WHO IS TINA GIVENS?
Welcome...
HISTORY
My history is both unique and ordinary. Born in Zimbabwe my childhood consisted of an African landscape, unsettling politics and mixed cultures. My family were immigrants into Africa from the UK and Cypress, and then to Canada. My grandparents were both Greek and English, my father was born in Africa, my mom England, so steeped in tradition, culture and a little bit of ordinary chaos. I come from a history of hardworking entrepreneurs, who encouraged open minded creativity. I carry dear to me, their memories and stories. My father, a genius and self taught, ran his own apparel business both as a hands-on manufacturer and as an importer in his new home, Canada. He is an entrepreneur through and through, who's discipline in running his businesses has been an education all in itself. He leads a loving life with my mother who both brought my sister and I up to be independent and strong women.
1982As a family we left Africa when I was 17 years old.
SEWING PATTERNS
2010 While my fabrics did well in the quilt industry I decided, like many textile designers, to launch sewing patterns to encourage fabric sales. They work in tandem. So 2010 TG Design launched sewing patterns! Coordinating with fabric releases this was a fabulous way to share with the sewing community how to use the fabrics. I designed fun garments and accessories for children mostly, because the fabrics are so vibrant and fun.
APPAREL COLLECTION
As a child I spent many days in our sewing room. My mom had one of those machines that rotated back into the little cupboard/desk it sat on. The machine was in a playroom which shared a ping pong table. That was my cutting table... I sewed and sewed, and in my room I painted and beaded. A craft little African girl I loved losing myself in my projects. Or I was at Ballet, school or with my gigantic extended family which was so beautiful!
2012 I decided it was time for me to dabble in offering my personal style in the way of finished garments. The objective and mission for this was to utilize a cottage industry business model of seamstresses and other contractors to sew and bead up a collection of hand crafted beauties. The collection is unique and I have a specific design point of view because it has always been a personal statement. And it has been a wonderful and crazy ride. We are currently in 120 exclusive and gorgeous boutiques in USA and Canada. I have met the most amazing men and women in the industry and I feel on top of the moon for putting it all out there. I encourage you to passionately put your art or craft out there for everyone to see. There's a sort of life satisfaction for doing so.
​
"It doesn't matter if your art or craft is successful or not. In the end, it will stand on it's own merit because you did it. "
​
TODAY
TINA GIVENS apparel is now being manufactured in USA and India, and we have experienced much change in the current uncertain times of tariffs and significantly increased costs.
Perhaps a new pivot is in store for the brand. I love to create apparel collections for market, but our consumers' behavior is changing rapidly. And so from a strategic point of view we have to address their needs first.
BACK to sewing patterns
Again, my mission has always been to share, and once the couture collection hit the online airwaves of Pinterest, facebook and other social phenoms.... I received many emails from women around the world asking for sewing patterns.
And so I scratched my head, and wondered if 'my look' would be successfully in a commercial sewing pattern line. And so we launched an online dedicated sewing site, sewtinagivens.com. It gives me such pleasure to hear from women everywhere that this look is for them, that they love themselves in it, that they are sewing again. And loving that side of life!
What a beautiful community of sewers!
​
today
SEWTINAGIVENS.com has a great following of avid and unique women who have been so loyal to our avant-garde brand of sewing.
We developed a club membership program offering video tutorials, free patterns and deep discounts. Fabulously successful, yet again we are nurturing a new path among, now a competitive industry of independent pattern makers, consumer behaviour and more.
INSPIRATION
My inspiration comes naturally from my mixed cultural and global background, but it also comes from my life. Current travel and imagery with a splash of my own crazy imagination. I do love everything simple and sublime like the soft sand on the beach; the feel of soap stone in my hand; I am moved by vintage furniture and old pianos; old pictures and film both old and gorgeous visual film including medieval fantasy, animation and period pieces... The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson is currently filling my head...
As an artist I am drawn to what I love and sometimes my art is personal and not for commercial use. I have wrestled with this as any commercial artist does, however finding the balance so as an artist one does not lose their self, and signature perspective is what it's all about.
As artists we grow and 'improve' and this has been a challenge for me personally. As people we learn, grow, get wiser - and so as artists our art would grow and change. Thus as we shouldn't remain stagnant. And if you have takem your art into business - so our businesses should not remain stagnant. I for one, embrace change, and the wisdom earned - I make sure I am open to learning so I can better navigate where I am taking myself and my business.
My Journey
1988 So with an Economics degree from University in Canada I sort of fell into a position with an Advertising Agency (back then called DDB Needham). An amazing start managing accounts like Audi, Porsche among others. I was not a 'creative' I was a suit. This meant I managed accounts, budgets, client correspondence and coordination, furried briefs through to creative and .. well you get the picture! I yearned to be in the creative department! I soon married and off we went to pursue crazy dreams. I was finally going to launch that apparel line I wanted to. Well life happened and we landed in the midwest where I got the amazing job working for a highly creative individual . He had a vision of taking his traditional ad agency to a creative only entity. And so we set about doing just that, and we did it quick. We had so much fun doing this and then my time was done. Moving to client side I entered a hard core corporate environment thinking the dollars would make up for what I was not creatively pursuing. I burned out after 4 years! And simply stopped.
2000 And then the creative juices set in, we adopted our first child, then had 2 more in one go.. lol. And a year later, 2004, I launched Cid Pear stationery. I don't know if you've heard of this little gem, but encouraged by a friend who is in the business, I started painting again. Took my cards in albums and exhibited at The National Stationery Show in NYC.
2004 And suddenly I was in business printing thousands of cards and paper products for stores on a global basis.
FABRIC DESIGN
Early days in 2006 On a whim I decided that the next phase of Cid Pear stationery was to hit the scrapbook paper market. If you recall this industry was blowing the rooftops off buildings... and so we packed the truck and drove the booth to the Craft & Hobby Association show in Atlanta... Oh my goodness 3 football fields long. And we had our space and no one came to see us because we were in the middle of non-paper suppliers for some reason. And in walks these two lovely people from Westminster Fibers, now FreeSpirit Fabrics. And invited me to design, wait for it, FABRIC! Oh my goodness... I almost fainted!
My tenure with FreeSpirit was an exciting journey and a lovely time. I was honored to be in the same company as Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Tula Pink, of course the incredible Kaffe Fassett and others.
Thoroughly engaged for some time learning the art of preparing for textile printing (a whole other set of skills) I soon landed on my feet as a textile designer.
There is nothing more rewarding than sharing your fabric design and what to do with it in exhibit displays at the International Quilt Markets. It is a beautiful occupation, and I am usually anxious and hystercal at the same time with the new fabrics coming in last minute and whipping up mounds of samples to share!
A wonderful industry to be sure.
Back to stationery
Cid Pear was busy manufacturing quantities of stationery, invitation suites, gift enclosures and more for baby, bridal, everyday and many other categories. We grew and suddenly our economy started changing; all the while we experienced an onslaught of online stationery retailers which brought about much change to the paper wholesale market. This was early 2009 and our sales dropped significantly. Not sitting still I launched a small economical paper collection at half the price of high end CP, and launched a retail online shop to our distribution model. Whew, and again we were flying through the air.
Over the years, Cid Pear grew through much change and as we did, this has been necessary for the brand to continue to thrive. We currently print personalized stationery and other paper products; and we license gift categories to larger companies including CR GIBSON.
C.R. GIBSON
2011 Licensing the full brand to C.R. Gibson allowed us to expose the brand to offer new categories. Home dec, children's games, cards and so much more. Our packaging became so much more and we were actively designing each and every piece with so many details.
​
2014 CR Gibson made a change and started to focus on more mass market licenses in Sports and Game products. And with a personal move from North Carolina to Michigan with young teenagers I shelved Cid Pear to reimagine a new path for the art and magic of the brand.
​
today
Cid Pear is now available for licensing in textiles, childrens games and other categories that fit the brand's voice.
​
artist, designer, dreamer, do-er, A true combination of creativity and business all wrapped into one. A constant thinker, and creator of many things, Tina never stops. She lives, breathes, and executes her imagination as a working artist each day. Not a believer in limitations, or inability she seems to exude constant activity both in her personal and business lives.
--
Mission: To share her creativity in fun and laughter.
TG is a licensed artist for textiles, paper and the gift industry; but also a manufacturer in apparel, and
an independent sewing pattern designer.
online presence
My first endeavor with creating a website was in 1996 when I was home from my corporate life, a new adopted mom and impatiently looking for something to feed my creative soul. I had taken millinery course at a local design school - long live the amazing spirit of my teacher, Donnie. A Balanciaga millinery employee in the 70s, an amazing talent, who also taught me to unleash my creative energy.
I created MILLINERYNEWS.com a very new for it's time information site for the hat trade. I soon had thousands of milliners worldwide and even the fabulous UK publication, THE HAT MAGAZINE.
My next online endeavor was for my stationery company Cid Pear. Utilizing a talented web designer at the time we launched an animated website sweet with flavor. A trade site for retailers worldwide. We soon partnered with a new team to create a retail Cid Pear stationery site and we spent thousands of dollars at a special unique card customizer, selective fonts and more. it was gorgeous. But our needs changed and the need for a retailer site became obsolete. Next up, a dedicated www.tinagivens.com site where I decided I didnt need anything special just somewhere to showcase my art and design. So by using a common website builder, I launched a simple illustrated guide to who I am.
​
Soon, I discovered a new platform where we craft all of our online sites including SEWTINAGIVENS.COM, TINAGIVENS.COM, SYCHIL.COM AND TINAGIVENSCREATIVE.COM.
​
Where Women Create Business
Fall 2014
WHERE WOMEN CREATE BUSINESS
WINTER ISSUE 2014
​
​
INTERNATIONAL
QUILT MARKET
An award winning exhibitor at the International Quilt Market, a trade exhibit for fabrics, sewing patterns and other quilt and sewing industry related products and services.
Tina participates in the well participated 'Schoolhouse' events where she shares her inspiration and news with the quilt and craft industry.
​
the art Of business
With a solid sales and marketing background, a quick study and a mix of gumption and passion for doing what she loves, Tina Givens has launched a small empire of products and services sold worldwide.
Over time, she has pursevered in areas where the economy fluctuated so hard it was difficult to hurdle; navigated her art through change and different business models; managed launches of various products and services and now focuses on the areas she loves with an amazingly talented team of individuals; vendor partnerships and contractor relationships.
Always inspired to share, Tina loves to share her thoughts on navigating a business through today's hurdles, becoming your own advocate instilling an up-to-date business model with all the trimmings.
