Playful, vibrant and unconventional. These words come to mind when looking at Talia Abbe’s designs. Her colourful, inflatable garments radiate joy and whimsy, drawing you into a world of imagination. Yet, beneath the fun exterior lies a deeper narrative. Abbe’s creations explore the complex landscape of emotions, a theme often approached with caution and gravity. She embraces her own vulnerability, using her designs as an outlet to communicate emotions that are difficult to fully express in words.
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In 2023, after emerging from a battle with mental health during COVID, Abbe officially launched Tabbe Designs. Driven by a need for connection and understanding, she turned her personal challenges into creative empowerment, lending her voice to those who face similar struggles. “A big part of what I’m trying to show is that something can be fun, bold and beautiful on the outside, while carrying something much deeper underneath. I want my clothes to reflect that duality: The outward expression and the inner reality,” says Abbe.
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She uses inflated latex to create exaggerated and uplifting shapes, amplified by a vibrant colour palette. Though the playful clothes evoke childhood innocence, they are underpinned by an adult sensibility. She says, “These inflatable garments are meant to symbolise a kind of protective bubble—giving a visual and physical form to emotional boundaries. At the same time, the inflatable sections represent the places where the body naturally releases tension and finds calm amidst anxiety and stress.”
Abbe’s creative process starts with extensive research, ranging from psychological case studies to articles written by therapists, in order to understand the underlying emotions. On the tactile side, Abbe explains, “I experiment with materials, extracting elements to develop fabric manipulations, silhouettes or sculptural shapes. I also paint or draw as a way to express what I’m feeling at the moment.”
The label’s fall/winter 2025 collection, titled “Cotton Candy”, is inspired by the criminal brain and the intersection between creativity and mental health. It explores the stark dichotomy between the violent nature of criminals and the naive, almost childlike drawings they produce during therapy. The garments embody this tension from layering actual images of criminals’ brain scans with Abbe’s own MRI imagery, which are then executed in sculptural shapes and bright hues. The result is effervescence with an unexpected edge and depth.
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