How TNR became to be a fashion label isn’t a short story, but let’s give it a go.
The New Red. started in November 2019 as a bit of a last resort – I had quit my ‘regular’ job that was incredibly harmful to my mental health and couldn’t face the idea of returning to a ‘regular’ workplace. I had recently rediscovered my love of woodwork TNR grew quite organically.
From a 3x5m garage at my rental property, I designed and made timber furniture and decor from reclaimed and recycled materials. It flooded when it rained, had no lighting and ran power off an extension cord out the laundry window – but it was on my own terms.
I was able to continue this growth when we purchased our own home, I even had a 6x6m shed with actual lighting, and power points!
In February 2022, I commenced lease on a Commercial Workshop as I was unable to continue working from home (neighbour, council, exhausting long story); it was my actual dream. I was working more than I had before, pushing myself harder than I ever had and was happier than I had been in a long time. n December 2022 the lease on my workshop ended, the property was sold and I had been unable to source another suitable location. So, I packed up all my tools, stacked them up in our garage and continued the search.
I’m a big believer that things have a way of working out how they should. That doesn’t mean that you should sit on your hands and wait for good things to come to you, but that when things didn’t quite go as you had planned that maybe, just maybe, there’s something even better in the works.
Spoiler: that’s what happened.
I began to explore other creative outlets with my ‘spare time’ and found that perhaps I wasn’t enjoying woodwork just as much as I thought I was. I started painting, exploring with digital design, then got the idea in my head that I wanted to see my designs on clothing. My love affair with clothing and colour has only grown over the years, so it seemed a fitting combination.
Amongst all of this, I was diagnosed with ADHD and begun learning more about how my brain worked. It was like someone had opened up the world, like I had just been given the instruction manual to something I had been using for the last 33 years.
I spent nearly 12 months learning, designing, practicing, prototyping, researching and failing to make this dream come true. But it is in motion. And it’s something I created with my absolute heart and soul, which makes me incredibly proud and happy.
