Sarika's Tatty Treasures

Meet Sarika! We’re obsessed with her colourful snaps and infectious positivity, so read on as we chat to Sarika about her treasured Tatty Devine jewellery, personal style and tips and tricks for upping your Instagram game...

Tell us a little bit about yourself… Hi my name is Sarika Thakorlal and I am a textile designer, blogger, coat hoarder and occasional prop stylist. I have a surname which no one can pronounce and I’m a proud Londoner - although I now live in the country, where there are significantly less mural walls for Instagram backdrops and far more cows.

When and how did you first discover Tatty Devine? Gosh, too many years ago! I can’t actually recall the first time I discovered Tatty Devine. It’s a brand which has been in my periphery for as long as I can remember, as a benchmark of London style, fun and girlboss-inspo. The holy grail of #Goals, if you will.

Describe your aesthetic in five words… Sharp, bold, graphic, seriously fun!

How many pieces of Tatty Devine jewellery do you now own? Not nearly enough! I am a starving artist after all. I also have this thing where I enjoy things for bit and then give them away – I like to share the love and see objects live their life. I’m also an aspiring minimalist who loves maximalism so it’s on-going. But one day I’ll have it all!

How do you store your collection? In my 1960s dresser drawers, which is lined with vintage fabrics. Or hanging around on my vintage ceramic cat for daily pieces. I like to enjoy nice objects even when they are not on the body – hanging them up and having them in my space is just as pleasurable.

Which pieces get the most wear? Brooches, I can’t get enough of them! But I love a good necklace too, especially on top of a nice sharp collar or a statement roll neck.

Most treasured Tatty Devine design? Without a doubt my Glitter Heart Brooch. On every coat, on every outfit that is in need of that special something, on a grey day even – on my lapel it goes. It always gets so many compliments too. I also adore my glitter Name Necklace which is my husband’s initials and a heart charm – I always feel super lovey-dovey when I wear it!

We love your Instagram! Do you have any top tips for creating the perfect snaps? Why thank you, I love yours too! One thing I can’t do without are my lights. I have two soft boxes and for my style of shooting there is nothing better to make those colours pop and to get that perfect white balance. I also couldn’t live without my tripod and SLR camera, which has a flip screen so that I can see what is in shot from various angles. These two things mean that I can shoot unassisted most of the time, even if I need to be in the shot or need the camera in a fixed position. For me, Instagram is a visual dialogue for my work and it’s a constant source of inspiration. It’s also become a barometer for how my creativity is flowing; if I’m churning out good content, it’s all good. If I haven’t posted in a while and I don’t feel great about my feed, I know I’m in a funk. It’s crazy how integral an app can become to a creative practice! But most important tip of all: have fun with it, and create content which you yourself want to see.

Latest addition to your Tatty Devine collection? The Craft Flower Necklace. It’s floral but graphic at the same time, which I love. I’m really enjoying wearing it with subdued colourways in androgynous styles; it really makes the necklace clash and pop.

Females you admire in the industry? It’s so important and encouraging to see other women in the creative industry out there reaching for the stars, making their own rules, and have the guts to make a success of their vision. Harriet and Rosie definitely come into this category for me, back when they had their humble London market pitch and had the pure balls to say ‘We are Tatty Devine’ to a browser who turned out to be from Vogue. How cool is that?! Other creative bosses out there who I’m respecting right now are surface designer Georgia Perry, feminist singer Christine and the Queens, and YouTuber and author Estee Lalonde. I believe we can all achieve whatever we want, if we can only truly believe it ourselves, and these are a few women who seem to reaffirm this idea to me.

What in your wildest dreams would you like Tatty Devine to design? You know what? My dreams have come true; Tatty Devine have designed their first homeware line and it’s giving me ‘all the feels’, as they say! It’s going to be magic and definitely at the top of my Christmas list.

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