Founder and creative director Tanya Taylor has certainly put in the work to create both her namesake label and her new brand, Delphine. And with summer arriving, it’s time for her to find inspiration in her every day in the Hamptons.
From adding color to her wardrobe to making meals for her children, Taylor told WWD that she is often refueled by stepping away from her work and loves to explore art and culture for inspiration. Here, she speaks about the routine that keeps her inspired, her career and advice for young professionals getting their start in fashion.
WWD: What is the first thing you do in the morning?
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Tanya Taylor: I wake up to Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” as my alarm clock, stretch, check emails, put together a fun colorful outfit, make breakfast and lunch for my two boys, do drop off all over the city and enjoy a big Americano at my desk before the day starts.
WWD: As you get ready for the summer, can you tell us where you’re finding inspiration?
T.T.: I spend a lot of my summer out in the Hamptons and I find so much inspiration in the everyday — from grabbing weekly fresh florals to visiting Longhouse Reserve or just painting in my backyard on a weekend. It’s a refreshing change from the city and helps me recharge and stay energized.
WWD: What is a retail/tech trend that you’re excited to see coming to life right now?
T.T.: AI product recommendations are really interesting and provide a really subtle way to help customers find items and complete looks to their tastes faster than can be manually done.
WWD: What is your ideal shopping retail experience?
T.T.: I am an avid online shopper. I love being able to try things on in my closet and fully style and put a vision together in the comfort of my own home. When I have the time, I do also love going into a store and physically touching fabrics and interacting with store staff. It provides such a human element that shopping online can’t replicate.
WWD: What is the best advice you would give someone starting out in their career today?
T.T.: Be true to who you are, stand behind your ideas and network, network, network. One of the hardest parts about this industry is breaking in, so I encourage everyone who wants to work in fashion to not be afraid to connect with established people in the industry and try your hand at as many different disciplines as possible.
I am so thankful to have had opportunities to have taken internships that exposed me to marketing, finance and start-up culture that are so important to me now as a founder. It will help make you a more well-rounded person and understand what it’s like to work on a team.
WWD: What do you do to “power down” and what does having a work/life balance mean to you?
T.T.: I work really hard, and I love what I do but powering down for me means getting away from my phone and experiencing culture, art and people with freedom of time and space. I love making things whenever I can, it really refuels me. I make costumes for my kids, dinner for my husband or a piece of art for a friend.
WWD: Looking throughout your career, what is a project/launch/product that you are most proud of?
T.T.: Bringing my new party and eveningwear brand Delphine to life last year was such a proud moment. From an idea on my college application decades ago to now fully existing in the world, it’s still surreal to think about.
