Stalked: Talia Cansiz, Emerging Fashion Designer

The lovely Talia is another designer I met at graduate fashion and the last of my GFW darlings.. I loved her final collection.. think Sports Lux !

What do you love about designing?

I love that designing, particularly in Fashion, combines art and function. I feel lucky to work in an industry that I love and which appreciates creative minds. I always strive to problem solve, so working towards a market and a purpose is what drives my designs. Seeing my work in the flesh or spotting it in store is really rewarding.

Who have you worked with previously and what was the working environment like?

During my placement year at university, I worked for Julien Macdonald Ltd. It was a fantastic experience and I was able to work within a small team on beautiful gowns and dresses. I learnt so much about the industry and gained great connections. It was a brilliant taster for couture fashion and I really appreciated the experience. I was able to work personally with Julien and it was great to see how his career had progressed over the years.

I also worked at Marks and Spencer within their Home Design team. This again showed me a completely different side to the industry and enabled me to view how a large company operates.

What was the inspiration behind your final collection?

My final collection was inspired by a need for women to live healthy lifestyles whilst appreciating quality time to relax. The title of my research report and marketing plan was, “Within a fast paced urban society, how can fashion encourage career driven women to achieve a healthy work-life balance?” The main objective of my collection was to design comfortable clothing suitable for active women but without compromising on feminine style and quality. I specialised in print within my final year so my whole collection was screen printed by hand with intricate floral patterns. The inspiration for the prints came initially from Wedgewood tea ware; I wanted to incorporate treats and ‘afternoon tea’ into the designs to combine active lifestyles with relaxation and escapism.

The collection features nine interchangeable pieces which can be layered up to form multi-functional outfits.

Who are the designers you love at the moment?

I have always loved Mary Katrantzou’s prints, especially her Spring/Summer 2011 collection featuring the iconic ‘lampshade’ skirts which have inspired my work. Valentino and Elie Saab have always been some of my favourites with their beautiful couture gowns and I love Dolce and Gabbana’s Spanish inspired collections and their rich colour palettes are really beautiful. Nothing beats the Dolce and Gabbana reds! I also love Preen and the mix of floral and geo prints within their collections.

What's next...?

Having just graduated and shown my work at Graduate Fashion Week I am now looking to work my way up in the fashion industry! I’d love to have my own brand one day so that is definitely one of my main goals.