What TALTOHMA Means to Me

TALTOHMA has never been just a brand to me. It is a living testimony of my becoming, a bridge between my childhood memories, my womanhood, and my creative journey. If you have ever held a piece of our work or felt the quiet confidence that comes with wearing waist beads, then you have touched a piece of my story.

Waist beads, unlike many modern trends, are not merely fashion to us. They carry memory, identity, spirituality, sensuality, and lineage. They hold a woman’s transitions, emotions, and intentions. They document her private growth in ways words sometimes cannot. To build a brand around something so intimate required honesty, ancestry, and an understanding of my own journey. Taltohma is the embodiment of all three.

How It Began

Taltohma did not begin as a business idea. It began as a lifeline. After giving birth to my son, I entered a quiet, heavy season that many women know but often struggle to articulate. Postpartum depression arrived silently and sat with me longer than I expected. My camera, which had always been an extension of my spirit, suddenly felt distant. The creativity that once grounded me evaporated. I felt suspended between responsibilities, emotions, and the unfamiliarity of my new body.

In the midst of that stillness, a childhood memory of my grandmother returned with clarity. I remembered how she tied waist beads on us when we were little, how her hands moved with intention, how she believed beads protected, affirmed, adorned, and anchored a girl in her identity. That memory softened something inside me. I picked up beads again, not out of ambition but out of need. My hands began to string what my heart could not yet say.

Each strand felt like a step toward myself. The fog lifted gradually. Ideas returned. Confidence resurfaced. Creativity awakened. Waist beading became the therapy that held me when language failed. It rekindled my artistry and helped me find my way back into photography with renewed clarity and purpose.

Taltohma was born from healing, legacy, and rediscovery. What started as an escape became a voice. What began as memory became mission. Today, every bead we create carries that truth.

What TALTOHMA Represents

Taltohma honours the heritage of African women; the tenderness of our bodies and the power of our stories. The brand exists at the intersection of culture and contemporary womanhood. It celebrates adornment not as vanity, but as language. Our strands speak for the modern working-class woman, the diaspora woman building across continents, and every woman reclaiming parts of herself that the world taught her to silence.

Our work is minimalist, intentional, and symbolic. Every design is crafted with meaning because I believe that waist beads are more than accessories. They are intimate companions, keepers of transformation, markers of growth, and reflections of identity. Taltohma exists to elevate that experience.

Why I Continue to Build TALTOHMA

The brand is more than craft. It is community and impact. Through Taltohma, young adults are trained and supported to build financial stability and confidence. Through custom designs, women tell their stories. Through our signature strands, we preserve culture. And through the business itself, my grandmother’s lessons continue to breathe.

TALTOHMA is a home for heritage, art, womanhood, and storytelling. It is the place where my photography, my artistry, and my lived experiences meet. And it remains my reminder that purpose often hides in the quiet places we are forced to slow down and listen.

What It Means To You

Every woman who wears our beads becomes part of this story. Part of this lineage. Part of this movement. As you adorn yourself with our work, you are not just wearing a product. You are wearing intention, care, culture, and craftsmanship. You are wearing strands that were born from healing and shaped with love.

If you are curious to explore this world further, visit our shop and discover the designs curated with you in mind. Whether you prefer signature strands, custom-made designs, or waist beads for wellness, we have something crafted to meet your journey. Your next strand may be more than adornment. It may be a reminder, a return, or a renewal.

Happy Beading,

Vera( Artist,Photographer, Craft Instructor @Taltohma)