Created in 2024 by the native New Yorker Talia Abbe’s fashion brand TABBE DESIGNS is a ready to wear inspired by the negative and positive stimuli in the world and how it affects people both internally and externally. The brand originated from Covid-19 in an attempt to end the stigma of mental health. In 2020, Talia Abbe, like many others, struggled a lot with her mental health being inside all the time. Tabbe Designs is meant to help people with their emotions, as it’s created through research aimed at representing peoples’ feelings and experiences. Her work is centered around creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. While Cognitive Abstraction influences her prints, her voluminous designs and vibrant color palettes exude child-like playfulness.
TABBE DESIGNS is a dream beyond ready-to-wear—one where mental health and inclusivity sit at the forefront of creative communities and spaces. While cognitive abstraction influences her styles and prints, her vibrant, bouncy designs open doors for connection, laughter, inspiration, and childlike wonder.
“This collection is an extension of my previous work centered on the butterfly effect, the idea that small moments create ripple effects over time. The inflatable, sculptural language of past collections are refined into more wearable, everyday pieces, bringing color and an inflated sense of joy into everyday wardrobes”. – Talia Abbe
Name : Talia Abbe
Birthplace : New York
Métier : Fashion designer. Founder and creative director of TABBE, a NYC-based ready-to-wear label dedicated to destigmatizing mental health through wearable design.
Sources of inspiration : People and the world around me – nature, travel, the idea that everything is constantly evolving through both the things we control and the things we can’t. Human emotion drives a lot of that for me, and it’s deeply personal.
Sources of motivation : The TABBE community. Every time someone tells me a piece made them feel held, or sparked a conversation about mental health they wouldn’t have had otherwise, that’s the whole reason I’m doing this. So much of life is spent feeling like you need to change to fit in. TABBE goes against that. It’s about accepting people for who they are, not who someone else wants them to be.
What makes you happy: Quality time with friends and family. Hanging out, relaxing, being surrounded by the people I love.
Favorite reads : “Unreasonable Hospitality” changed the way I think about working with people and shaped the kind of manager I want to be. “The Rose Code” is another favorite – both the story itself and the history behind the narrative.
Favorite tunes : I’ll admit I’m not the most musically inclined, but I love a good early 2000s throwback. My favorite song is probably “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon. That said, I’m a pop girl through and through, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, all of it.
Favorite foods : Sushi and Mediterranean. I grew up eating Mediterranean food, so it tastes like home.
Beauty tips : Less is more, and you’re beautiful with or without makeup. The one thing I never skip is sunscreen, that’s the real tip.
Favorite ways to unwind : Laying in the park with a book, or a movie on the couch.
Favorite part of living in NYC : The mix. You can walk three blocks and hear four languages, see five decades of style, and end up somewhere you didn’t plan to go. The food, the people, the backgrounds, I feel like I learn something new every day here, and that energy lives in everything I design.
What gets you in a working flow : A mental reset. There’s nothing like coming back from a trip, pinning everything that inspired me to a wall, and starting to sketch. That’s when a new collection really begins.
What are you working on now : A lot, actually. We have some fun collaborations and pop-ups rolling out this summer, but the main focus is our Spring/Summer 27 collection and Fashion Week presentation.
Favorite quote : “Personal style is accepting who you are.” – Diane von Furstenberg
CREDITS
Photographer + Director : Brooke Nipar @brookenipar Stylist & Writer : Masha Orlov @masha_orlov
Hair : Dennis Lanni @dennisvlanni Makeup : Tracy Alfajora @tracyalfajora Model : Freya Walton @freyawalton
Casting : Urban Casting NYC @urbancastingnyc Cinematographer : Jonathan Heller @jonathan.heller Editor : Kate Owen @kateowenedit Color : INK Studio @ink.retouch Colorist : Sam Fischer @samdoescolor Color Producer : Max Hadson
FASHION
1. Yellow puffer vest
2. Pink voluminous gathered skirt with latex detail at the waistband base
3. Polka dot sculptured puffer coat + Blue ruffle maxi dress
4. Forest green shrug puffer ensemble & Ivory sleeveless mock neck top
5. Pink puff collar coat
6. Blue latex ruffle neck top