I interviewed Tigra Tigra exactly three years ago and was creatively curious about their vibrant worldly textiles. Designer and head of the brand Bailey Hunter shares how she travels, works and creates while being a mother.
How old are your children?
My son, Domino is almost 2 and my daughter, Valentine Zuzu is almost 3 months!
How does being a mother make you more creative?
I’ve always believed that with parameters you can be more creative. Kids cause a lot of parameters. Every chance my kids are asleep or preoccupied – I’m working and I’m more productive for it. There’s no time to waste.
Has motherhood boosted your confidence when it comes to work in any way?
I definitely feel more accomplished now. The fact that I’m able to spend time with my family and work full time is a blessing. It’s an ongoing balance.
How do you manage your time between work and looking after your child?
I think having help in any form is key. My husband helps out a lot and we send our son to day care three days a week which is a huge luxury. I also design for another luxury label and so I’m always running around town to meetings, picking up kids, etc.
Tigra Tigra has a lot of beautiful work from artisans around the globe. Do you personally travel to these countries to oversee the textiles being made?
Yes, I’ve been all around India and working with various artisan groups there now. We’ve expanded to different techniques – especially in the upcoming season. We also work in Cape Town, Cochabamba and Bolivia now.
The last time I interviewed you the brand was called Cistanthe and you were working with various artisans in India and South Africa. What countries are you collaborating with now and what kind of textiles does each country create?
We are still in India. As in my opinion, India is just the Mecca of beautiful traditional handicraft. We’ve expanded to work with new partners and are doing more bandhani tie dye work, printing and new types of embroidery. We also are still working with the Xhosa women in Cape Town to make beaded pieces – I just love the work so much. Now we’ve also started a relationship with a women’s cooperative in Bolivia doing alpaca and pima cotton knitwear.
I’m obsessed with the beaded Xhosa work. What’s the process in creating those designs?
A lot of the Xhosa work is inspired by their traditional designs. I guide them a bit in terms of colour sometimes, or even just the dimensions and layout of the design per what we are using it for. Right now, we are making the most beautiful silk mashroo shoulder bags with a glass beaded strap – my new favourite.
Does having children make you want to branch out into children’s wear?
Yes! Children are just so free and creative – it’s so inspiring. My son, Domino, has super strong preferences about what he wears. He throws together the wildest outfits, his favourites are a cashmere Rasta-stripes hoodie, a pair of cotton pants we bought while all in Ahmedabad that have screen prints of movie posters and a pair of silk polka dot pants from a thrift store that are 3x sizes too large for him. It’d be so fun to design into that wardrobe.
What can we expect from Tigra Tigra over the next few months?
We are doing a beautiful silk brocade in India with a new craftsman – it’s really special. We also are moving more into various traditional dye techniques with the Khatri family in Bhuj – they are the masters. Fun, new beaded accessories! Lots of exciting stuff!
Read our last interview here and follow Tigra Tigra on Instagram