Talia Castellano is only 13, but she’s already been featured on PEOPLE and on Ellen, been made an honorary CoverGirl — and her YouTube channel has garnered more than 40 million views.
She has also been fighting cancer for nearly half her life, and is back in the hospital getting further treatment after deciding against a bone marrow transplant last year.
But Talia isn’t going to let these setbacks keep her from pursuing her two loves: makeup and fashion. After getting tons of attention for her instructional makeup videos (she coined the slogan “Makeup Is My Wig”), she turned her attention to pursuing a clothing line, called “That Bald Chick,” with designer Urbana Chappa.
“I saw Talia on the Ellen show and I was very touched by her story,” Chappa tells PEOPLE of their collaboration. “Being a cancer survivor, it was close to home for me … I saw on her bucket list she wanted to be a designer, so I decided to help her do it. When she got the email she was so excited … When I was in Florida these past days revealing the collection, her heart monitor beeped so fast because she was so happy about seeing her designs come to life.”
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Talia, who has also been pursuing her love of style via “fashion haul” vlogs, says of this new opportunity, “I don’t think it’s been challenging, its been fun. I never made a switch. I think makeup is fashion and fashion is makeup.”
Says Chappa of their partnership, “I didn’t feel I was working with a teenager! She has a great work ethic [and] she knows what she likes. If she doesn’t like it she will tell you!” The two worked together picking out just the right materials to use for the designs, which you can see them showing off (including Talia’s favorite piece, the jean jacket) in her Florida hospital room, below.
When the pieces are finally produced, Talia tells us she’d like to pair the jacket with a high-waisted circle skirts and one of her Ban.Dos. And she has big plans for the line: “I’d like to see it in Paris and Target!” she says.
That Bald Chick is currently headed into production, so keep an eye out for its debut collection within the next few months — and keep an eye on her YouTube channel, where we’re sure she’ll be providing updates. Then tell us: What do you think of Tali’s story?
–Alex Apatoff
Courtesy Talia Castellano
