AMMAN —
Tania George, a Jordanian fashion designer, characterizes her business, Tania
George, as a unique blend of cartoon graphics, colors, and aesthetics. With
experience in the fashion worlds of Amman, Florence, and New York, she is ready
to take on the world with a 90s pop-inspired style.
اضافة اعلان
The designer
creates her own pieces that stick out for their illustrated prints, youthful
aesthetic, and abundance of color.
‘Learning
with the brand’
George
traveled to Lugano, Switzerland when she was 18 years old to study visual and
communication arts at Franklin University, where she found she had so much more
to learn. She spent years traveling across Europe, visiting other countries and
acquiring more exposure to new concepts of art.
“After I
finished my Bachelor's degree, I moved to Florence to study fashion. I did my
internship in a factory where they do textile printing, and in that way, I
found my passion for printing,” George said. “Through my work with Stamperia
Fiorentina, I discovered that I loved textile printing.”
Moreover,
she added that she moved to New York and worked at Tibi, an American fashion
brand, for a while. “I explored myself during these experiences, and I found
myself drawn to the contemporary field and its casual wear: skirts, pants, and
casual dresses,” George said.
Photographer: (Photo: Omar Sha3)
When she
returned to Amman, designer began making clothing for herself and her sister
just for fun, but that would draw compliments from people when they saw them.
“I promised myself with each collection that I would develop my skills and keep
on learning with the brand,” she said.
George added
that one of the things she has learned since she returned is how to draw
inspiration from Jordan. “I love exploring new places in Jordan, and when I
returned to Amman I started seeing this city in new eyes. The urge that I want
to create something from what I see,” she said.
“I finally
realized how to put together a collection around a single theme and come up
with brilliant ideas based on extensive research and discovering new things in
my environment.”
Nostalgic
designs
The
designer's earnest desire to document her own culture and continue learning is
apparent in each collection. During her childhood, she used to stylize these
details and create patterns out of nostalgic memories. Her unique and eye-catching
designs will take you back to the 90s. “Old things have to be documented in a
way, I felt like my designs are a documentation of our childhood. Moreover,
these graphics are so special,” George said.
However, Tania
George is more than a retro-inspired clothing line, it’s a clothing line that
tells Jordanian stories. The collections are whimsical and eccentric, but they
draw inspiration from everyday life in Jordan, such as musical gas trucks and
overly adorned pickup trucks.
George said that
she launched her first collection in 2016, which was inspired by the trucks in
Jordan. “I talked to the truck drivers and each one of them was excited to tell
me about his truck, and how proud he was of the car, which made me realize how important
this was to them. It is like an unspoken culture,” designer said.
The second
collection was the cotton candy collection, “it was so nostalgic and many
people related to it,” the designer said. “I am very attached to old things,
and the old graphic designs were not computerized, they were done with
calligraphy and handmade.”
She added
that retro graphics inspired her to create and produce more things. Moreover,
this collection represented childhood memories and how simple life was.
The
designer’s Arabic Alphabets collection was inspired by how Jordanians learned
the Arabic alphabet, and how the method of teaching Arabic has changed over
time.
“I love to
tell stories through clothes,” she said, adding that she wants to convey
through her designs stories about childhood, how she was raised, what her
favorite shows were, and day-to-day life in Jordan. “The people who are
familiar with such designs, they relate to it. They are happy to have an item
or piece if they know its story.”
Moreover,
she added that she likes to portray herself through the brand. “The brand is me,
and I love to release my energy and my spirit through the brand. I love using a
variety of colors that gives positive vibes and has a positive impact on
people’s behavior and mood,” George said.
Photographer: (Photo: Mashael Alsaie)
“It is very
personal to me, and I design and produce pieces with love. It started with a women’s
wear brand, and now we have some unisex pieces.”
As a
designer, George strives to tread a fine line between traditional handmade and
modern designs, which is what distinguishes Tania George as a
heritage-conscious brand.
“I am always
drawn to the past and the old things and I love history,” she said. “On the
other hand, I do not like to design trendy pieces, as people may get bored of
it.”
She also
noted that the only way to balance between tradition and modernity is to work
with artisans, who craft the clothing by hand and then add a modern twist.
Working with a hand-embroiderer, for example, brings a traditional experience to
a piece.
Involving
local artisans
A cotton
candy bag or a gas truck aren't the only things the designer has created. All
of their products are also produced by local Middle Eastern tailors.
“Everything
is handmade, I print on fabric in Italy, and everything else is made in Jordan,”
George said. “I work with tailors from Syria and Iraq, and I found artisans for
embroidery through word of mouth. Furthermore, I love to work with these
people, as we support each other.”
Those same
artisans and tailors also help George brainstorm new ideas for collections and
themes. “They were initially perplexed by the concept and how people could wear
multicolored clothing, but after seeing the first photo session, they were
delighted and they loved it,” she added.
The link to
heritage extends to Tania George Studio, which is a small shop located in Jabal
Luweibdeh, where visitors can buy nostalgic Jordanian foods and listen to
Jordanian-inspired music.
Jasmine
Hamlawi, who works at Tania George Studio, told
Jordan News that the age
range of most of the customers are teens to people in their mid-thirties. “Two
elderly women came into the shop and asked about the brand, reminiscing over the
last 20 years,” Hamlawi said.
Photographer: The Tania George shop one year anniversary. (Photo: Omar Sha3)
“The customers favorite prints are the milk
and the Arabic alphabets,” Hamlawi said. “The designs and pieces amaze most
customers who are unfamiliar with the brand, and they also enjoy the store's
atmosphere and the Arabic written sign with vintage calligraphy.”
George said
that she opened the studio in 2019, and then just “created the Tania George
world inside it.”
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