How to make a splash in the fashion world

When Talia Zoref started out as a fashion illustrator, she didn’t have any of the right requirements. She didn’t have the connections, the inside information or the right looks to make a name for herself in the fashion world.

However, in recent years, Zoref’s colorful and creative fashion sketches have appeared in Vogue and Elle, and she has worked with fashion powerhouses such as Fendi, Gucci and Chanel.

She said she appreciates the meteoric rise of her career because “I did it myself.”

“It’s been a long, crazy journey,” she said in a recent interview.

And here’s the kicker. She is only 25.

Zoref has a Canadian mother and an Israeli father. She grew up in Israel but spent a lot of time in Canada, quickly adapting to two different cultures. Perhaps this is why she can bridge the gap between strangers; with her warmth and sincerity, she seems to make instant friends with everyone she meets.

Zoref said she was interested in fashion from a young age, “always drawing at the table,” even as a little girl. She attended George Brown University in Toronto, and then Shenkar College of Design in Tel Aviv.

At first, she thought she would become a fashion designer, but what she wanted to do was to combine fashion with art.

She began sketching fashions and started a fashion blog in 2013 as a hobby, never imagining it could become her career. For a whole year, she posted her sketches, but nothing happened.

Cover: Art by Talia Zoref.

On a spur of the moment, she decided to go to Tel Aviv Fashion Week in early 2014. She didn’t have a ticket, but that didn’t stop her.

“I went to the guard at the door and told him I was a fashion blogger and he said, ‘Yes, you can come in,'” Zoref recalled.

Once inside, she began meeting people and talking to them; soon she was building links and then posting her fashion illustrations to other people’s blogs with more followers.

Taking another chance, she flew to New York City for fashion week a few months later. That’s when she “went live,” she said, posting real-time sketches showing different moments at fashion shows.

Rather than simply taking a picture of a model’s clothes, her sketches added her flair, vision and personal “vibe”.

Then, as now, she worked quickly, a bit like a court stenographer taking shorthand notes. She still uses a black marker and watercolors. Sometimes she has a cup of water to dip her brush in; Other times, she has a portable watercolor set. Her style is lively, as are the colors she uses: red, green, pink and blue.

Fashion leaders

While serving as a medic in the Israel Defense Forces, Zoreg sketched fashion illustrations during her two-week vacation each year.

Soon she was posting her sketches of Valentino and Versace clothes, for example, on Instagram in its early days, “when it wasn’t a thing.”

“Companies would then post my sketches on their Instagram accounts that they have

thousands of followers,” she said. “Today, everything is so thought out and these companies have social media consultants. Just a few years ago, it was much simpler and more innocent.”

A sketch by Talia Zoref

Zoref’s style became more recognized and popular, and by 2015, fashion winners began approaching her and giving her commissions.

“It’s important to note that I had to reach out first,” she said. “I didn’t just sit at home. I took chances and went to places, talked to people face to face and made my own connections. I made a lot of contacts and some people never got back to me, but that didn’t stop me.”

At the fashion shows, Zoref was allowed backstage where he met famous legends like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. She sketched them quickly, and then gifted them with her art.

“It’s very difficult to get close to someone famous like that,” she said. “I had to build my confidence. It took a lot of courage.”

Gal Gadot holds a portrait of herself by Talia Zoref, right. Photo courtesy of Talia Zoref

“Looks like you got the chutzpah,” I said.

“I guess that’s my Israeli side,” Zoref said with a laugh.

“It’s exciting to meet people who are doing exciting things and talk and listen to them,” Zoref said. “But I learned that they are just people like everyone else. That’s the biggest lesson.”

Fashionable eyes

Her sense of excitement about working with A-list celebrities in the fashion world slowly began to fade. She began to feel that the fashion world was looking at her with “judgmental eyes”.

“I didn’t have the right kind of social status and I didn’t have the look of a fashionista,” Zoref said.

Photo courtesy of Talia Zoref

Although Forbes named her a 30 under 30 honoree for her work in 2019, she thought it was “weird that I had to prove myself.”

“On the one hand, I wanted to be a part of this fun, colorful, creative world as a woman artist,” she said. “On the other hand, I felt judged for who I was.”

That’s when the idea of ​​”Eyes of Fashion” was born with co-founder Assaf Sela.

It’s a subtle, clever play on words because Zoref is still using her eyes and her unique ability to capture fashion designs. Now, however, instead of model faces, she sketches big, bold eyes. Sometimes one eye, sometimes five or six.

Her fashion eye isn’t just replicating other people’s fashion, it’s becoming a brand in its own right, with growing influence, making an iconic statement.

“My path to healing and feeling good about myself was making those eyes,” Zoref said.

inclusion

Eyes of Fashion’s mission is to help empower other women to enter the world of fashion. The company plans to create online courses and has launched podcasts on Twitter.

Zoref hopes to push the boundaries of the fashion world to make it more inclusive, not only in the traditional fashion world, but also in the metaverse, where she is one of the forerunners of fashion trends.

“I applied to be in an artist showcase at the NFT/NYC event in June,” Zoref said. “It is the biggest NFT [non-fungible tokens] events in the world.”

The event attracts thousands of people from finance, technology, art, music and gaming who are interested in the new frontier of the metaverse.

“Out of thousands of artists, I was one of about 200 artists chosen for an exhibition called The Diversity of NFTs,” Zoref said. “I believe I was the only Israeli.” Along with other winners, her art was featured on a large billboard in Times Square.

“This was something I couldn’t even dream of,” Zoref said. “Or maybe I dreamed it, but I thought, ‘Oh, maybe in 10 years,’ and now I’m made.” It’s very exciting.”

During NFT/NYC, Zoref auctioned 8,888 pieces of her digital artwork Eyes of Fashion on OpenSea, the largest marketplace for NFTs. The entire body of work was sold within two minutes.

Be true to yourself

Zoref believes that Eyes of Fashion gives authenticity not only to yourself, but also to others.

“We shouldn’t judge ourselves by the standard image. It’s important to be yourself. We can be much happier and live our true selves,” she said.

Talia Zoref Jewelry Collection for Alma My Love. Photo courtesy of Talia Zoref

One of the highlights of her career so far has been walking the runway in fashion shows. The first time he did it, he didn’t walk like a model. Instead, she walked as an artist.

“I never dreamed of being a model, but the idea that a girl like me ended up on the runway!” Zoref said.

“I was very happy to be there. It was really funny and entertaining. I could walk the track as I am without changing anything about myself.”