As you guys know, we have recently launched TSJwear – our own clothing brand, where each piece features a photo of New Zealand, taken by Alex. Today I wanted to let you know a little more about the story behind this new side project of our blog.
Alex always had a huge interest in fashion and at times when we both were working in Cosmopolitan and were traveling to fashion weeks in Italy, Latvia, Russia, Uzbekistan, etc. he was the first to notice similarities in different collections and to figure out upcoming trends. I only had to listen carefully and to write smart texts as if it was my idea, haha 🙂
Not long after we started this blog, he began thinking about our own clothing line. We never wanted to call ourselves ‘designers’, of course. Just like with journalism, we’re firm believers, that you shouldn’t enter this industry without a proper education. But creating something that would tie travel blog and our interest in fashion together sounded just too tempting!
Anyways, it wasn’t before we explored New Zealand enough and collected many awesome pictures, that it finally clicked and Alex came up with an idea to use his photos as prints on clothing. That was it! That was what we both were super keen to do. The process of choosing photos and turning them into prints sounded like lots of fun and we couldn’t wait to see (and to wear!) the final result. That’s how TSJwear was born. Like everything we produce, it inherited ‘TSJ’ – acronym for ‘theStyleJungle’ – in it’s name.
From the very beginning we agreed that we won’t go too far with the design. Again, we’re not designers and never wanted to pretend like we are. We’re using basic T-shirts, backpacks and hoodies but make them special and more personal by adding our unique prints.
Prints are the most important part of this whole project for us. And I kid you not, choosing just a few from tons of photos was such a nightmare 🙂 Of course, we immediately agreed on Mount Maunganui print. How can we launch a brand without devoting at least one print to our beautiful home town?
Unfortunately, this photo wasn’t suitable for all-over prints, that we always wanted to do. That’s how now iconic Rotorua all-over print was born.
Kaikoura backpack was my personal request. We didn’t plan to use South Island photos in the first collection at all, neither did we plan to do backpacks. But if this gal wants something, she gets it 🙂 This backpack turned out so nicely that we decided to add both the print and the backpack to our collection.
Waihi beach was last but not least add-on to TSJwear launch collection. And of course, we just HAD to put photo of this gorgeous beach on a swimsuit 🙂 This is probably my favourite piece of the whole collection now. Seriously, this swimsuit is so good and comfy I even wore it as a tank top to cafes and supermarkets a few times. Weirdo, I know, but the point is – this swimsuit is awesome!
Honestly, I doubt we ever were so proud of something we’ve created! Fashion weeks, cover photoshoots, amazing collaborations, the most beautiful destinations and all those incredible talents we’ve met and interviewed around the globe – our journey with this blog is nothing but epic. But working on this collection and seeing it live is simply the next level! And we wanted to thank all of you for the incredible support you’re showing to TSJwear. Thanks guys! We’re happy to share our love to this beautiful country with you and we hope these pieces will make you smile.
TSJwear website: shoptsj.com
TSJwear Instagram: @tsjwear
