Tala Nehlawi

Tala Nehlawi was born in the fall of 1995 in Damascus, Syria. From an early age, she had a great interest in art and it developed into a concentration in fashion. Combinations of contrasting elements define her style; traditional yet modern, soft yet structural. Her designs are immensely inspired by architecture; it translates through structure and interesting silhouettes.

She holds a diploma in Fashion Arts and released her ‘Damas’ Collection in her grad show. Tala uses fashion as a form of communication to tell stories to the world, so she wants to dedicate her début collection to Syria, to show the world that in spite of all the destruction this country has experienced, it is still utterly beautiful.

Damascus is the world’s oldest capital, thus, it is rich with culture, art and inspiration. Tala wanted to dedicate her début collection to Syria, to show the world that in spite of all the destruction this country has experienced, it is still beautiful. Antique copper plates and mother of pearl mosaics—Damascus is known for—are the inspiration behind this collection. Laser cut and etched leather have been incorporated throughout the collection to mimic the geometrical patterns found on the antiques. The colour palette consists of crackled copper texture, golden shades, hues of blush and pearl whites. Leather is used to build volume and shape and to create dome shaped necklines.