About the Designer
Born from British and Moroccan parents, Tanya moved from England to Venezuela at the age of 5 and later settled with her family in Seattle, WA. Inspired by the rich colors and textures of her childhood, and her mother’s penchant for fabulous hats, Tanya developed a love of fashion and accessories which eventually took her to New York city, where she studied the precise art of Millinery at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Tanya’s remarkable craftsmanship and unique designs earned her creations a coveted spot in the Design Department’s year-end fashion show. Upon completing her millinery studies in 1997 she immediately launched Hats by Tanya, a couture line of felt and straw hats which was prominently displayed in the first of several Trunk Shows at Henri Bendel in New York City. In 2000 and 2002 Tanya was awarded the coveted MILI Design Award from the Millinery Information Bureau press and buyers.
After several years of critically acclaimed success in Hat design and a hectic Manhattan lifestyle to match, Tanya turned to her unwinding passion for clothes and began her formal fashion training in the fashion design program at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Seattle, all the while continuing to produce her line Hats by Tanya. Citing the complex hues, textures and lines of Christian Lacroix and Sonia Rykiel as inspirations, Tanya created a strong design portfolio, and in 2007 was featured in Seattle Magazine as ‘one of the freshest design talents in the city.’ After graduating with honors in May 2007, Tanya fulfilled her dream of seeing her first runway show in Bryant Park, working as a PR assistant for the Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors shows during New York's Fall 2008 Fashion Week. Since then Tanya has joined Barbara Berman’s Backstage team as a wardrobe assistant for many fabulous runway shows including Oscar de la Renta, Zac Posen, Marchesa, Jason Wu, Philip Lim, Isaac Mizrahi, Badgley Mischka, and Ralph Rucci.
Hats by Tanya are sold in several boutiques accross the country, and continue to be featured in fashion editorials incuding GENLUX magazine. From cocktail parties and fashion shows, to the grand Kentucky Derby, Tanya continues to design and hand-make each hat with the utmost attention to color and detail, providing one of a kind styles to fashionistas from all over the world.