TALYA BENDEL
FGI Rising Star Finalist – Eveningwear
Talya Bendel is a 3x New York Times best dressed designer, film, editorial and event wardrobe stylist. Having recently launched her namesake brand with her partner Esty Haas the Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal collection was welcomed with rave reviews thanks to a Women’s Wear Daily debut feature and a massive show during NYBW at the Woolworth building in NYC. Talya has been working in the fashion industry for 15 years and has worked for Christian Siriano, designed for Louis Miranda styled Titus Burgess and worked with Netflix, Warner Brothers, ROC Nation, Paramount and even the Teletubbies, among others. Last year Talya worked on the Uzi Vert much anticipated Pink Tape album trailer. Talya has been featured in Elle France, Women’s Wear Daily, Refinery 29 and has been quoted in Brides Magazine and The Daily Beast among others. You can currently see Talya’s work on the west side highway on a billboard for Columbia NYPB. Recently Talya her partner Esty Haas and the Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal brand was nominated for an FGI Rising Star award in the evening wear category. This is just the beginning.
Q and A with FGI President and CEO, Maryanne Grisz
What city were you born in?
Brooklyn
What is your star sign?
Libra
What were you obsessed with when you were a child?
Fashion, Barbie, Hollywood, Music, Harry Potter and Creativity.
What do you value most in a friendship?
Trust, honesty, loyalty
What’s your proudest moment?
Seeing my boys play together and watching my gowns walk down the runway.
What’s the best part of your job?
Designing and Creating something that comes from nothing but an idea.
What’s your biggest fear?
I would never say out loud or type it up but something close to my worst fear would be regret. Fear of regret.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?
It’s a tie between a steak dinner I had at Harbour grill Miami and an Omakase meal at Koma Sushi in Brooklyn. But best desert is from Barnea Bistro in NYC the key lime pie is a must!
What’s next for you in your career?
Our next collection! And hopefully working on a feature film!
What’s the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
My husband though I can’t remember why?
Who or what in your life brings you the most joy?
My children/family and my craft.
How do you spend your day, or what does an ordinary day look like for you?
An ordinary day for me is never the same as the day before. Every day there are different things to check off the to do list so I’m usually running around doing the buying / fabric swatching, making Phone calls sending out emails meeting up with people for work and just typical hustling. That’s in between waking up taking care of my kids sending them off to school/camp. Making sure all their ducks are in a row and by the time they are home having fit what I could in that time. Often my husband Andrew will make up for time I can’t do those things.
What approach would you take differently if you had to build a business from scratch today?
More market research.
What is your favorite quote of all time, and why?
Carpe Diem. Specifically when Robin Williams says it in the movie Dead Poets Society. That saying changed my life. It means “seize the day.” Hearing it the first time was knowing forever that it’s a choice and I would do everything I could to make that choice every day for the rest of my life. It means every day has something more to give but you have to go and get it. I plan to.
What book/s will you recommend that everyone should read once in their lives?
Harry Potter. Even if you don’t believe in magic or like fantasy. There is something in it for everyone. Also the memoir Nearly Departed by Gila Pfeffer. It’s about how Gila fights the family breast cancer legacy and takes her life into her own hands. We all need a wake up call and to know that we need to be diligent about our health and our lives. If not only for us but for those that live us.
How do you maintain a work-life balance?
With an incredibly proactive and supportive husband. There are days I’m best at my job and days I’m best at being a mom wife / friend. The balance is know when to tip the scales back when you’ve gone too far away.
What are the biggest challenges you faced in your career and how did you handle them?
Jobs ending, not knowing how to move one foot in front of the other and being let down by not being an immediate success (half serious.) I handle them by learning that there will always be more learn to make things better and help them work. There will always be opportunities so long as the world keeps spinning. You will never run out of doors to bang down. You just have to keep banging till the right one opens.
What is the best advice someone ever gave you?
A recent quote I heard Tom Holland say in an interview that he got from someone else. He said “if you get nervous, turn those nerves into excitement.” I think if you can master that you’ll do ok. We all get nervous but continuing on even so is a skill. Also for my adhd people “don’t put it down, put it away.” It will really help with the clutter and making sure things don’t build up with which creatives tends to happen more often than not.
Who inspires you the most and why?
My sister Yocheved. There is no harder working person on the planet. Someone who since day one if she made two dollars one was being donated. The amount of time she gives to help people while running multiple businesses one she started at 14 and has made a name for herself since then and yet still has time to donate is one of the biggest mysteries because I know she has the same hours in the day as the rest of us but somehow she manages to make every single second count. If anyone embodies Carpe Diem it’s super woman Yocheved Gross.
What’s the next thing you’re going to do in life?
Continue working on my bridal brand and continue to work toward my long term goals of becoming an EGOT member and writing the next great fantasy series. Miles to go before I sleep as they say. One thing is for dang sure. You’ll be seeing me around.
