of materials and techniques, melding traditional weaving methods with contemporary design principles.
Case in point: her pliable yet self‑supporting 3D‑knitted works showcased at the Future Impact exhibition presented by DesignSingapore Council at Milan Design Week 2023. A collaboration with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Digital Manufacturing and Design (DManD) Centre, Loy worked with creative coder Quek Yu Han to create the knit structures, collectively titled Building Futures Line by Line. They did so by using a computer‑numerical‑control (CNC) knitting machine, whereby the manufacturing process is automated through a pre‑programmed computer software. Loy’s goal was to explore complex textile construction and its seemingly endless potential through the lens of new tech such as 3D printing and CNC automation.
“Many associate craftsmanship with using your hands or low‑tech tools,” she says. “But I feel it’s about the attitude: being professional and respectful towards [what] you work with, even if it’s a digital medium like a computer‑assisted system. Craft is constantly evolving; it’s not stuck in the past.”
Above Loy wears the Tiffany Lock bangle in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock bangle and narrow bangle in yellow and white gold with half pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in white gold with pavé diamonds
Loy wears the Tiffany Lock bangle in yellow gold; Tiffany Lock bangle and narrow bangle in yellow and white gold with half pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Tiffany Lock rings in white gold with pavé diamonds
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This July, Loy presented her new and recent works at the recently-opened Singapore studio of Sullivan + Strumpf, where she is currently represented. A diverse selection of her works were shown, from a neon pink woven textile from her JW series to a sculptural piece constructed with 960 strands of alpaca silk yarn. Though eclectic, these pieces together explore the viewers’ shifting perceptions of colour and structure. Loy explains: “Using fibre and a pliable line, I wanted to express and explore ideas related to visibility; how our eyes make sense of things.”
Threads, unsurprisingly, are Loy’s pet medium. In her works, she deftly experiments with elements of materiality such as colour, structure and the unseen force in weaving: tension—both its limitations and potential in threads. “Tension,” says Loy, “is invisible, yet it has a lot of influence on the state of things. I enjoy that part of the weaving process—feeling the tension and responding to it as opposed to fighting it.”
Her exploration of tension highlights the soft strength that threads possess, capable of creating rigid yet fluid forms. This juxtaposition, she points out, mirrors that in the Tiffany Lock collection. “When I think of a lock, I think of protection; a sense of assertiveness … Yet, in jewellery form, it’s delicate and refined,” she muses contemplatively. “This paradoxical aspect—strength and delicacy; protection and ornamentation—makes [the Lock by Tiffany collection] genius.”
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Credits
Photography: Frenchescar Lim
Grooming: Angel Gwee using Dior Beauty and Hanz de Fuko
Jewellery: Tiffany & Co
