Tienda Rosy is the collection made from artworks made in Guatemala and San Fransisco.

Tara had lived in Guatemala for over a year in 2013, and in 2017 she returned to visit. She had such a great time when she lived there, she wondered whether she would feel the same about the place considering it had been so long.  Setting her feet back on the ground in Xela, she felt right at home. It was just as amazing as she remembered.  Wasting no time, she settled in in the house she used to live in, happy to see old friends, and organised a studio to paint in. Here she quickly got back into the rhythm of painting, dancing and enjoying life in Guatemala.

Some new friends suggested a trip to the beach near Mexico, a quiet beach where locals go to enjoy. Getting to a place like this involves a series of chicken busses and riding in the back of trucks.  The beach was filled with palm trees and little crabs walked all over the sand. They found an older style resort which felt it could have been created in the 80s, maybe more popular then, but perfect now. A blue crab swam in the pool. Coconut water, chopped open with a machete. Old hammocks tied up to palm trees.  Family cooked fish. Family run. Perfect.

In the back of someone's yard, was a place to eat called Tienda Rosy. It was at the back of a house at the family table. TV was on outside. Plastic chairs. Children running around and the chickens too. This place was where I had the best prawns of my life. I loved it.  The print Tienda Rosy is an ode to this place and the beach. The roadside fruit shops. The sweet beach town.

The Guatemalan jaguar makes a special appearance in this range, as a very iconic predator of the place and as a very important animal in the Mayan culture.  

The Xela print was skeched from El Balcón de Enriquez which is a popular bar the overlooks Parque Central. This area is significant to the town and is where a lot of the local fairs and Catholic processions and celebrations take place.

The Orchid print was painted in San Fransisco- Berkeley UC Botanical Garden.  My old housemate Jess took me there to show me the area, and I loved the plants so much I ended up staying there to paint for the rest of the day.  I just tipped a bucket over to sit on in the botanic garden and painted as much as possible until sun down.  It was amazing!  The Golden Protector print combines an illustration of the amazing walls of plants I saw and two Guatemalan Jaguars, with the idea that the wearer could feel protected when wearing the jacket.

See more of the behind the scenes journey on the blog

 The Tienda Rosy Collection was painted in the Guatemalan Highlands by Tara Whalley, and intended to add a holiday feeling to your style, while still looking effortlessly sharp. Designed to fit sizes 8-18, this collection has something for everyone.  The collection features 26 pieces, including duster coats, linen pants, shirts, kimonos, tops and dresses all made in Melbourne. Tara has created nine prints from her artworks, which have been digitally printed, and feature on the garments.

In her mind Tara wanted to bring in the motifs of Guatemala in the shoot, and was excited to discover a pool lounge on the side of the road, which she spray painted pink.  The plastic chair is a very familiar sight in Central America, she found two on the side of the road and also transformed these for the shoot.  The chicken was borrowed from someone on gumtree, and was very exciting to have on set.

This collection won Tara the Frankie Magazine Good Stuff Award for the Fashion Design category.