A halo of spirituality and social responsibility surrounds everything Tina Frey touches. This commitment manifests in the designer’s work – every collection is imbued with the spirit of the times, the place and its creator’s emotional state.
The inescapable current context has had a significant influence on TF Design‘s new models. Its usual neutrals, whites, blacks and nudes have given way to a much more vivid explosion of colour, born of a desire to seize life and be carried away by joy. The result is particularly distinctive in the Loopy collection, whose tones pulse with energy: “The bright grass green colour was something that needed to be brought into the collection. Then I thought I needed something else, just as strong, to go with it. Springtime colours like pinks and yellows are like little bursts of happiness. I feel like everyone needs a little of this on their minds right now to feel good again.”
More lively than ever, Tina’s creations are faithful reflections of the place where they were created: the USA’s West Coast, in the sun-kissed state of California. “I love it here because we’ve got the ocean, but also the forests with giant sequoias and trees all around. There’s this energy that comes from nature; you can’t see it, but your body feels it.” Santa Barbara – specifically, Montecito – is the first city to host one of the brand’s flagship stores, which will remain there until May
Then, Tina will pack it all up and head to the Hamptons in New York, where she will set up a new pop-up: “It’ll be in a store we’ve worked with before; they’ve stocked our products for a long time. I thought it’d be a good transition to move from one coast to the other. The space has a very similar aesthetic to what we created in Montecito, so I thought it’d be good for us to present ourselves to a different audience.”
Tina, ever bold, proves every day that the courage with which she left her career in finance to dedicate herself to her true calling remains intact. “I love the contrast of the sculpted shapes, and the clean, contemporary lines also. Even though the Moderna collection is essentially designed to be made in 3D, the pieces are moulded and cast by hand, thus preserving that hand-crafted nature. The fact that it’s hand-finished means that every piece features unique differences.”
The colours, shapes and materials are TF Designs’ calling cards. Fifteen years after the firm’s launch, Tina still sees their origins in her childhood: “I’ve always been very interested in design. I think the creative side really comes from my dad. He always liked building things as a hobby. In fact, he built all the furniture in my room. My favourite colour was – and still is – yellow, so my desk had yellow knobs on the drawers. It was truly wonderful.”
