Co-founders of the label Tappa, sibling duo Tarveen Kaur Vohra and Jasjyot Singh Hans grew up fighting each other as kids, only to be inseparable as adults. They both found themselves inching towards similar professional goals — wanting to do something of their own and being able to take creative control of their work. While neither have any formal training in the field of fashion design, their label was built on the foundation of constructing clothes they would want to wear themselves. Tappa was born out of their shared love for clothing and a willingness to create something exciting together.
Below, the sibling duo tell us more about their recently launched endeavour.
The Name
Tappa takes its inspiration from the folk songs of Punjab, ‘tappé’, which are simple, fun melodies with an element of surprise. And that’s our aim with our clothes — to make versatile, comfy, contemporary separates, with a touch of whimsy!
The Creative Collaboration
I think we worked together through the collection pretty organically. Being siblings, I think we're aware of each other's strengths and things that bog us down. So if one of us seemed visibly worried about a task at hand, the other would take charge and move forward. Like Tarveen took care of most of the material sourcing and Jasjyot took the lead on the print design. We both came up with silhouettes for the capsule collection, with details that we thought would make the clothes feel special. The final result is a shared vision, something we could never realise without each other.
The Inspiration
We're inspired by our shared history as Sikhs and elements of nostalgia from our childhood. We're forever inspired by the strength of women we grew up around, and the spirit of queer and gender non-conforming people that continue to push culture forward!
The Present Moment
I feel like we're just relieved Tappa is finally out into the world! We're both thinking of ideas for our next capsule collection. Tarveen is busy with the website and shipping logistics, and her two lovely kids keep her occupied. I (Jasjyot) am busy with working on personal projects, and a memoir graphic novel. You can find us at @tappa.india on Instagram and shop our first collection at www.tappa.in.
Text Unnati Saini
Date 09-08-2022