Cool Girls & Fashion: Montreal Creative Tatiana Poblah's Style Illustrations
Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Tatiana Poblah speaks on her fashion illustrations and the launch of her TATI P. clothing line.
Tatiana Poblah is a multidisciplinary artist born in Montreal to a Haitian mother and a Beninese father. From landscape architecture to illustration and now fashion design, Poblah has developed a unique style that says feminine and strong. With her new clothing line, TATI P., set for an August release, we caught up with the Montreal-based artist to talk about her creative approach.
<p><strong>Samantha Etane for Okayafrica: Did you always know you wanted to be an illustrator?</strong></p><p><strong>Tatiana Poblah:</strong> Yes I did! I attended a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit when I was 6 and decided that I would be an architect and artist at that exact moment. I received my Bachelors and Masters in Landscape Architecture, both while perfecting my skills as a fashion illustrator.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p><strong>OKA: How has your work evolved over the years?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> I think I keep getting better as an artist because I trust myself more. My Mom gave me a quote from Hans Urs von Balthasar [the Swiss theologian and Catholic priest] a few years ago that says “What your are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God”. It has become my motto. Every day I keep developing my strengths as well as working on accepting my weaknesses.</p><p><strong>OKA: What made you decide to add "fashion designer" to your list of achievements?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> I’ve been wanting to launch a line for a while now and every time I would come up with excuses to convince myself that I wasn't ready. This year I didn't want to waste one more second of my life doing something else. I also decided to launch TATI P. because I am a curvaceous woman with a small waist and curvy hips AND a voluptuous butt and I am constantly having problems finding skirts, pants, and dresses that fit properly; they often leave a waist gap, are tight at the hips, or fit on top and not on the bottom, or vice versa. I wanted to look good without having to wear clothes with stretch all the time; instead I wanted to wear polished garments made of quality natural fabrics like linen, wool, and silk that would last a long time as well as accentuate my curves. After doing my research I saw that there weren’t many lines dedicated to this market and chose to market the line for this niche.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p><strong>OKA: Was the creative process different this time around?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> Yes! Drawing the clothes is one thing but drawing them and executing is another level of creativity. Add that to the fact that I am launching the business as a sole proprietor! It’s been a crazy and an extremely lovely year so far.</p><p><strong>OKA: How would you describe the woman who wears Tati P. clothes?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> The woman who wears TATI P. knows herself and what expresses herself through her personal style; she is a professional, an entrepreneur, a hustler. She grinds and constantly strives to better herself and the world around her.</p><p><strong>OKA: How would you describe your style?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> Home girls in Paris! Solids colors and classics mixed with bright colors and custom patterns that show off my customers' swag.</p><p><strong>OKA: What's next for you and your work?</strong></p><p><strong>TP:</strong> Right now I can only think of one thing - launching the website on August 23, 2015 and creating pieces that my clients love and buy!</p><p><em>Samantha Etane is a lover of images and words. Follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/samanthaetane" target="_blank">@samanthaetane</a> and her lifestyle and design blog <a href="http://tamsam.com/blog/" target="_blank">Tam + Sam</a>.</em></p>
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