Many people associate Lola Tillyaeva with her innovative perfume house, The Harmonist. A niche perfume maker, The Harmonist has risen to prominence partly due to its unconventional approach of using the timeless wisdom of feng shui to guide its perfume creations. Lola believes feng shui’s aim of harmonizing the energies of the Earth’s five elements enhance the production of complex, yet finely balanced fragrances. While talking about The Harmonist recently, Lola said:
“Our clear ethos of balance and well-being underpins everything we do; in a world that can often seem chaotic and confusing, people are drawn to the harmony that radiates from our perfumes.”
However, Lola Tillyaeva’s affinity with water runs much deeper. Lola is genuinely concerned about the rapidly worsening water crisis, a fear shared by the United Nations. The problem affects every single continent, and a consequence of this reality is the growing risk of armed conflict between nation states over access to scarce water sources – a scenario termed ‘water conflicts’.
As urgent as this message is, Lola Tillyaeva knew she would struggle to reach an audience in today’s world dominated by the relentless 24-hour media cycle. To overcome this challenge, she harnessed the power of art and created The Droplet. Taling about her project, Lola said:
“I believe that art has an incredible capacity to inspire, encourage and unite people around a cause, due to its ability to touch the human soul. That is why we harness the power of art as a means to raise public awareness of issues relating to global warming and climate change.”
The Droplet is a showstopping spectacle. It is 12 meters of gleaming aluminum tubing in height, and 6 meters at the base. Forming a stylized droplet of water, the art installation is designed to shroud itself in a fine mist and grabs attention everywhere it goes. The work of artist Marcos Lutyens and fabricator Scott Froschauer from the Institute for Art and Olfaction, The Droplet creates “a unique multisensory art installation.” Exhibited in different cities including Paris and Barcelona, the installation never fails to generate debate and it inspires action. Lola Tillyaeva said that, “by engaging the participants through sound, smell and touch as well as visually, The Droplet naturally opens the way for discussions on water conservation and management.”
Lola Tillyaeva’s commitment to the environment also extends to her business operations. She works hard to limit the environmental impact of her perfume house. Her products make use of “recyclable materials at every possible touchpoint, from perfume bottles and deluxe packaging to the vegetal wax candles.” She also makes refills available for every product in The Harmonist’s perfume range to minimize the consumption and waste of resources.
The Droplet and The Harmonist are both wonderful examples of Lola Tillyaeva’s commitment to protecting the environment.
