T H E
Shannon Tennyson
C R E A T I V E S
FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT CALZICO, CALZICO.COM How did you get started with fashion?
My family recalls my middle school days of coming home with a new ‘treasure’ from the local vintage store. While I always appreciated having my own sense of style, I really didn’t gravitate to the fashion industry or worry too much about trends. That changed when my daughter [Callie Reece Tennyson] was 8. She took an interest in fashion and began sketching designs. Where do you go to get things done? For Calzico, I work from anywhere and nowhere in particular. Some nights, you’ll catch me pondering fabric swatches while enjoying a glass of wine. What’s the story behind the name? There were a lot of suggestions and brainstorms. In the end, it was my spouse [Robert Tennyson] that suggested Calzico and it stuck – it’s named after our daughter Callie and the original idea of a zipskirt – a skirt with a removable layer that unzips. Like mother, like daughter? My daughter provides input later in the process for final fabric selections, design details and fit (e.g. collar heights, closure suggestions and so on). “Mom, I have an idea…” and “what if this…” is how many of these conversations go in our house. Right now, your inspiration is? My travels (e.g. local textiles and women wearing geometric and painterly patterns and bright colors). From a design perspective, Calzico is largely inspired by classic styles but with an added convertible and reversible contemporary twist. Who is making the garments? We are fortunate to be located in an area rich in textile history. Our production partner is an employee-owned sew shop near Morganton that will cut and sew all our garments. We like knowing who is making our pieces and appreciate their commitment to recycling and repurposing textile waste.
In order to begin the first full production run of the Spring/Summer 2017 Launch Collection, Calzico is running a November Kickstarter campaign. Backers can agree to back the project by purchasing an award (i.e. a Calzico product) for future delivery when the production run is completed in early 2017. November 2016 chapelhillmagazine.com
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