Let's talk heritage craft and artisan living in the high-speed age.
This is a lens into the bigger world behind a small artisan fashion brand.
Until now Taka has relied on touch to tell a story. I’m Kerry, the human behind Taka. I showcase handcrafted items in person in my LA studio or through popups irl. The digital world feels dull compared to working with my hands, so I tend to focus on that.
Taka’s now expanding touch into typos.
In typing this I might use “Taka” and “I” interchangeably, I identify and as Taka because I created it. I chose the name in reference to the sing-song sound of footsteps walking away (an onomatopoeia). Instead of click-clack or tip-tap, taka-taka-taka is the lyrical word-sound for pitter-patter, or clip-clop, in Spanish. I learnt the tradition of cobbling in my home country of Peru, so this local reference to footing felt fitting.
Essentially Taka is a rhythm.
If Taka is a rhythm / this the echo.
This will be an ongoing chat about weaving a together the daily rhythm of life, while being frank about the times. I'll share studio insights, from dye techniques to shoe polishing, hat sculpting, styling tips, and the art of living minimally. I’m not an absolutist and I’m curious about the sticky nature of living, and how to keep doing what feels good while we’re also being bad.
In fashion marketing terms, Taka was categorized as a “sustainable” brand (good!), and it made me question where the line of “bad” ends and “good” begins. How can we keep trying to operate better in the world without also feeling ashamed that we have Amazon prime? I believe in handmade shoes as superior items, and yet I also ordered my first pair of heavily discounted shoes (from Ganni) on Ssense, just to understand what this fashion phenomenon was all about. And yes I will wear them, along with my Takas. Good/bad/good.
I’m curious about talking about fashion at large and seeing how it all fits together. Taka is about trying to stay slow in a heavily accelerated time, and maybe to bring some sense to the equation. Growing up in 90’s London I remember when the high-low aesthetic became popularized in fashion - it seemed mindblowing that a cheap Topshop item could be combined with Celine and it was cool, not controversy. I would love to see Taka styled with mass fashion, as long as we can have a conversation about it.
So let’s chat about fashion, the environment & doing things with your hands. Is there room for a new minimalism in maximalist world? Can we do fashion and not leave anyone out?