Collina Strada
DESIGNER: Hillary Taymour PICTURED WITH: Sara Hiromi, model, set designer, bead artist, and friend
“To be my friend, it’s kind of hard, because you have to be down to come hang out with me at the studio since that’s, like, the only time you can actually see me,” says Hillary Taymour, whose line, Collina Strada, is an explosion of fantasy and color. Her layered designs offer a mash-up of prints and fabrics that are childlike and playful. Her shows are equally playful, featuring models of different sizes, ages, and abilities, and they don’t always stick to the runway—she has presented collections through a video game and a film as well. Taymour met Sara Hiromi in 2019 after the model and bead artist walked in her show and was immediately drawn to her: “During the pandemic, she would come over and craft while sitting next to me. She would start beading, and one time she was at the studio and I was like, ‘Do you want to bead something for the show?’” Taymour now calls Hiromi her best friend. “I love when people I work with have their own personal style; that inspires me and keeps me motivated. I love making clothes and saying, ‘This is a look Sara would wear.’”
“When I was a child, we had Gap or we had Abercrombie, and if you had money, you could go to Fred Segal. I try to design for that part of myself that never felt fulfilled during that time.”