Layla Tag Styles From Her Archive of Found, Fixed & Sewn-From-Scratch

Egyptian Artist Layla Tag will tell you she's a painter. Her friends have heard it enough times that they've started finishing the sentence for her. But then she'll mention, almost in passing, that she taught herself to sew during lockdown when she bought a sewing machine, that she once turned a jacket with a hole in it into a bag for a musician's Saudi debut, that she buys cargo pants specifically to sew two of them into something that was never cargo pants. Painter, sure. Her hands just never got the memo.

Growing up, she'd tear pages from magazines to draw them. To get inside the making of a thing. That instinct migrated: from canvas to cloth, from fine arts in France to a masters in Spain, from the tailor she kept running to during her studies to the lockdown moment she finally ran out of excuses and learned herself.

What came out the other side was Little Tee. One-of-one bags where upcycled jackets get a second, stranger life. Embroidery that started on her paintings and found its way onto everything else. A logic that has nothing to do with seasons or trends and everything to do with what a piece is hiding inside itself. She goes to the souk prospecting. "I don't look for a piece," she says. "I look for textures and patterns. I always look for something specific, how I can change it."

Little Tee's collections, Play Gentle, Tender Things, Deep Tangle, read like titles of feelings rather than product lines. Big Butterfly. Love Poems. Marvelous Lace. Rustfall. Each piece in the archive is one of one, made without waste, without repetition, with the kind of attention that has nowhere else to be.

For this SELECTS, Layla pulled from her own wardrobe, the things she owns, has made, has found and quietly transfigured. Layers and lace, as always. Silhouettes that shift depending on the day. "Sometimes I dress like a schoolgirl," she says. "Sometimes sporty. Sometimes layers. But if you look at everything together, there is something in common."

Look 1

“I love playing with lace, and colours that sit close to each other. This was a tablecloth – I wrapped it and turned it into a skirt. The whole outfit feels vintage, like you’re going somewhere in your grandmother’s jacket. Then the earrings break it open. And underneath, the Adidas shirt – I love the contrast of sportswear with lace.”
Grandma’s Tailored Jacket
Mango earrings
Vintage nafnaf pouch
Adidas top
Thrifted shirt
Dress by Layla Tag
Wrap skirt by Layla Tag

Look 2

“This top used to be a Puma T‑shirt. I made it into straps. The skirt was long, so I shortened it. You still get that sporty feeling, but the contrast is there again. When I started Little Tee, everything had frills. Even the logo was a frill.”
Littletee bag
Upcycled puma top by Layla Tag
Upcycled skirt by Layla Tag
Thrifted shirt
Nike sports leggings

Look 3

“Here I am playing with layers, all the same colour but different textures so they create a shape. The bag I thrifted, then I made the handle myself."
Wrap lace skirt by Layla Tag
Thrifted shirt
Next cargo capris
Vintage Bata Shoes
BananaRepublic bag with added belt
Tulle skirt by Layla Tag

Look 4

"Most of the colours in the outfit are in the Little Tee bag, so the outfit feels full. That bag was two trousers: one jeans, one red‑and‑white striped. I took a wall from each and made a bag, embroidering it with butterflies.”
Desigual mesh top
Littletee bag
Top by Layla Tag
Bershka knitted shirt
Thrifted skirt
Linen white pants from a local brand
Thrifted Camaieu shirt

Look 5

"The bag was the main character, so I made the outfit around it. It feels very 'bonbon'. The bag comes apart in several pieces – the front piece detaches and you can hang it on something. You can wrap it around your waist, wear it crossbody, make the strap tighter or longer. You can use it in so many ways. The top I sewed and embroidered.”
Orange turtle neck
Littletee bag
Top by Layla Tag
Thrifted skirt/shorts
Thrifted shoes

Look 6 

"The skirt was a quick‑seller silver one — I took a piece from the side so it cinches at the waist. The bag I made for Valentine's as a joke. On the back it says 'حزبي الله ونعم الوكيل'.”
Thrifted pleated shorts
Littletee bag
Upcycled Quicksilver shirt by Layla Tag
Lace top by Layla Tag
Calvin klein knee socks
Nike t-shirt

Look 7 

"This is just super monochrome – I love wearing the same colour. People call me 'monochrome Layla' because I always wear things the same colour. If you notice, in every outfit you'll find an element of lace or something a bit feminine. I love making things for the head. This was the first one I made."
Urban outfitters pants
Doc Martens
Thrifted Lee Cooper shirt
Thrifted bag
Headscarf by Layla Tag
Zara puffer jacket

Look 8 

"The bag is from the same fabric as the jacket in the very first picture – my grandmother's jacket. There was a long skirt, too big, so I made it fit me. The leftover fabric became the bag.”Zara mesh top
Littletee bag
Moroccan Earrings
Thrifted Heels
Weld Nas shirt
Dress by Layla Tag
Moschino Velvet Pants
Thrifted jacket