FML Designer Spotlight: Talia Abbe of TABBE Design

Talia Abbe approaches fashion as a form of emotional translation. Her work does not begin with trends or seasonal references, but with internal states. Through Tabbe Designs, the New York born designer creates garments that function as both expression and refuge, offering wearers a sense of freedom, safety, and emotional release.

Abbe earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Textile and Fashion Design with a certificate in Entrepreneurship from the University of Wisconsin Madison. There, she developed a strong technical foundation and an openness to experimentation across textiles and form. She later completed a Master of Fine Arts in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a period that helped clarify her voice and solidify the emotional framework that now defines her work.

Tabbe Designs is rooted in inclusivity, not as a concept but as a lived experience. Voluminous silhouettes, cognitively abstract prints, and vibrant color palettes reflect Abbe’s desire to create space rather than impose structure. Her designs often carry a sense of playful innocence, while simultaneously addressing complex emotional landscapes shaped by her own mental health journey.

This emotionally driven approach has resonated widely. Abbe’s work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, and has been worn by a growing list of influential and expressive figures. Most recently, she created custom sculptural pieces for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in collaboration with Popmart and Labubu, pushing her practice into new territory at a monumental scale.

As Tabbe Designs continues to evolve, Abbe remains focused on emotional honesty, accessibility, and expansion. Whether through wearable pieces, sculptural forms, or future experiential projects, her work insists that fashion can be a place where vulnerability, joy, and self expression coexist.

Below, Abbe speaks with FML about inclusivity in practice, designing from introspection, and how personal experience became the foundation of her brand.

FML: Tabbe Designs centers on creating an inclusive, freeing environment for those who wear your pieces. What does inclusivity look like to you in practice, not just in concept?

TA: For me, inclusivity means creating clothing that doesn’t demand a certain body, background, or personality to be worthy of wearing it. In practice, it looks like designing pieces that let people expand emotionally and physically instead of shrinking. It means fit processes that don’t idealize one body type, a visual world that invites people in, and a design approach that acknowledges emotional and sensory experience. Inclusivity is less about messaging and more about building a space where people feel safe being exactly who they are.

FML: You recently created custom pieces for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with Popmart and Labubu, an extraordinary moment for any emerging designer. What was that collaboration like, and how did it push your creativity?

TA: It was surreal. The parade’s scale pushed my sculptural language further than ever. Designing inflatable garments that had to function outdoors, withstand movement, and still feel expressive challenged every part of my process. Working with Popmart and Labubu gave me the opportunity to fully lean into the playful, exaggerated side of my brand. It expanded my understanding of what Tabbe Designs can become.

FML: Your work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and other major publications. How has this exposure shaped your vision of where Tabbe Designs is heading?

TA: It shaped my vision because it gave me the confidence to feel like this isn’t just art. It showed me that I can do this, that I can actually try to make a difference, and that what I’m putting into the world has value. The exposure was a form of justification that what I’m creating is okay to share, that it resonates, and that Tabbe Designs has a future worth investing in.

FML: A growing list of influential figures, Kristy Sarah, Maureen Wroblewitz, Caroline Vazzana, Gessica Kayane, Patricia Gloria Contreras, Malu Borges, and more, have worn your pieces. What does it feel like to see your work embraced by such diverse and expressive personalities?

TA: I have had the most amazing experiences working with these wonderful people. I love seeing how they bring the garments to life. Each person interprets the pieces differently, bringing their own energy and emotional world into the work. It is incredibly rewarding to watch the designs transform through the wearer.

FML: Your designs often explore the intersection of internal and external stimuli, how the world affects us emotionally, and how we present ourselves back to it. How do you translate that duality into your silhouettes and prints?

TA: My prints are made in direct reaction to how I am feeling when listening to music, watching movies, or responding to the world around me. I often use a UV camera to see what effect light and environment have on something I have already made. The garments are meant to represent a protective bubble. Body mapping helps me show where release happens and where tension builds during stress or anxiety. Emotion guides the shapes. I also map everything through secondary research first, then move into primary research and experimentation to figure out exactly how those shapes should exist in space.

FML: Your academic background spans the University of Wisconsin Madison and an MFA from FIT. In what ways did these environments shape your philosophy of design and your approach to experimentation?

TA: Wisconsin was amazing. It was a place for me to grow and experiment. It honed my technical skills and gave me the freedom to try every kind of textile and design approach. FIT was the place where I found myself. I went in not really knowing what I was doing and feeling intimidated, but FIT took those four years of growth at Wisconsin and showed me who I am today. I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be when I walked through FIT’s doors, I only knew I wanted to be a designer. Now I have a clear idea of who I am, what I believe in, and what I want to put out into the world.

FML: Tabbe Designs has a strong emphasis on emotional liberation, allowing people to feel seen, expressive, and safe in their own skin. What do you hope someone feels the moment they slip into one of your pieces?

TA: I hope my garments make people happy. I hope they smile. I want them to feel like their truest selves. I want my clothing to give people a voice and create a moment of emotional release or recognition. If someone feels lighter or more themselves when they put on a piece, that’s the impact I hope for.

FML: Many designers create from inspiration; you create from introspection. What does your creative process look like when you begin a new collection?

TA: I begin by exploring an emotional question. I use research to understand the feeling from multiple angles, starting with secondary research and then moving into primary experimentation. That research determines the shapes, where tension should live, where volume should expand, where softness belongs. The collection forms as I understand the emotional landscape more clearly.

FML: As fashion becomes increasingly conceptual and experiential, where do you see Tabbe Designs fitting into the future of design? Do you imagine expanding into installations, performance, or new mediums?

TA: I definitely see the brand expanding into new formats. I am also focused on converting my pieces into more wearable clothing and blending that with the sculptural identity of the brand. I want to explore installations, performance, and other experiential forms that allow people to step directly into the emotional world behind the work. At the same time, I am working on building everyday pieces that still resemble the Tabbe Designs staples.

FML: The fashion industry can often be demanding and fast paced. How do you protect your mental health today, especially as your brand grows rapidly?

TA: It is still super challenging. I am learning to set boundaries, ask for help, and acknowledge when I am overwhelmed. I try to find small moments of slowness and remind myself that the brand exists because I listened to my mental health, not in spite of it. Protecting that is essential.

FML: Looking ahead, what’s the next goal or project for Tabbe Designs, and what kind of impact or change do you hope to see in the world through your work?

TA: My goal is to evolve Tabbe into its next phase, combining wearability with emotional storytelling. I hope my work continues to open conversations about mental health and emotional expression. If the brand can help people feel understood or less alone, then that is the impact I hope to see.

FML: Your designs carry a strong message about emotional expression and inclusivity. How do you hope they contribute to shifting perceptions around mental health and self expression in fashion?

TA: I want my work to normalize emotional complexity. By translating internal experiences into playful, colorful forms, I hope to show that vulnerability can be expressed through joy, humor, and creativity. Fashion can be a place where honesty is celebrated. If people begin to see emotional expression as human rather than stigmatized, my work has done its job.

FML: You’ve spoken openly about how your own mental health journey shaped your perspective as a designer. How did those experiences evolve into the foundation of Tabbe Designs?

TA: Tabbe Designs is my voice. It allows me to move on from pain I have been experiencing and gives me a platform to feel free. My personal journey shaped the emotional lens through which I create, and over time that lens became the identity of the brand. Tabbe Designs is rooted in turning personal struggle into something liberating, connective, and visually expressive.

At its core, Tabbe Designs is an invitation to feel. Through color, volume, and form, Talia Abbe transforms deeply personal experiences into garments that encourage emotional openness rather than restraint. Her work challenges the idea that fashion must be polished or perfected to be meaningful, offering instead a space for honesty, joy, and complexity. As the brand continues to grow, Abbe remains committed to creating clothing that allows people to take up space, express themselves fully, and feel less alone in their experiences. In doing so, Tabbe Designs positions fashion not just as something to wear, but as something to feel and inhabit.