From the nursery to one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world: Giada Ilardo’s piercing studio sits enthroned in the middle of Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse like a Disney castle. And Ilardo’s story does indeed have potential for the big screen.
Photos: Jessica Grütter
FACES: Others go to school, you open a tattoo studio at 16. Who was your first customer?
Giada Ilardo: I can’t remember my first customer exactly, but I do remember the feeling when the first person came into my studio. It felt uncomfortable and extremely grateful. Uncomfortable because it felt like a stranger was coming into your home, and grateful because my imagination and vision became real from that moment on.
F: Where did your fascination with tattoos and piercings come from?
GI : When I was twelve years old, I was leafing through a tattoo magazine and discovered the tattoo and piercing world. I was absolutely fascinated.
F: What was the first tattoo you got on someone yourself and what was the last one so far?
GI : The first tattoo I got was a dragon on my upper arm, on a young, brave man. My last tattoo was my signature on the upper arm of a long-standing customer who has been with me for over 20 years.
F: You used to get piercings in the nursery. What did your mother say at the time?
GI: My mother saw it more as a hobby than a business model. At that time I attended a piercing course, which subsequently allowed me to pierce. The first customers were mainly people from my circle of friends. When I opened my first studio five months later, in December 1999, she realized that I had turned it into a business and, above all, that I was serious about my idea.
F: What role does your mother play in your business today?
GI: My mother always believed in me – which she still does today. She supports me in all areas, both professionally and privately. She always has my back and always has a neutral and open ear for me.
“If you don’t have a tattoo, you’re missing out on a piece of the experience of life.”
F: So how did the perhaps still somewhat naive 16-year-old tattoo and piercing fan become Giahi owner Giada Ilardo?
GI: It was a very long journey, which seems incredible in retrospect. In these 23 years, a girl with no experience of life has become a grown woman who has not only grown professionally, but also as a person. It all started with a vision and passion to reshape this industry. I had to overcome many hurdles. I did a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong along the way, it’s always a learning process. I am no longer the young woman I used to be, but I am still the woman who has this great vision. Thanks to us, tattoos and piercings have reached mainstream status today.
F: Looking back, what would you have done differently, and what would you do again and again?
GI : With the knowledge I have today, I would drive everything forward faster and focus even more. I would certainly expand my network sooner, because I believe that together we can generate incredible energy. What has remained is the strength and unbridled passion to work on my vision. I have revolutionized an industry with my faith, perseverance and passion.
F: What story from your studio are you dying to tell us?
GI: I was able to experience the unbelievable in all those walls. We have already had the biggest world stars with us, and I have also experienced customers who have been able to overcome losses through their tattoo. My clientele ranges from babies getting their first pierced ears to older people getting a tattoo so they can say they’ve experienced everything there is to experience in this wonderful world. All these people impress me and make me grateful to be a part of their story.
F: Now you run this gigantic studio on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse. Three floors, lots of gold, lots of pink. Do you catch people with bling-bling?
GI: We have also created the jewelry store on Bahnhofstrasse. We not only offer piercings, but also produce jewelry. We have created a world that is unparalleled anywhere in the world. In doing so, we raise the piercing to a higher level and position it in the luxury segment. This attracts existing and new customers, and yes, the location on Bahnhofstrasse has opened many new doors for us.
F: What is the secret of your success?
GI: Always having your finger on the pulse and being innovative. I question my business model over and over again in order to constantly improve it. I also try to constantly reposition it, because the company is subject to constant change. We have made it from a classic piercing studio to a producer of luxury gold and diamond piercing jewelry. I am convinced that only the adaptable can survive today.
F: How do you find the artists who tattoo in your studios?
GI: When we look for artists, we proceed like headhunters and search for the best in the world. We observe the careers and developments of many creatives until we have the feeling that they are ready for us. In addition, we receive a huge number of applications every year, from which we can then select the best ones.
F: What is the most important quality of a good boss?
GI: I lead with heart and mind for the company, together with the employees. I always lead and communicate at eye level; I don’t believe in hierarchical levels. I don’t even need them to get anything through. I think it takes a healthy kind of consistency and that you can also empathize with your employees. I see my model as a togetherness; together we are stronger than as individuals. The employees are the ones who bring my vision to life for the customers.
F: Is a tattoo art or an accessory?
GI: A tattoo is art that can be worn as an accessory.
F: Which tattoo motif and which piercing can you no longer see?
GI: There is no tattoo motif that I could ever get tired of. However, there are styles that I can no longer see and whose further development I promote for my customers, and the same applies to piercings.
F: Have tattoos and piercings also become a bit mainstream? And is that a bad thing?
GI: Mainstream reflects the cultural taste of a large majority, in contrast to subcultures. Haven’t I been working for 23 years to make this art form accessible to everyone? Of course it’s mainstream, that’s where it belongs.
F: How has tattoo and piercing culture changed since you first came into contact with it?
GI: Tattoos and piercing have risen from the underground scene. People used to use this art form to isolate themselves from society. In my opinion, that is a completely wrong interpretation of it. Tattoos and piercings are modernized today and reflect a part of the inside against the outside. Today, people decorate themselves with it and set accents.
F: Why is 14 too young to get a tattoo?
GI: We don’t want to patronize young people, but my experience has shown that a 14-year-old young person is not mature, and a tattoo should involve mature consideration.
F: Ordering a tattoo machine online and getting started on yourself at home: Good idea or really dumb?
GI: I would first apply to a good studio in order to be well trained. If this is not possible, the tattoo machine from the internet is an option, but only if you are practicing on yourself or on artificial skin and never on customers. Without training, you not only lack the know-how, but also the knowledge of hygiene regulations, which are very important and must be adhered to.
F: What makes a good tattoo artist?
GI: A good tattoo artist must be able to respond to the customer and explore, understand and interpret the idea that the customer brings with them in order to create a work of art that makes the customer happy and satisfied.
F: Why do people get tattoos in the first place?
GI: We humans design and create, which we can also observe in the constant change of our world. It is no different with ourselves. We also want to shape and constantly reinterpret ourselves, each differently, each for ourselves. We say a lot about ourselves with our looks. It’s a kind of communication that we have with each other. We do this with our hair, clothes, jewelry and so on, and tattoos are an individual design option that many people don’t want to do without.
F: What do you say to someone who doesn’t have a tattoo or piercing?
GI: Our lives are made up of memories and experiences, that’s what matters. We only take these feelings with us, everything else will pass. A tattoo is a memory of a time, an experience that you will carry with you forever. I’m not saying that everyone needs a large tattoo, but a small accent, understood as part of life and that you’ve savored everything, is part of it. Anyone who doesn’t have a tattoo is missing out on a piece of life experience.
F: Who would you like to tattoo?
GI: I don’t know if I would like to tattoo this person, but I would certainly like to have lunch with Elon Musk.
