About Justine
Where it all began
My grandfather was an East End tailor, dress making is in my blood. After graduating from the Royal College of Art, where I studied Fashion and Textiles, my career has spanned the catwalks of Italy to the commercial demands of the British high street.
Passionate about what this country has to offer, I've put my heart back into Britain to design a sustainable ‘modern romantic’ womenswear collection. More than just style, my clothes tell stories of real people, the places and the makers behind them.
Seven years on, I’ve grown from a kitchen table business to a fully fledged small talented team based in a studio in Newington Green, east London (just around the corner from where my grandfather lived!) We design, create and develop every product in house and we work hand in hand with our local makers to turn our designs into beautiful reality.
We hope you find our styles ‘keepers’, the dresses in your wardrobe that you pull out time and again for years to come.
Doing things differently
I’ve always believed that fashion should be joyful—a celebration of beauty, creativity, and individuality—without harming the world around us. But during my early career in fast fashion, I saw firsthand the industry’s darker side. It’s no secret that fashion is one of the most polluting industries, generating mountains of waste and harmful chemicals. Beyond the environmental impact, there’s also a human cost—global brands often rely on cheap labour to produce endless cycles of low-cost, disposable clothing, creating a harmful race to the bottom.
In 2018, I founded Justine Tabak to do things differently. We proudly joined the ‘slow fashion’ movement, focusing on small-batch production of beautifully crafted clothes. By manufacturing locally in the heart of London, I’m able to know the talented people behind every piece we create. For us, it’s about making fashion that not only looks and feels good but also respects both people and the planet—because there’s a better way to dress, and we’re committed to it.
My Designs
Designs are simple, charming, practical and pretty with a touch of romance thrown in; often inspired by vintage finds but with the ease of modern cut, shape and fabric. Pieces to cherish and wear time and again. In keeping with the British weather, clothes are trans seasonal, introduced across the year to be layered and styled as you feel fit.
Pieces to cherish and wear time and again in the spirit of slow fashion.
Inspired, fashioned and made entirely in the British Isles.
