HAIR WRAPS
Hi there! I'm Teresa, the owner of Texture Clothing. I was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. While I do not come from a crafty household, I somehow developed a passion for textile arts. I was hand sewing clothes for my Barbies until about the age of 12, when my parents bought me my first sewing machine. In the early 90s, whilst working on a BA in Biblical Studies in a Seattle suburb, I started my first business offering hair wraps (macramed cotton thread around a very small braid of hair) to anyone with locks longer than 4”. My team and I would set up at street fairs and music festivals all over the Greater Seattle area. (Sidenote: if you got a hair wrap between 1992 and 2008, it was most likely from me!)
HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS
I wanted to support my fellow vendors and purchase their handmade clothing but the majority of it just didn’t fit my body. I had gained a lot of weight due to an (at the time undiagnosed) autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I was extremely uncomfortable in my skin and exercise made me look like an over ripe tomato, ready to pop. I wore unflattering, baggy clothing, that I often made for myself.
A PASSION FOR TEXTILES
Along with textile work, I had a passion for working with teenagers. I was working with teens and their families, for the Lutheran Church of British Columbia, when I decided to take some night classes. I learned about pattern drafting, garment construction, and fashion design. After obtaining a Certificate of Fashion Arts, I went on to study Textiles Arts. I learned a lot about dyeing, weaving, tapestry, and spinning, but I realized that I would need to move on, before finishing that certificate.
CLOTHING TO FIT CURVES
Looking back, I realize that I intuitively noticed a gap in the market. Small designers tend to make clothing for their body types and all of my colleagues were thin framed hippies. I would try on an XL and it would not fit me. Texture Clothing was born out of desire to construct clothing that fit my particular pear shaped curves. I wanted to offer the rest of us some options.
PERSONAL MISSION
Overall, I strive to be loving and be kind to myself and others. I feel a moral obligation to pass on a portion of our profits to organizations who align with my values. In all areas of my life I have been drawn to recycling and striving towards zero waste. I find 'Lean Manufacturing' or the Kaisen Method interesting, and I am intrigued by to the puzzle of production management. I enjoy locating problems and looking for solutions.
- Teresa Remple, creator of Texture Clothing
OUR STORY
LOVE
We believe in focusing on love. All are welcome here, regardless of race, color, gender, size, shape, occupation, political affiliation, or religion. With so much fear and hate in the world it’s easy to get pulled down by negativity. Love is a verb, and we believe that making the choice to actively love is the power that can help us rise above the rest. Our clothing is made from the best things to help you focus on the important things. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
CONSTRUCTIVE CONSUMPTION
We believe in making thoughtful purchases. We don’t want to sell you something you don’t need, that won’t hold value in your life or breathe life into your wardrobe. We don’t want to contribute to the ‘fast-fashion’ consumption culture. Sometimes we want to buy something to mark a time, experience, or relationship we want to remember. Other times we use “retail therapy” to distract us from the things we don’t want to remember. Perhaps we don’t really have the money, but we put it on credit anyway. We want to encourage you to live in a deliberate way: ask yourself if this item will bring you joy. Ask yourself if you have an actual need for the item and if you can see yourself using it. Texture Clothing is about positivity, not pressuring you into anything. We produce long lasting high quality clothing that wants to be wanted! If you purchase something from us, prepare to have that item in your life for a long while! : )
POSITIVE BODY IMAGE
We believe in celebrating our bodies by treating them with respect. Are any of us perfect at this? No. Do we all have bad days along with the good? Of course. Let’s keep moving forward with loving our bodies anyways! We have so many customers who enter our space and talk about the attributes they don’t like about their bodies. We had no idea that there were people who don’t like their knees, or their shoulders! It’s really made us pay attention to how we talk about our own bodies. After hearing so many gorgeous people put down their bodies, we have different feelings about the parts of our bodies that we used to fixate on. But we are all uniquely imperfect, so let’s come together in support to celebrate that fact!
We hope that all the people who step foot in our shopping spaces or visit our website feel safe and free from judgement. Our goal is that your piece(s) of Texture Clothing will add forward momentum in your journey to wholly love and accept yourself.