DARIA BAMBALINA

Daria Bambalina — brand strategist, founder of TAITH and newly appointed ambassador of Pigmentarium — is a voice worth following, whether you seek inspiration or wish to dismantle the tired and rather misplaced Czech stereotype that Poland has brought nothing cool to the table. Daria is a perceptive businesswoman, yet her work rests primarily on her ability to tell timely stories and on a finely tuned instinct for style. She operates at the intersection of aesthetics, the psychology of desire and business architecture. Someone who doesn’t just create products — she builds emotional systems around them. She founded, built and successfully sold a fashion brand — only to create a new one a year later. The Polish brand TAITH produces candles that have become sought-after design objects worldwide.

We enjoyed exploring her views on what will define 2026, what we should truly understand about Poland, and how she sees Prague. And, of course, what she wears on her skin. (You can safely assume Pigmentarium enters the conversation).

How would you introduce yourself in one sentence to someone who has never heard of you?
I build aesthetic systems — brands, objects, and atmospheres — that translate emotion into structure.


How would you define your personal style? Perhaps also in the context of what you consider essential for someone to truly have style.
Classy, but slightly grunge. I like structure, tailoring, clean silhouettes — but I always need a small disruption. Something undone. A masculine element. A texture that feels lived in. For me, true style isn’t about looking polished. It’s about tension. When elegance meets nonchalance. When something is beautiful — but not trying too hard. Style begins with self-awareness, but it becomes interesting when you allow a bit of imperfection.


What excites you most about your own brand, Taith? How does it intertwine with your view of the world?
What excites me most about TAITH is that it’s not ordinary. It doesn’t try to behave. It’s playful, a little ironic, sometimes unexpected — but always intentional. I don’t like products that are too polite. I like personality. A slight twist. TAITH reflects how I see the world: beauty should have character. Atmosphere should have movement. Even minimalism can smile. For me, playfulness is a form of intelligence.

What do you think is the most interesting trend right now — one that’s truly worth following?
The rise of intelligent hedonism. People are done with quiet luxury being quiet. They want pleasure — but elevated. Texture. Sensory drama. Bold interiors. Statement objects. Emotional fashion. We’re entering an era where minimalism is no longer cold — it’s confident. Where design isn’t about fitting in, but about creating a mood so strong it becomes contagious.
The most interesting trend right now? Atmosphere as status. Not logos. Not price tags. Energy.


What do you find most interesting and exciting about the approach to fashion, design, and style in contemporary Poland? What is worth exploring and discovering?
Poland right now is incredibly self-aware. There’s a generation that understands both heritage and modernity. The most exciting part is the confidence — not copying Paris, not chasing Milan, but building its own codes. What’s worth discovering? The independent designers. The new-wave hospitality scene. The way Eastern European melancholy is turning into elegance.


Where do you go when you’re looking for inspiration and a fresh boost of energy? What feels relevant and powerful to you right now?
Nature first. Always. Cold air. Sea horizon. Silence. But intellectually — I go into psychology, neuromarketing, archetypes. I’m deeply interested in why we want what we want. Desire is my research field. Right now what feels powerful is restraint. Clean forms. Emotional precision.


What’s the current soundtrack to your days?
The main soundtrack from The Matrix. It gives me this clean, futuristic focus. Slight tension. Slight detachment. It makes even emails feel cinematic.


What do fragrances mean to you? How do you choose them, wear them, and switch between them — and what do you consider essential in a scent? What are you looking for in a fragrance?
Fragrance is architecture for the invisible. I don’t wear perfume to impress — I wear it to stabilize a mood. To anchor a version of myself. I look for tension in a scent. Something clean but slightly dangerous. Light with depth. Air with shadow. I switch fragrances like chapters.


Which Pigmentarium fragrance are you wearing right now, and how do you experience it?
Right now I’m wearing Erotikon. It feels intimate but intelligent. There’s warmth, but it’s not obvious. It doesn’t try to seduce — it assumes you’re already close enough to notice. I like fragrances that don’t perform. They unfold.

If you’ve been to Prague or visited us, what do you love here? Places, people, music, writing, food… anything that creates a sense of connection.
I love:
Café Savoy for its old-world elegance
Letná Park for perspective and air
Eska for restrained, intelligent cuisine
Ankali for minimal electronic nights
Prague feels cinematic, but not dramatic. It’s introspective. Slightly mysterious. Controlled.


Is there something interesting about you that isn’t widely known — but should be? :))
I’m very very lazy. But selectively. I refuse to waste energy on anything that doesn’t align with long-term positioning. If something doesn’t build the architecture of what I’m creating — I simply don’t move. It looks like laziness. It’s actually filtration. I look very controlled, but I actually make a lot of impulsive decisions — especially when it comes to travel or creative ideas. If something feels right, I move fast. I believe overthinking kills magic.


What are you working on at the moment?
I’m bringing TAITH into tableware. I’m interested in how scent, object, and dining rituals intersect — how a table can become a fully designed sensory field. Less product. More atmosphere you can sit inside.