Ooobaby is a handmade, luxurious, Italian leather bags brand founded and designed in Canada by Tulin Sallabank. Ooobaby brand has been featured in Elle Canada, Conde Nast, Workin' Moms, CBC's The Goods & more! 24Fashion.TV had the pleasure to sit down with the designer Tulin Sallabank, where she shared with us about her journey as a designer and what inspired her to create ooobaby.

24FASHION.TV: When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career as a fashion designer?

Tulin Sallabank: When I couldn’t find the perfect bag to carry my everyday essentials, I embarked on a career in fashion! As a modern woman, I understood how the role-changing needs of a woman shifts throughout the day! I needed to design the perfect back to stand up to the everyday rigors of life.

Where do you usually find creative inspiration?

I find inspiration through everyday life! Whether it’s observing Fashion on the street, on television, on the internet, or in a magazine or a book. 

Stylish ooobaby Bella Backpack

What role do you think social media plays in fashion today? 

Social media plays such an important role in fashion today! It is an absolute necessity to have a presence in the industry and to build these platforms to interact with consumers and as a means of networking. Social media is an important way to advertise and engage customers and your target market. I also find social media influences and inspires so many people including myself. 

Designer Tulin Sallabank wearing one of her ooobaby designs

How was your brand affected by the Covid-19 lockdown?

We did experience an economic shift during the initial months of the lockdown. However, as more people spent more time on virtual platforms, we have been able to increase our ways to expose our brand more and build. 

Did you have to adjust your collection and make some changes to it because of Covid-19?

Our factories in Italy shut down immediately which created a huge slow down in production. However, they are now up and running, and they have been able to catch up with most inventory!

Ooobaby as seen in Elle Canada

What do you think about sustainable fashion? Should fashion be more sustainable? 

Absolutely!  As a slow fashion brand, our minimalistic and timeless designs encourage our customers to wear a high-quality brand that last for many years and avoid over-consumption. Working with artisans in Italy, our handcrafted luxurious leather bags are made in small batches with great attention to detail. Leather is biodegradable and a natural byproduct of the food industry. Sustainable fashion is a big part of our design, and we feel it's incredibly important to be as sustainable as possible. 

What is your favorite part about being a designer? 

My favorite part of being a designer is the feeling I get when I see women walking down the street wearing my brand! I feel such gratitude emotion when this happens!

How do you want women to feel when wearing your brand?

I want women to feel supported and empowered by the functionality of each bag. When women wear our brand, I want them to feel stylish, classy and elegant. I want them to feel socially conscious wearing a quality bag that is luxurious yet affordable. 

Ooobaby Urban Backpack

Can you shortly describe your brand? 

Ooobaby is defined by the spirit of a woman who has a great attitude and loves classic minimalism to show her style. Ooobaby was founded to create beautiful bags that fuse fashion with function – with multiple compartments and dedicated pockets for today’s tech tools, they are extraordinary bags designed for life!

What comes next for ooobaby?

Ooobaby is growing, as we will continue to design and build our brand. I am also, very much looking forward to our future collections!

By Galina Antonova,

Editor-in-Chief, 24Fashion TV