Georgian-born designer twin sisters and best friends Tamara and Natasha Surguladze always try to bring elements of humour and fun to their unique pieces and memorable ad campaigns. Blending innate taste and talent with creative vision of the world, made their London-based brand TATA NAKA synonymous with artsy yet playful fashion that goes beyond the common. The launch of the exclusive collection of dresses for MORE is LOVE is the perfect time to chat with the designers.

MORE is LOVE: Tell us about your fashion influences from your childhood...

TATA NAKA: Films and our mom, who was and is the most stylish person we know.

MORE is LOVE: What is the most valuable lesson you learnt in Central Saint Martins?

TATA NAKA: To think outside of the box, to develop individuality.

MORE is LOVE: What is TATA NAKA’s brand philosophy?

TATA NAKA: Have fun, be yourself, don’t be afraid to experiment.

MORE is LOVE: Who do you see wearing TATA NAKA designs?

TATA NAKA: Women with individual sense of style, sense of humour and adventure, those who don’t follow trends but follow their hearts.

MORE is LOVE: How do you work together? How do you come to an agreement?

TATA NAKA: We have different strengths which work really well together. Tata loves the decorative aspect of design, color, print, embellishment. Naka likes to experiment with cut of the garments. We have been working together for so long that for us it is the most natural thing, TATA NAKA aesthetic is a combination of two personalities.

MORE is LOVE: What does your current mood board consist of?

TATA NAKA: It is empty at the moment awaiting images of inspiration for our AW15/16 collection to go up very soon.

MORE is LOVE: Describe your working process...

TATA NAKA: Everything starts with a story. Each season we focus on something that we love or inspires us, be it a 60s musical movement, a film that has left an impression, a book we have read and build a story from that. Research is our favorite part of the design process, you never know where looking into one theme will lead you, and what fascinating discoveries you will encounter. We take what we find and apply some humour to it and that’s how you get TATA NAKA.

MORE is LOVE: What music is playing in your studio?

TATA NAKA: At the moment Grace Jones’s version of La Vie en Rose.

MORE is LOVE: Do you bring out your Georgian roots in your creative work?

TATA NAKA: Yes, the artisan quality that Georgians have and a sense of humour.

MORE is LOVE: Tell us about your unique paintings and drawings, that you use in your collections...

TATA NAKA: All the artwork for our prints is made by us, be it a painting, drawing, photography or collage work. This aspect is a major part or TATA NAKA aesthetic, we are not print designers, we create artwork we love based on a story which gets printed on the fabric.

MORE is LOVE: Do you have favorite colors or fabrics to work with?

TATA NAKA: We love color in general, so we do not limit ourselves to one color. We like to mix, clash and experiment with color.

MORE is LOVE: What are you working on at the moment?

TATA NAKA: TATA NAKA Interiors is what has taken up 80% of our time at the moment, it is a new project for us which we are very excited about, to be launched very soon. We are also designing our AW14/15 Pre and TNtees collections.

TATA NAKA: Collection consists of a classic dress shape in the several prints from our archive collection.

MORE is LOVE: What are you proud of the most?

TATA NAKA: We are proud that we have made it in this extremely tough business for 14 years all by ourselves.

MORE is LOVE: Any special places in London?

TATA NAKA: London parks as these make you forget the daily stress factor and draw your attention to the beauty of the nature. Plus we have the best memories there with our beautiful dogs.

MORE is LOVE: Your life motto...

TATA NAKA: Be yourself and don’t lose your sense of humour.