The pop star spilled his fragrance secrets at the Tsu Lange Yor pop-up in NYC.
To no one's surprise, walking into Troye Sivan's New York City pop-up for his fragrance and home brand, Tsu Lange Yor, was like stepping into the most tasteful, chic living room you've ever seen. Laminate pedestals decorated the floor, each adorned with different iterations of his signature scents. Candles in various sizes lit up the earthy space as an automated pulley dangled a tomato from the ceiling before elegantly grazing it above a collection of fruit nestled inside an abstract gold bowl. As Sivan walked around and mingled with the crowd, wafts of his TLY perfumes perfectly scented the air.
"I'm not trying to brag, but people do tell me I smell really good—all the time," Sivan says, warmly acknowledging his love for self-care. "My skin smells nice, my hair smells nice. I take a lot of pride in that."
Sure, Sivan's key to smelling good includes mixing a variety of TLY scents with his signature, Luca. However, cleanliness to him also means paying close attention to the floss you clean your teeth with, the detergent you wash your sheets with, and the candles burning in your home—you know, the layers that build your scent. For Sivan, other essentials include unscented deodorant, hair product, hand cream, and scents with "a sandalwood base" or his "favorite citrus," bergamot.
After a video of his home in Melbourne, Australia went viral three years ago, fans’ reaction and adoration for his taste in home decor and creation emboldened Sivan to “take this thing that’s just a passion for me” and “start bringing it to the world.” He says, “I don’t know that I would have started the brand without that video.”
The idea for Tsu Lange Yor started before Sivan's name was synonymous with luxurious spaces and perfect scents. In part because of the video, Sivan's older brother, Steele Mellet, whom he founded and runs the business with, told him, "I will leave my job and come and start this with you if you want to do it." Thus, the brand was born, taking inspiration from their shared Jewish Australian youth and nostalgia for the Yiddish language that brings them closer.
"We grew up with a lot of Yiddish words around the house, in a Jewish household," Sivan says, explaining that "Tsu Lange Yor" means "to long years." He says, "It's like a toast."
Before last week, his products were only available for in-person purchase in storefronts across Australia. Sivan's NYC pop-up marked the first time his products were available IRL in the U.S.—a perfect reason to raise a glass.
Sivan says he and his brother celebrated their accomplishment with "nice dinners," congratulating themselves on bringing the brand to a city that has influenced Sivan's taste for the past decade. "I've got a lot of friends here and a lot of people that I've been very excited to show Tsu Lange Yor to," Sivan says, noting a NYC pop-up has "basically been part of the plan from day one."
He says, "New York just made total sense to me. The design community here, I'm so inspired by. Everyone from photographers to, you know, makers—it's a really, really inspiring place for me and always has been."
From the typography he decorated his candles with to the NSFW, "Rush"-inspired perfume canisters designed to look like poppers, Sivan took inspiration from his worldview and the aforementioned "makers" he admirers. And while the pretty fonts used to decorate his candles were meant to be artful, choosing to create a perfume bottle that looks like the gay nightlife drug he cheekily references in his "Rush" single was a no-brainer: "I mean, the call was coming from inside the house, and I had to answer it."
Tsu Lange Yor is available to purchase online at tsu-lange-yor.au, with more pop-ups to follow.