Style Spotlight: Tai’la Patterson
Fashion is an art form. Designers know this better than anyone. Meet Tai’la Patterson, a local New Orleans designer and student at the Material Institute. Tai’la creates beautifully intricate pieces of art through her artistic medium of choice: fashion. From a young age, Tai’la has been making. Her father taught her to hand-sew in high school, but it wasn’t until 2021, when Tai’la got her first sewing machine, that she first saw design as a potential career path. “That's when I really started getting into it,” Tai’la expressed. Now, at age 22, Tai’la is studying fashion design at the Material Institute and has recently launched her brand “Bimba Fetish,” where she sells her custom clothing. Tai’la describes her designs as “unconventional.” Her style, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. “I have so many different things I wear and love that it’s hard to put myself into a specific style box,” Tai’la explained, “but if I had to I’d say it’s a little bit of dark, a little bit of punk.” She continued, “There’s some boho in there.”
Her eclectic fashion sense influences her designs in remarkable ways. She uses a variety of materials to bring the designs in her mind to tangible forms. Her favorite materials to work with are leather and denim. For a recent fashion show, Tai’la had rust-dyed pieces of denim, which resulted in a beautiful, idiosyncratic look characterized by vibrant shades of orange. Mostly, her commissioned work has been knitwear. Tai’la’s love for fashion is two-fold. She loves the act of creating, and the idea of producing novel things. “[I love] creating something new, creating your patterns, things that you can go back to and manipulate and eventually make into other things.” But Tai’la’s love for fashion also stems from its ability to communicate things about the individual. Fashion is a means for self-expression; it speaks volumes about the individual because it is the embodiment of first impressions. “The first thing I see is someone’s outfit. I think the outfit tells you a lot about a person.” A designer's creative process typically begins with an idea or story behind the piece, and then a sketch before crafting the garment. Tai’la works backward, beginning with the physical work of creating. “I create whatever comes to me, and then I create the story for it later.” Every designer has a prized project. A piece, or a collection of pieces, that they feel most fulfilled by and take the most pride in.
For Tai’ls, her most fulfilling project has been her designs that were featured in a recent fashion show, “Metatron,” which showcased work by students at the Material Institute. Tai’la showcased 6 looks during this show, which also happened to be her first-ever fashion show! “I feel like [my garments in the show] encapsulated who I am as a designer,” Tai’la expressed. This collection was also the most fulfilling for Tai’la because she created all 6 looks in only 4 months. I asked Tai’la what inspires her. She responded candidly, “Many things.” “I'd say the world around me, beautiful people..” She continued, “Things I've gone through, even the bad things. And people in fashion who came before me, and how they individualize themselves.” Tai’la shared her personal experience in the aftermath of her mother’s passing. The event became a source of inspiration for Tai’la, because her mother was instrumental in the development of Tai’la’s own personal style and love for fashion. “From a young age, my mom influenced my direction of style.” Tai’la continued, “She taught me the basics of styling and how to put things together to make them your own.” It might seem surprising that the passing of her mother would provide Tai’la with a newfound inspiration, but her perspective is uplifting. “It gave me a new confidence in a sense.” Tai’la expounded, “When things of that caliber happen to people they want to give up and can lose themselves. But I'm very happy that I gained this confidence because it made me want to go after what I wanted to do.” In sharing this story, Tai’la encourages others to find resilience in difficult times. “Don't let your circumstances define you,” she urged.
One of the most significant resources in establishing her footing in the design world has been The Material Institute. The Material Institute is a non-profit and cost-free 1-year art and education program in New Orleans. Tai’la recommends classes at the Material Institute for anyone interested in designing. “I feel like it's different from being in a fashion program at a college.” She explained, “They focus on what we want and how we want to design. So we have full creative control. We can express ourselves in any way.” The program is open to anyone and is designed for beginners. Tai’la’s best piece of fashion advice is to “wear what YOU want to wear.” There can be a lot of pressure to conform to trends, but wearing what makes you feel confident and what makes you feel beautiful is the best way to dress. Tai’la warned that if you put yourself in an outfit that isn’t ‘you,’ “you're going to be noticeably uncomfortable.” For new designers, Tai’la advises “be yourself.” Fashion can be so catered, and it’s great to cater to your desired audience, but at its core fashion is about self-expression, and creating should come from within. “At the end of the day, it should be all about your artistry and what you want to put out into the world.”
