Born in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, Tatiana Shabelnik developed an early love for the arts and fashion design in childhood when she first designed outfits for paper dolls.  That love would grow and continue as she moved from paper dolls to designing outfits for herself.

Her pursuit of a career in fashion design continued even as she received graduate degrees in library science and served in several careers as a librarian and web manager for colleges and universities. She formally began her study of fashion with the Otis College Continuing Education Program, and, as a result, she created a line of gorgeous shawls and scarves. This marked the beginning of her efforts to bring to completion a fully realized line of clothing.  She moved from shawls and scarves to the planning and launching of “Contrast,” a sophisticated, classy, chic and avant-garde line of clothing for women.

Her collection is inspired by her tremendous passion for travel and love for different cultures. Bold bright colors and shapes as well as color-blocking elements derive from her longtime admiration for the work of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and Belorussian-French artist Marc Chagall.  That collection incorporates fusion colors along with the current trends. Shabelnik’s ambition with this line is to produce clothing that people will want to wear in everyday life. Very comfortable, yet stylish—these qualities have always been the goal of her designs.  Sexy and feminine, too.  She believes that adding a little touch of “drama” is essential even though she wants her clothing to be wearable and not simply designed for the runways.

“My clothing certainly should WOW a runway audience,” she says, “but at the same time I want that runway audience to know that this clothing is for them.  They can wear this line in everyday life.”

Shabelnik’s designs draw on a host of influences and inspirations, including the colors and styles of folk Belorussian dresses. By reflecting her heritage and culture in these designs, she has produced clothing that connects contemporary life with her vivid ancestral past.

Featured in the Los Angeles Times, Whittier Daily News and several other publications, Shabelnik believes in soaring high with her personal style statement.  Two articles in the L.A. Times identify her as being among the emerging and talented designers. Other features have been printed in Fashion MOST Magazine, Elements, Obscurae, 7HuesDreamingles (UK), En Vie,  AVANT GARDE, CVLUX, and other magazines.

Her unique blending of folk styles with contemporary designs has made her an appealing figure to many fashion editors. Shabelnik is included in the documentary film “Emerging” (2015) as a designer who is making a strong impact on other designers who require inspiration for their own work.  Shabelnik not only strives for a style that is unique:  she also wants her clients to understand that her designs are woven with more than just threads.  They also capture and reflect her joyful celebration of fashion and what she hopes will be her legacy and contribution to this exciting world.

In addition to clothing, Shabelnik also designs jewelry to complement and accentuate her clothing.  Anyone who adores one of her short dresses, for example, will love wearing one of her beaded necklaces made from semi-precious stones. With a range of colors and designs, Shabelnik’s jewelry is meant to inspire—much in the same way that Chagall and Kandinsky have inspired her.  Her jewelry, like her clothing designs, is meant to be more than simple merchandise: it is art to be worn and celebrated in daily life. Her unique sense of colors and time dimensions is something pleasing to the eye and perfect to wear. Tatiana Shabelnik, truly, is a designer of passion with the devotion and determination to give this passion the ideal expression.