Let Her Cook

Do you know what you’re wearing to dinner next Thursday? Try having to forecast outfit trends for 2027 already.

That’s a challenge that Florida native Tira Kelly, the fashion designer behind the new label Tira Cooks, has faced head-on. 

“There is no sitting in fashion. It’s always, ‘What’s next?’ But that’s why I always remind myself: That’s not what Tira Cooks is,” said Kelly. Her intention is to craft timeless fashions that won’t go out of style.

As a Philly transplant who moved to the city five years ago — but who also went to college close by — Kelly said that she couldn’t be happier to start her business here, hit the ground running, and make her mark. 

And it’s working. 

Even though Tira Cooks is less than a year old, Kelly has already received her first grant — the Illuminate the Arts Grant — which was created by the Philadelphia City Council in 2021 “to aid in the creative sector’s recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Creative Philadelphia’s website. She got the award in December. 

How fitting.

Kelly was encouraged by her high-school-sweetheart-turned-wife — and now business partner — to follow her dreams, which started by learning to sew during the pandemic.

As home crafts started becoming more accessible, so did the idea behind her brand.

“I always say it’s about self-expression, and I try to pick patterns and colors that make you command a room gracefully, flattering with every curve, but still a little modest,” explained Kelly. 

As a kid who grew up a stone’s throw from Disney World, Kelly credits the whimsy and fantasy of the fireworks, and the beautiful city lights, for much of her inspiration.

Kelly says she was always the kid who wore bright things over her school uniform to be “different.” And when she started her nursing career after college, she knew that scrubs were simply not for her. 

It’s not all about style, though.

“I love designing, but I really love learning the business of it. You can have really great designs, but if you don’t know your target audience, your business will fail.”

While in college, Kelly worked in sales merchandising for premium retail brands like Versace and Michael Kors, so even after school, pivoting back to fashion was quite natural. 

“You go to the safest option for schooling,” Kelly reflected. “Pays the bills, makes family happy — which is a terrible reason to be in a job — but I learned how it should be, working with other people in how to run a corporate company.”

While Tira Cooks does not have a brick-and-mortar store at the moment, various items are slated to hit boutiques, such as Maison in the Philly Fashion District, soon.

Currently, you can find a few staple pieces from Kelly’s line on her website, including a loose-fitting farmers’ market pullover dress with deep pockets in a variety of colors, and flared high-waisted Palazzo pants sure to turn heads.

While Kelly has loved fashion since she was a little girl, she also loves cooking — with a passion. Any time she goes somewhere, she tries to go to a new eatery, whether a hole-in-the-wall cafe, an historic local bakery or a new restaurant.

“Tira Cooks used to be … I thought I was going to be making recipes. I made a cookbook, I still have it, but it was not sustainable,” said Kelly. “I did the market research, talked to restaurant owners and asked if I should do this, and they said absolutely not — do something else. But I still kept the name.”

As a new solo entrepreneur in the learning and growing phase of her business, Kelly hopes that her collection will become available in a range of boutiques so that it’s more easily accessible. (Currently, it’s available online.)  

She’s excited that some of the fabrics in her latest collection, “Technicolor Beneath the Surface,” are from local mills and stores in the area. 

Kelly admitted that she was a little nervous to be a part of February’s Philly Fashion Week, but she hasn’t let that stop her. 

“I’m just excited to show my friends and family and customers what I have to offer.” 

Kelly hopes Tira Cooks becomes the next generation’s leading fashion brand, and also a part of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, which is both a selective professional organization and an events organization that coordinates Paris Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week.

But for right now, Kelly says that her goal is to have her clothes “pop.” She wants anyone who experiences Tira Cooks to get a hit of dopamine and a smile on their face — whether the wearer or the viewer — from the second her pieces walk through the door. 

No matter who is wearing her clothes, if that happiness is contagious and memorable, Tira Cooks did its job.

One of One

While Kelly hopes to enter the expansion phase of her business soon — having several sizes at the ready in stores — she currently has fashions available to peruse on her website and goes to each customer to take measurements to create one-of-a-kind Tira Cooks pieces. 

Generations of Sewing

One surprise that has connected Kelly to the craft of fashion has been generational hobbies and skills that have apparently gotten passed down. “I told my dad that we were taking this seriously, and then one day he randomly texted me that my grandmother sews and made all her going-out clothes in New York City, and that my great-grandmother worked in a sewing factory,” Kelly shared.

Fashion-Week Fast Fact

Models hit the runway to show off 13 Tira Cooks pieces during Philly Fashion Week.