I grew up on long hikes and camping at Seven Sisters in Western Massachusetts, so the outdoors are personal for me. Somehow, surviving a pandemic in New York City has the same energy — camping out in our apartments, hiking across neighborhoods and boroughs, finding solace in being outside together. My daily walks in Prospect Park kept me grounded, connected to nature and to humanity in a way that runs deep. Months of uprising added layers to our reality, transforming our urban hikes into passionate marches towards a new way.
The emphasis on progress and community this year hits at the intersection of all my identities, as a Pakistani Muslim, as a woman, as a New Yorker, as a city dweller with an outdoor heart.
This collection is a celebration of the trails we’ve conquered this year and the paths we’ll explore this summer, finding grounded glamour as we hike NYC.
Tanya Sheikh is a Brooklyn-based Pakistani-American artist, designer, teacher, and activist launching her first solo collection with Brand By.
Starting her career in fashion as a buyer, Tanya quickly becoming the Showroom Director for Oak, representing designers like Hood by Air, Nomia, Chrishabana, Rachel Comey, and more. This inspired her to start her own showroom and eventually her own boutique, In Support Of. After years in the industry and a year unlike any other, Tanya is leaning into her passion for creativity and community with this inaugural launch, a celebration of weathering this storm in Brooklyn and the diverse people who continue to make this borough a force to be reckoned with.
Tanya has always been an artist, drawing inspiration from her Pakistani roots and a family of creators (her grandmother broke barriers as the first woman to lead the Art Department at Punjab University!). She has a BFA in drawing and Asian Studies from Providence College, where she piloted an art program and gallery shows for local youth. Today, she continues to foster creativity, access, and social impact with her work as an Art Therapist and curator with Stoop Sale, a community organization raising $40K for racial justice in the summer of 2020.
Check out Brand By’s Spring/Summer 2021 Collection here!
BRAND BY: @brandby.us
Tanya Sheikh: @tanyasheikh
Photographer: Jeramey Hampton @hampnyc
Videographer: Clive Cadillo @clivecadillo
Hand dyed pieces (Spring Summer ’21 collection) by Brooklyn based artist : Najee Wilson
Models: Sojourner Brown, Nolan Daniels, Akili King, Lucas Neustadt