The Success of Tengdahl Australia
The well-known Queensland designer, Julie Tengdahl has come a long
way since her days in the small rural suburb of Canon Hill, Brisbane. From her
years working in a bridal salon and as a fitness instructor to having three
successful stores in Brisbane’s most engaging suburbs, Tengdahl reflects on her
fashion-designing career. She admits it hasn’t been all glitz and glamour.
Fashion wasn’t always Tengdahl’s first choice when it came to her
career. A determined student, she says that she can pinpoint the beginning of
her career when she attended her college typing class in an outfit she had
created herself the night before. Tengdahl recalls that as soon as she saw her
teacher, she was told she was “in the wrong career” and that she “should be
switching as soon as I can”. She explains that moment as starting her off into a completely different direction of where her career was heading.
Still 17 years old and living at home, whilst her mother was a
talented dressmaker and a tremendous influence on her life, she had never
considered a career in fashion. At the time, Tengdahl was working as a fitness
instructor at the local gym. However, shortly after the “1980’s fitness boom” as
she calls it, she began selling aerobic gear she had made herself. She explains this is where her flare for fashion began.
Tengdahl’s fashion career began with her work at bridal salon,
Dion’s, while studying part-time at college. The experience enabled Tengdahl to
discover her fascination for luxurious fabrics. She adds, “making bridal gowns
gave me a really good grasp of couture because they were outfits for each
individual woman”.
Inspired by the individuality, Tengdahl moved into the fitness
industry, designing her own fitness brand labelled Sunfit, which consisted mainly of triathlon clothing.
Following this she moved into mainstream fashion, starting a
business with her friend entitled Principles
Pty Ltd. The partnership was a business-savvy match adding that her partner
was “a model and very connected in the industry whilst I had the technical
skills of sewing and an extensive knowledge of fabrics”. It was there that Tengdahl
found her passion for designing mainstream fashion. She thought the fashion
industry was lacking, and needed “…
a market for girls wanting an outfit that wasn’t a black suit…it was a very
masculine world…there was only black and navy offered with a white shirt”.
Tengdahl and her partner, who shared the same passion for dressing women, decided
to design creative outfits with brighter colours, which were more fashion
orientated.
Despite their success, the partnership
soon dissolved as Tengdahl recalls feeling unhappy with the direction of the
label and feeling a shift in her own designing capabilities. Shortly after, at
32 years old, in a time where, “the designer was the brand and people had a
direct connection with the designer ”, Tengdahl launched her self-titled business
named Tengdahl Australia.
Tengdahl in her designing showroom
Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/08/22/59881_local-news.html
Whilst
owning her own business can be very stressful at times, Tengdahl says that over
the years, she has become accustomed to the chaos and calm nature of the
industry. However, she does admit that, “It is stressful when I put a
collection out and I put myself out there on the catwalk, that’s very exposing
but also very challenging and rewarding”.
Source: http://tengdahl.com/portal/index.php
Moreover, when asked where she gathers her inspiration from, she
responds, “just being observant and looking at colours, street life…fashion is
a reflection of your identity and an expression of your personality… so its
about stepping back, viewing, soaking it up and creating it back into a garment”.
An outfit from Tengdahl Australia's previous collections
Source: http://tengdahl.com/portal/index.php
Every successful fashion designer has a
purpose for his or her creations and Tengdahl is no different. She says it is
“always to make women shine and feel beautiful, to produce beautiful pieces
with integrity, act with integrity with my business skills and I think I’ve
always done that which is why my brand is still successful”.
In terms of
her dream goal, Tengdahl says it has been the same as it always has been, to
align with her purpose. To be, “successful, stay in the business, to love
looking after women and making them shine, making them feel beautiful about
themselves by putting a lovely garment on them and seeing how their chemistry
changes by a new outfit”.
Despite the
international economic crisis, Tengdahl says she will make sure the future of
her business does not suffer. Her future plans include, “building up a
marketing strategy for an online business”. Due to the fact that Tengdahl may
be one of the few brands that manufacture and retail in Brisbane, she hopes
that, “continuing to work on creating beautiful clothing and an online business
will open me up globally”.
When asked
if Tengdahl thinks the fashion industry has changed over the years, the answer
is a resounding yes. She adds, with the ever-expanding nature of the industry,
the development of the online shopping phenomenon has opened the fashion industry
up to the world as customers. On a more personal level, Tengdahl says that “…fashion
keeps on evolving and each year you pick up things from the past… it’s about
creating something new from things that have succeeded in the past”. According
to Tengdahl, every designer should have a constant piece in his or her
collection, which never goes out of style.
Furthermore, with the recent developments of
the industry, Tengdahl says the future of the fashion industry will be online
as well. Not only is the World Wide Web making fashion brands accessible to
consumers in remote areas, but it is also providing small brands like Tengdahl
Australia with the exposure they need. However, she adds, “fashion is about
connection, people will still want to be connected to their local stores for
the experience of shopping and the advice you receive from a retail assistant… retail
will never be phased out”.
While there is no doubt that exciting things
are on the horizon for this Brisbane designer, Tengdahl says her next
collection will be focused around the upcoming trends. She adds that she is
gathering inspiration from magazines and the Internet to deliver a collection
with an “Italian feel of bright colours, flowing fabrics...whilst still taking
shapes from previous collections”.
Tengdahl has been extremely successful
in her career, however she admits when she was younger; she never imagined her
life would take this path. “I
wanted to be successful when I was young but at that point I didn’t know how I
was going to be successful and how I was going to make my mark in the world,”
Tengdahl says. She adds with a smile, “I’m really happy with what I have
achieved, it has been far greater than my thoughts”.
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