Welcome to Tamper Me This, the story of Tamper Sustainable Fashion. My name is Gia and I'm the proprietor of this business. I just finished renovating my studio space and I'm now in the process of designing and making prototypes of the products I'll eventually be selling - recycled, fairly-traded and sustainably produced fashion and accessories.
Here's a little bit about me. I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts (Interdisciplinary) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2004. Then I moved to Japan to teach English for a few years to get some perspective and to get out of debt. After that I taught for some months in Turkey and since I was doing it anyway I figured I might as well get qualified so I moved back to Canada and got my BEd from the University of Ottawa. I spent the last two school years teaching in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec in a fly-in Inuit community called Inukjuak on the Hudson Bay (a shout out to any of my old students or co-workers if you're reading this).
So why the change in career? Well, I had some health problems in my last year up north and I decided to make health - in every sense of the word - a priority. That meant a lifestyle change: less moving, more community, less stress, more joy. I got myself a dog and started walking everyday. I think I could write a book about all the things I learned from my dog, but I'm sure somebody has already done that. The long and the short of it is that we need a lot of the same things and taking care of her helped me take care of me. Taking care of me meant coming home to Nova Scotia to be with my family and friends. It also meant finding a way to get out of my head and work with my hands.
The name Tamper is about reclaiming our little mistakes. We trip, we fall, we tamper on our way to where we're going, and on the way we often end up somewhere else. At least that's how I got here in a grand scheme sort of way, but also in my private little ways. I keep tampering away turning wool sweaters into felted slippers and feathers into earrings.
3 comments:
Great introduction and great name, Gia! Looking forward to seeing all of your creations!
Yeah Gia! Good luck with this amazing venture. [Do you know Stephanie Moreau? She's got a store in Amherst specializing in this kind of thing - would be a great market for you: http://www.amherstdaily.com/Living/Fashion/2009-01-09/article-371229/Feel-the-difference/1]
Awesome story. I think you've done some amazing things in your journey to gain perspective. I am in agreement that having a dog adds so much to your quality of life and perspective. I look forward to following your blog!
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