Lola Karimova Tillyaeva is well-known for her philanthropic work. With her husband, businessman Timur Tillyaev, she founded several organizations, including the celebrated You Are Not Alone and the groundbreaking National Center for the Social Adaptation of Children (NCSAC). What is less publicized is her commitment to environmental activism – specifically the challenge of water scarcity. Every region on Earth is impacted by the problem which is growing worse. According to the UN, “some regions are even reaching the limit at which water services can be sustainably delivered.” One consequence of this is the rise of ´water conflicts´ where water scarcity can generate armed conflict.

Lola Tillyaeva had no illusions about how hard it would be to find an audience for her message. Given the media saturation and 24-hour news cycle of today´s world she knew she´d need an innovative approach. Her answer was to harness the power of art.

“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 12 meters of gleaming polished aluminum tubing. Forming a stylized water droplet, it´s designed to shroud itself in a fine mist of water. The result is a “unique multisensory art installation.” It´s also a guaranteed showstopper. Created and conceived by artist Marcos Lutyens and fabricator, Scott Froschauer from the Institute for Art and Olfaction, it always draws a crowd and gets people talking. For Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, that is the whole point. As she explains, “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 has a profound affinity with water. Her perfume house, The Harmonist, is build upon the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui. Its world view of seeking harmony between the Earth´s five elements and balancing the opposing forces of ying and yang have proven singularly successful. Lola Tillyaeva also insists upon a business model with a minimal ecological footprint. She goes to great pains to use, “recyclable materials at every possible touchpoint, from perfume bottles and deluxe packaging to the vegetal wax candles.”

Offering refills for every product in her range is another strategy for reducing energy consumption, packaging and waste. A testament to Lola Tillyaeva´s winning formula is her recent success at the Fragrance Foundation Awards. The Harmonist was a finalist in both Fragrance of the Year – Women’s Luxury and Fragrance of the Year – Men´s Luxury.

The Droplet was first unveiled in Paris in 2017,  and is due to tour other European cities like Barcelona. Just as Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva had anticipated, the installation has proven to be a guaranteed head turner. At every stage it stimulates debate and inspires action. It is a tremendous example of how Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev, ¨respect the environment with every nuance of their activity.”