Last night the great and good of London turned out to celebrate the launch of Tiffany & Co.’s new Tiffany City Hardware Collection and, among the brash, outrageous, and freeloaders who piled in to watch a live performance by TLC (!), was a certain singer by the name of FKA twigs. Notoriously shy and retiring (to the extent that it’s almost mandatory to say so), we managed to steal her away from the party for a few moments to talk to her about what she’s up to and how she thinks she’s changed since her i-D cover back in 2012. Spoiler alert: she hasn’t changed a bit.
Tell us about the jewelry then, Twigs.
Okay, so when I had my first big birthday, when I was 16, my stepdad got me a Tiffany necklace. Where I’m from, it’s not, like, really fancy. It’s like… I mean, I’m from the suburbs, that says it all. There’s these certain staples that you want when you’re a teenager. So Tiffany for me, it’s quite an honest link to my younger years. It was like a Tiffany necklace and a clown. You know those Argos clown pendants? You’d get a Tiffany necklace and those Argos clowns. That was like, my look growing up.
Are you looking forward to watching TLC perform?
I can’t wait.
You’re a fan of theirs?
Obviously, yeah! They’re major.
What’s your focus at the moment? It feels like all the things you’ve done lately have been so varied.
I love pole dancing at the moment. I’m training really hard, learning how to pole dance. When I pole dance it gives me wings. I’m upside down and I’m spinning and I feel like I’m flying.
Like a clown on a necklace!
Like a clown on a necklace! Well, not quite. Like an angel on a necklace! I mean it’s not really aerial. It’s not like stilts or something, but I still have a feeling of weightlessness. And that to me has been the most exhilarating feeling. You know when you see the pole dancers and they climb up the pole and hang upside down and spin? It feels like the most amazing thing in the world.
How do you think you’ve changed since your i-D cover in 2012?
I don’t think I have really changed! I don’t think so. Maybe I’m a little bit more shy if that’s possible. A little bit! But I still work with all the same people. I still work with Matthew Josephs [stylist]. He helped dress me tonight and styled me for that cover. And I’m seeing Matthew Stone [photographer] in a minute. I can’t wait to hang out with him. It’s still the same. I walk my dog with Matthew Stone. I was just hanging out with Matthew Josephs. We’re a little crew.
Do you have a message for readers of i-D?
I feel like in many ways I was born from i-D, so it always holds a special place in my heart. I hope that all the fans of i-D are still buying a hard copy so that it can continue living on. I know it’s tough with print, but I think it’s so important to be able to touch something and feel something and hold something. Online is super exciting and I’m someone who was born from the internet. But at the same time, there’s nothing like picking up a thick copy and flicking through the pages. I don’t want that to die. So I would say keep on supporting if you like i-D. Keep on buying the hard copy!
Credits
Text Matthew Whitehouse
TIFFANY & CO. CELEBRATES LAUNCH OF TIFFANY CITY HARDWEAR COLLECTION