Tiana Esparon has taken the crochet world by storm. After studying visual art and design at The Brit School and then pursuing a BA in fashion design from Kingston University, Tiana has been running her self-named business for the last five years. The ‘Tiana Esparon’ collection features a colourful array of crochet bags and accessories; made from upcycled t-shirt yarn.
“My business has grown and changed with me,” she tells Islington Now. “I first learnt to knit at 11, but my main medium is crochet as it’s quite free and forgiving.”
The trailblazer will host a workshop this month at the Islington Stitch Festival, which will take over the Business Design Centre from March 19 to March 22. The festival endorses and puts a spotlight on independent pattern brands and hosts a variety of small businesses.
One word to describe Tiana’s art? Colourful. Her portfolio consists of bags in differing neon shades and she appears on the video call wearing clear cats-eyeglasses and a vibrant deep blue top. It’s clear that Esparon’s brand isn’t just a marketing tactic but a deep part of her. “My brand is who I am,” she says. “As women I think we all should be loud and take up space – there’s enough room for everyone.”
Sustainability in fashion is something Esparon feels deeply about, and she believes that fashion brands should be doing more to prioritise ethical practices. “There is a way to be more sustainable, brands just need to choose an angle and expand on it.” Esparon believes that focusing on specific practices such as using up-cycled material could make all the difference.
Esparon also argues that women-owned businesses are inherently more sustainable. “If people want to invest in ethical fashion they can start by supporting women-owned businesses,” she says. “We’re simply more ethical – it’s in our DNA.”
Women have always been her role models, and her greatest influence has been her mother, who Esparon believes gave her the confidence to be the woman she is today.
“My mother was a teen mum, and the world put boundaries on her, so she poured into me. My inner voice is my mum; I hear her when I want to go against the negative.” Esparon says.
She shows off one of her own crochet hot-pink crescent bags, adorned with pride flag and Free Palestine pins.
“People want to be involved in the process of their clothing; they want to show personality which is why I think bag charms are so popular now.” Imaginably, this could explain why her workshops do so well. She hosts monthly queer-craft socials at House of Denna, a cafe in Woolwich
The ever-optimism of Tiana is contagious as she shares with Islington Now her hopes for the coming year. “Somewhere down the line, I want to start my own t-shirt yarn brand,” she says, “I hope by 2027 to open up my own community cafe to host more workshops and support other small businesses.”
Esparon often refers to herself as delusional and prides herself and her business for self-admittedly going against the grain. She said: “if you have a thought, it means it exists somewhere – be delusional enough to think that you can make it and you will.”
