Girl Power, British Fashion & Nordic Inspiration

If there is one thing that I love more than beautiful fashion designs, that’s an inspirational story behind them based on powerful female determination, true passion and will power. You must be wondering where I’m going with this so please bear with me…
One Wednesday afternoon, I received a LinkedIn invitation to connect with Kimberley Stacey, TISKA London’s founder and fashion designer. I wasn’t aware of the brand so as one does, after connecting with her, I visited her website to learn more about her company and designs. And that’s when I was captivated by one of the most interesting fashion stories I’ve come across in a while.
TISKA London is British at its core yet inspired by the Nordic nature and culture making the brand’s collections the perfect example of today’s multi-cultural British society. The brand’s mission is to promote positivity and empower women, a value that is prominent on the stories –sagas-that the designer bases her collections on, all of which feature strong female characters that take life in their hands to make their dreams come true. Much like the designer herself.
Kim is a single mum who is the ultimate multi-tasking, ass-kicking, independent woman of our age. She is determined to spread the stories of her designs, working every hour of every day between school runs and her day job at her father’s business.

Designer Kimberley Stacey in FinlandKimberley Stacey modelling on the stand
The first TISKA London collection is called Lilya Saga and is inspired by the story of a young Icelandic woman travelling to Sweden and discovering a hotel made of ice. Here are some of my favourite items from this collection:

Lilya in her room | LILYA Saga Collection

 

 

 

 

The heroine of the second beautiful saga is Aría a young woman who fought her fears and found her inner strength through her passion for books. Check out some of my highlights from this collection:

 

 

After reading Kim’s story I was very intrigued to meet her so I was over the moon when she got in touch with me a week later to introduce me to her brand and designs. I believe that we can all get inspired by her energy, passion and determination so here’s an  interview with Kim about TISKA London and her life as a young artist and entrepreneur.

 

E: Which was the first item you ever designed?
K: This was when I was at Art College. I designed a range of red dresses, this is when I discovered I was actually quite good and my tutor pushed me to apply to study fashion design at uni. 
E: What motivates you?
K: Being creative makes me happy, it makes me feel like I am being true to myself. The reason I launched TISKA London was to make myself happy. It doesn’t feel like a job / work to me. Seeing my clothes worn by other women is the most rewarding thing.
E: Which materials inspire you?
K: I like to work with high quality fabrics. For my winter collections wool is my favourite.
Which piece is your favourite and why? 
It is hard to say which one because (and stupid as it sounds) they are all my babies! I put so much time and effort into each one. However the Snúa Dress is quite special because it is the dress that appeared in British VOGUE months after I launched.
E: Where do you base your Sagas on?

K: I am interested in Icelandic history. They have a lot of old sagas about the early days, quite like the greek mythology in a way. The sagas I write are inspired by these and it then goes on to help me when designing my collections. 

E: How did you choose the name for your brand?
K: TISKA means fashion in Icelandic, this is the country that first inspired the label. I am originally from the south of England, not far from London.
E: What are your dreams for the brand?
K: I have so many dreams for the brand! Menswear ranges, interior ranges, boutiques.. general world domination 🙂
E: What are TISKA London’s main values?
 
K: Each item is made to order, and sustainability will always be in mind. Production is kept within the UK supporting the British economy and making sure items are always manufactured ethically. My main value is to do what I love – I will always continue working on my label as it brings happiness to me and other people which, to me, is the most important thing. I aim to inspire other people, to show anything is possible as long as you work hard and stay true to yourself. 

If you are inspired by Kim’s story, positivity and creative flair as much as I am, you can support her cowdfunding campaign here. The campaign’s goal is to raise funds that will cover the cost of getting duplicates made, in order to gain more recognition for further exposure. This includes for the use of stylists, press, for celebrities to wear and also to show buyers at trade and fashion shows. Some amazing rewards are on offer for the people that will support this campaign including my favourite Astrlid cardigan as well as the chance to be the in Kim’s next Saga-how cool is that right!

ASTRILD CARDIGAN

Love,

Eleni xx

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