It is always lovely catching up with old friends, Tala and I traveled to Paris together on one of the press trips back when I was working in editorial, it was a trip with L’occitane, and that’s where we became friends. A few years later Tala continues to grow her career in Fashion, lifestyle, and of course, DJ-ing, while I went on to launch my jewelry brand. We reconnect for a catch-up as I work with her on a very special story. Continue reading to learn more about her story.
1 Tell us a bit about yourself. In a few sentences, who is Tala Samman?
A curious Dubai kid was born in the US to Syrian parents. Started off working in the fashion industry in editorial, and now get to create content, DJ, and produce.
2 What motivated you to start your journey with DJ-ing
Growing up, I always loved music. I was around many people working in the industry, and I was just so fascinated by that world. When I was studying at university I wanted to learn how to DJ, honestly no specific goals, I just wanted to learn I started taking classes on vinyl back when I was 18 and I remember I was the only girl in the class which was intimidating, and I thought maybe this isn’t for me. My sister always shared the best gifts, so when I moved back after university, the first birthday gift I got from her was a 4-5 hour master class course in mixing at a sound academy.
For the next two years, I did a bunch of DJ-ing classes, and I didn’t want to tell people about it, worried about their judgment, and at the time there weren’t any female DJs and so I started playing for friends and that’s how it all started...
3 What's your current favorite song
Anything SAINt JHN or Dave
4 Can you share with us a typical day in your life? Any secret habits or routines you would like to tell us about?
One of the things I love most about my days is that every day is very different, I get bored easily so it keeps things exciting. Nonetheless, I am also very organized and I do have routines and habits that I stick to, I am all about consistency, for instance, my workouts & cooking sessions are put into my calendar like meetings, which helps me stick to actually getting them done. For someone with not a proper daily routine or schedule, my daily habits keep me sane.
5 Can you share your top three Style tips?
What works for people won't necessarily work for you. Don’t stick to trends blindly and choose the trends that suit you.
I guess that goes with wearing what works for you everybody is a different body and everyone's skin tone is a bit different. I love high-waisted baggy jeans and oversized blazers so I would wea
r something tight or short underneath, so I don't get drowned in it there, that’s something I know works for my style.
The third thing would be to have fun with styling. Honestly, when I shop online, I like to try different things, and if it suits me, I will go for it. I like to invest in timeless investments that I can wear on a daily and style in different ways.
6 Let’s move on to jewelry talk! What are the most precious pieces of jewelry you own? And why?
Well compared to my mom, my mom dies for jewelry, I can say I'm probably the opposite for a number of reasons, I like things, that I can wear on a day-to-day basis, that I don't need to remove, or those that I can remove easily like my hoop earrings and rings if I need to shower or sleep. Other than that, I like to have my jewelry on me all the time, jewels that can be easily stacked and feel effortless.
7 Any jewelry stylings tips you can share?
I love to stack and layer dainty things, so with my necklaces, I try to layer 4-5 that I would wear every day with my earrings.
"I love a stacked-up ear look, I probably have like 12 earrings on one of my ears, and a lot of them are special pieces that I wear on day to day basis, and I rarely change any of them."
I wear 8 rings at all times, and I am excited about my new rings designed by Hiba.
8 What have you chosen for your special Hiba Jaber Custom-made jewel? Can you tell us more about the story behind the piece?
This is my second piece design with Hiba, and I adore Hiba as a person, and I love seeing how her brand has grown and developed I remember seeing her brand on Ounass recently and I got so excited for her! My first pair of thin duo rings were the initials of my sister, for the new creation, I chose the thin duo rings, designed with the first letter of both my grandmothers’ names: Hayat and Fareeha.
"Hiba’s pieces are so beautiful, they are art on their own even if it didn’t have a meaning".
They have both passed away sadly but were both very present in the majority of my life, and I was so close to both of them. One of them was my travel partner. I loved them both so much, and I loved spending time with them, they were literary like my second moms. It’s so special that I get this ring with both initials on them yet alone, Hiba’s pieces are so beautiful, they are art on their own even if it didn’t have a meaning,
The fact it has great meaning is even more special. I also got her to take on what she suggested works best in terms of design, I initially wanted a rose and white gold, with a few diamonds, but I ended up with an all-yellow gold set of rings because I wear a lot of yellow gold, I felt it would work better with the rest of my jewelry.
9 What is a quote you live by?
I don't know if there's a specific quote I live by but I guess I save a lot of things on a daily basis, as I grew older I realized having peace and good health are some of the most important things, having good health is something you can't buy. Another quote I love is: We are constantly growing and everyone you meet is a teacher in the journey of life. “
This was Tala's story... What will your story be?