This is a story of how fascination turned into vocation and how childhood love for beauty gave life to a living brand.
I stood in the hallway of the apartment, maybe nine years old, in a beautiful Art Nouveau building, where light poured through tall windows and danced on the patterned wallpaper, highlighting every detail of the interior. My eyes were wide open, and my heart beat faster as I looked at a beautiful woman standing before me.
She was dressed in a ruffled blouse with a brooch sparkling like a small jewel, polished leather boots, and a coat with a characteristic cut that emphasized her silhouette. Every movement she made was full of grace and confidence. With joy and pride, I realized that I was looking at my grandmother – a woman who became my first ideal of elegance and beauty. Her style and the way she wore clothes were my first lesson in fashion, while also introducing me to a world where clothing was more than just fabric.
A photo of Agata Taras' grandmother from 1952
Every texture, every detail had meaning for me and carried emotions, history, and femininity. Thanks to my grandmother and her awareness of beauty, I understood that clothing could tell a story, and that I could tell my own through it.
Fashion became my escape – a window into a world full of color, luxury, and freedom.
I grew up in the greyness of a post-communist world, where limitations and monotony surrounded everyday life. Fashion became my escape – a window into a world full of color, luxury, and freedom. Even then, I started experimenting, combining fabrics, mixing colors, playing with details. My childhood fascinations slowly transformed into a passion that eventually became my path in life.
Walking through the streets of Lublin, I absorbed the Art Nouveau details of the buildings – intricate ornaments, subtle arches, proportions that delighted the eye. The city’s architecture became my first atelier. It taught me observation, patience, and a sense of rhythm in form. From these walks, I learned that beauty lies in harmony, in small gestures, in details we pass by every day.
Art Nouveau architecture in present day Lublin
Over time, I began creating my own designs, sewing my first pieces, and experimenting with materials. Every stitch, every detail, every combination of textures became part of my design language. Fashion stopped being just play – it became an act of creating from the heart. Clothing is the closest form of luxury for me because we wear it directly on our bodies. I believe it has the power to elevate energy, presence, and confidence.
As I developed my skills, I became increasingly aware that fashion is not just clothing, but philosophy, a lifestyle, a manifesto of femininity and authenticity. From the beginning of my journey, I aimed for every dress, every blouse, every detail to emanate lightness, romance, and subtle strength. I love creating garments that allow femininity to shine fully – a combination of classic and modern, subtlety and sophistication.
My brand was born practically from scratch, from a seed planted in my childhood. When I began designing my first collection, it felt natural that it would become a tribute to her — to the woman who first awakened my love for fashion. The collection was born between two cities that shaped us both: Lublin, where my grandmother lived most of her life, and Lviv, where I was living at the time while creating my first collection. I spent some time there, up until the outbreak of the war, and it felt truly symbolic — the collection was being created in two cities that reflected the line of her life. Lviv is not only a place of my family’s roots, but also the city my grandmother once came from. The connection between these two places — one where she lived, and one where I continued her story — gave the whole process a sense of continuity and meaning. It felt almost as if the spirit of both places, intertwined with her memory, guided my hands during the creation process.
I named the collection “Inherited Lines” — a title that, for me, speaks not only of the silhouettes and constructions of the garments, but also of the invisible lines that shape our lives and connect generations. It reflects both the contours of the body and the threads of family bonds, carrying a sense of continuity between past and present.
The silhouettes were timeless and feminine — pencil and midi skirts like the ones she used to wear, delicate lace blouses with high collars, bows, and puffed sleeves, adorned with satin trims and intricate buttons. Some pieces featured soft draping and lowered waistlines inspired by her black New Year’s Eve dresses.
Every experience, every observed detail, every brooch of my grandmother – all of it became part of my DNA as a designer. Thanks to this foundation, I managed to create something truly my own, something that carries emotion and passion.
Agata Taras presents EKLECTIC brand, matching her cultural heritage with timeless and feminine silhouettes
The most powerful moment came when I presented this collection at Lviv Fashion Week. When the invitation arrived confirming Eklectic’s participation as an official brand, I remember feeling an overwhelming mix of disbelief and joy.
Our show took place on Saturday evening — one of the main slots of the event — and as the lights dimmed and the models stepped onto the runway, I felt time stop. The hall was full, every seat taken, and when I walked out at the end of the show, hand in hand with my seamstress and pattern maker and also my dear friend, who helped bring this dream to life, I saw smiles, tears, and applause that I will never forget. It wasn’t just my success — it belonged to everyone who helped create this moment.
Highlights from LVIV Fashion Week
For me, fashion is a manifesto: clothing is an expression of respect for oneself and the world around us. I want every woman who wears my pieces to feel radiant, strong, and unique.
My clothes are a bridge between the past and the present, between subtlety and modernity, between romance and strength. This is my path, my message, my world – from childhood, through fascination with my grandmother, to every day of designing and creating with heart for you.
Today, not many keepsakes of my grandmother remain. Except for that beautiful brooch I first noticed when she was standing in the hall. It has become, for me, a symbol of her style and keepsake of her presence. Even now, I wish I could thank her – for inspiring me to create something like this.
Read Next
Subscribe to our latest newsletter
