After returning home from an inspirational trip to Guatemala, RMIT fashion alum Tara Whalley immediately sought the advice of friends on starting her own business. The feedback was simple: don’t hold back.
It’s the same advice she gives others thinking of starting a career in fashion or starting their own label.
“If you've got an idea, just start, don’t overthink it,” she said.
“The thing that kills you is hesitation – it slows you down.”
Tara’s confident approach to her eponymous fashion label and her business has proved wildly successful.
In 2020, her fashion collection was featured in New York Fashion Week and in 2021, her designs hit the runway at Paris Fashion Week. Tara's Central American-influenced work has been featured in Vogue Australia, Elle Spain, Elle Italy, Frankie Magazine and The Design Files.
Tara always knew she wanted to follow a creative, so she chose RMIT’s Bachelor of Arts (Textile design), now the Bachelor of Textiles (Design) (Honours).
“I love how broad it was, and I felt so inspired seeing what all the other students had done and all the projects and where they've taken their different careers,” she said.
“Then I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I have to do this’.”
She followed up the Bachelor course with Certificate IV in Small Business Management (now the Diploma of Business).
“A couple of friends had done [the course] and told me you can really learn a lot about how to run the operations of a business,” she said.
Tara’s career has continued to soar as she has undertaken collaborations with major brands including Gorman and showcased her work at events such as the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
She puts her success down to a healthy combination of grit, enthusiasm and, true to the International Women’s Day ‘give to gain’ theme, encouragement.
“I know how you have to be so dedicated to doing your own thing. One of my favourite things [is to] be encouraging to people,” she said.
“I feel like being very enthusiastic about other people's journeys kind of gives me energy as well.”
