by Anika Jain (’22) | November 19, 2021

A breeding ground for creativity and ambition, Saint Francis hosts students with a variety of aspirations from art to entrepreneurship. In the past year, Pujita Tangirala (’22), whom you may know for her eclectic talents in music and journalism, has combined her passions for art and fashion in an exciting new endeavor: her own clothing brand. 

Tangirala first gravitated toward creating her own art last October and decided to sell her designs at the beginning of her senior year. “I didn’t really start with the idea of making clothes,” she shared. “I started making art, which was a really sudden thing for me, because it was an instant moment of inspiration.”

Entitled Recollectiions, the brand includes Tangirala’s original prints on a variety of clothing and accessories. She added, “I showed [my art] to a couple people, and they liked it, so I started posting on social media. People started telling me, ‘Hey, this would look cool on clothes and stickers.’ That’s when I started changing from media to fashion.” She decided upon the name Recollectiions because she found the definition to be appealing: “It means memories.”

Released on August 4, her Fall 2021 collection was a success. Tangirala expressed her excitement about others’ reactions to her clothing brand: “It’s been really cool because I see a lot more people interested in my designs. It’s something they can buy and own and wear. It’s also been really cool to see people around school wearing my designs.”

She also divulged ventures she has in store for the future: “I’m moving onto my next collection for Spring 2022. I have a big sweatshirt project, and I’m also planning to design some earrings.” 

Regardless of her college plans, Tangirala is confident that art will remain a permanent part in her life: “My goal is to hopefully create something even bigger one day.”