It’s often difficult to combine heritage & tradition with an urbanised, contemporary aesthetic, but our latest fashion brand crush, Talar Nina, manages just that. We recently did a feature on the brand’s amazing AW17 ready-to-wear collection, and since then there’s been no looking back; we are absolutely besotted with this Dubai-based fashion house.
From their uber cool street style inspired pieces to the beautifully embroidered details, the Talar Nina collection perfectly amalgamates aspects of the Middle Eastern culture with modern-day design. The result? A selection of bomber jackets & trousers which we just can’t seem to get enough of.
With so much love and interest for this fabulous brand and it’s intriguing design innovation, we decided to sit down with the absolutely sweetest individual & design genius behind the brand, Talar Bilemjian, to discuss everything style, the rise of the GCC fashion scene & the Talar Nina collection.
THE TALAR NINA JOURNEY
TB: Starting Talar Nina was a very organic process. Every summer of my childhood, I visited my grandparents in Amman, Jordan and the family business, Boutique Henri, was one of the first boutiques to import ready-to-wear from France and Italy. It’s still going strong after 42 years! Studying for my degree in design and pattern making from ESMOD Dubai and starting my own label seemed like the perfect fit. After graduation, I worked in Fashion journalism and PR but I realised it just wasn’t for me. I gathered the courage to start my brand Talar Nina which has now grown into an amazing community of fans and clients.
Talar Nina AW17 / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
TALAR’S MANY SOURCES OF INSPIRATION & TAKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
TB: When designing a collection I source my fabrics first and this leads me to the design process; my silhouettes are traditional and don’t change dramatically from season to season. My focus is on good tailoring and fit, and the quality and uniqueness of each fabrication. In the future I hope to add 2 to 3 new silhouettes, whether it’s a long jacket for women, shorts for men or a different trouser silhouette.
There is a lot that can be said about social media … how it is changing the fashion world, how it is influencing our ideas about what we NEED to buy (even when we don’t really need it), but I couldn’t have started my label without it.
Instagram essentially helped me launch Talar Nina in a huge way, from different influencers wearing my jackets to people hash-tagging Talar Nina every time they wore one of my pieces; it gets you noticed in places you would never get exposure and by people you would never think of as clients, too. The platform has helped me reach clients from a number of different countries that are pretty far from my reach, like Saudi Arabia and Korea. It has allowed me to think locally but sell globally, and that is very exciting indeed.
Talar Nina AW17 / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
A USUAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF TALAR NINA
TB: A typical day in the life of Talar Nina … I usually wake up around 7:30/8:00am, have my double espresso (God bless Nespresso pods), check my emails and Instagram and then head to the workshop which is around a 35 minute drive from Dubai. I enjoy the drive as it gives me time to think about everything that I need to accomplish that day, plus I love blasting rap music or Arabic pop songs.
I usually skip lunch as I have to go pick up fabrics and zippers or get orders ready to send out. Around 5pm, I usually have my third coffee of the day with my mother/momager and we brainstorm and do some work together. I usually end up eating dinner around 8pm (either sushi or Lebanese food, and if I’m at home Armenian food – courtesy of my mama). I am usually in bed around midnight.
Talar Nina AW17 / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
TALAR’S CLOSET ESSENTIALS
TB: If you open my closet it’s mostly black and white clothing, with greys. The pops of colour usually just come from Talar Nina jackets. Essentials for me are comfortable trackpants, like the new black ‘Floras’ from my new ‘Illumination’ collection or Nike Tech Knits, an Iro t-shirt and a Talar Nina jacket. Foot wise, I am either in Adidas NMD’s or Gucci slides (comfort is key when it comes to essentials). This season I would really love to get my hands on a pair of Saint Laurent Rock leather ankle boots and a L’Afshar Chrome Gold Crushed Ice clutch.
Talar Nina AW17 / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
TALAR’S TAKE ON THE EXCITING RISE OF THE GCC FASHION SCENE
TB: The Fashion scene in the GCC is shaping up really well. I think in the past 2 years, all eyes are now looking towards this region of the world for fashion and new brands. It’s a very exciting time for creatives here, especially with the launch of Vogue Arabia. There is so much untapped talent in Dubai, Kuwait and Saudi in art, photography and fashion, and the GCC is defiantly going to surprise the world.
Talar Nina AW17 / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
THE INSIDER’S TIP FOR ASPIRING DESIGNERS
TB: I think the one piece of advice that I would give to aspiring designers is to work hard and be patient. I tell this to myself everyday, about 50 times a day. It’s easy to get distracted by other people’s success and think that you deserve the same quickly, but it sadly doesn’t work like that. Nobody is an overnight success and if you are, then people will usually forget about you the next day. I want to build my brand slowly but surely, and be known for clothes that will be wearable, 5 or even 10 years from now.
Talar Bilemjian / Photo: Courtesy of Talar Nina
Follow Talar Nina: @talarnina