REN CORDEZA

Tallula Harris on Redefining Britishness Through Fashion

Interviewed by: Lucy Dover (@luce_dover_)

Tallula Harris has never been afraid to ask difficult questions. As the founder and designer behind REN CORDEZA, she is not just making clothes, she is interrogating what it means to be British in 2025. Her debut collection, The Knitted Hours, blurs the lines between tradition and modernity, countryside and city, muted heritage and urban flamboyance.

The story began in childhood. Harris recalls finding a diary she kept at age ten where she had already begun sketching ideas for her own brand. But the defining moment came when her family relocated from London to rural Hertfordshire. She recalls, “I noticed such a shift in how I saw myself in the country compared to how I did in the city, and I still do today.” That shift sharpened her sense of identity. “I always felt slightly alien in the British countryside as a mixed race girl as it is much less common to see people of colour. I wanted to create a brand that celebrates the urban culture, as well as the traditional British countryside. There’s such beauty in both environments.

This duality of belonging everywhere and nowhere sits at the heart of REN CORDEZA. Harris positions the label as a cultural bridge that reflects the lived experience of those who navigate multiple identities.

For Harris, the brand is less about aesthetics and more about a politics of representation. It asks who gets to feel comfortable, stylish and seen in Britain today. “In a nation so rich with diversity and cultural differences, the sense of unity can often feel elusive,” Harris says. “I now know that you don’t have to fit into one place, you can be a part of many.”

Harris’s background as a model sharpened her perspective. The experience gave her access to luxury garments and the tactile difference of high quality fabrics. “After wearing so many pieces, you start to understand how high quality clothes make you look and feel compared to lower quality ones,” she notes. That attention to fabric is central to REN CORDEZA’s hand embroidered designs, where cotton and wool fuse breathability with structure. At the same time, modelling exposed the constant pressure to churn out trend-driven pieces. “I often found myself torn between creating something entirely new for the market and producing the kinds of trend-driven pieces I knew customers were looking for. But I’m grateful to have stepped back and chosen to approach fashion from a fresh perspective because the creative freedom definitely works better for the brand.”

For Harris, heritage is not about nostalgia. REN CORDEZA reclaims the aesthetics of Britishness, knitwear, embroidery and wool, but places them in dialogue with multicultural identities. “Being British is something to be proud of, that’s why the pieces are heavily influenced by traditional ways of dressing. The country is so culturally rich, which is something that should be celebrated, not diminished. Culture improves our intellect, our understanding of the self and opens us up to so many new ways of living. I want to amplify this positivity with the brand.” This ethos is materialised in hand embroidered detailing that embraces imperfection. Each stitch carries subtle irregularities, marking the garment as uniquely tied to its wearer. It is a deliberate rejection of mass production gloss in favour of craft that feels personal and lived in.

Starting a brand has been as much about community as clothing. Harris’s initiative Ladies of Cordeza reflects her commitment to creating a space for solidarity among women. The monthly series celebrates diverse female accomplishments, spotlighting women of different ages, backgrounds and experiences. “I believe we can learn so much from each other, no matter how big the achievements,” she says. It is another way the brand communicates its emphasis on a modern British identity, one that does not fit into a single mould but is expansive, inclusive and collective.

Harris is already researching her next collection, which will explore Afro Caribbean diasporic fashion in the UK. She cites Monica L. Miller’s work on Black style as a major influence. “Fashion has been such a significant aspect in allowing Black people to achieve autonomy, both historically and today. I want to celebrate that.” The forthcoming collection will combine diasporic dress traditions with British heritage staples, amplifying the hybridity that defines contemporary Britain.

If there is one feeling Harris wants her customers to take away, it is pride. “I want people to feel a sense of empowerment when they wear Ren Cordeza pieces, an inner pride in who they are and where they come from. Each garment is designed to feel like a warm embrace.” Comfort is non-negotiable! “By wearing something rooted in these values, you’re not only celebrating personal identity but also honouring the cultural narratives that shape us.”

Like the best independent designers, Harris is carving out a space that feels both personal and political. REN CORDEZA does not simply make clothes, it insists on a redefinition of British identity that is diverse, dynamic and unapologetically hybrid.

You can shop REN CORDEZA here!