Blending Two Disparate Worlds
By : | May 27, 2013

Intricate kimonos, hand-embroidered capes and handloom fashion clothing – there is a lot that the fashion label Talitha offers to its customers.

The label, co-founded by fashion editor and stylist Kim Hersov and Shon Randhawa, Indian designer and embroidery expert who also founded the brand Patine, was conceptualized on a whim. Hersov, while packing for a holiday, realised she couldn’t find the right kind of breezy, easy, holiday pieces that she was looking for. She had already met Indian embroidery expert Shon Randhawa, who had an established network with master craftspeople in India, and the duo decided to develop a luxe holiday-inspired line that would also work in an urban city. The teaming up of a British fashion editor and a Indian designer with her roots steeped in the country’s artisanal heritage has resulted in a label that’s quirky, fashionable, bohemian, and yet utterly sophisticated and edgy.

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Talitha’s bohemian debut collection included a collection of artfully hand-embroidered kaftans, cotton peasant blouses, woven cotton playsuits, intricately worked kimono jackets and shorts tailored from handmade Indian scarves, and wasconsidered the ultimate travel wardrobe.

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All their collections, since then, have been beautifully detailed and made by artisans and craftsmenat Randhwa’s atelier in New Delhi. The duo dips into Randhawa’s embroidery archives and research local craft traditions to offer a signature depth to each piece. “The Talitha collection is deeply inspired by the rich cultural heritage of India’s arts and crafts,” says Randhawa. “We selected the most talented embroiderers to work on the collection, using their expert knowledge and techniques to create versatile, yet timeless, garments.” Now, the partners are also exploring several different ethnic and cultural roots around the world.

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Hersov were originally influenced by Marissa Berenson and Kate Moss, two world travellers with a holiday style as influential as any catwalk collection, which perfectly combines a relaxed hippy aesthetic with a refined edge, allowing it to translate from the exotic to the urban. However, the Talitha woman has flourished beyond these early muses.

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San Francisco born and raised, Hersov cut her teeth at American Vogue and also worked at Harper’s Bazaar, which was incidentally her last job. She grew up in a bohemian environment, and tie-dye, peasant blouses and maxi dresses are part of her style sensibility. In part, Talitha is an extension and evolution of that style aesthetic, but eschews the hippy inclination, instead replacing it with a luxurious finish. Hersov imagines the women who wear the label as stylish bohemians, who spend their life travelling the world, moving from one exotic location to another. Living on a whim, but always dressed for the most exceptional of eventualities.

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The name, Talitha, has Aramaic origins, which adds to its exotic quality. The collection perfectly fits the lifestyle of the people who dream a nomadic fantasy and love to bring in a bit of Morocco or Tulum into their everyday city life. Each piece has a story to tell and is born out of forgotten highly skilled traditions

 

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