Mise Tusa is a mother-daughter-founded slow fashion brand. Each piece is designed and created by artist and designer Meritta and her talented team in their west of Ireland studio. Mise Tusa was created with a mission to nourish individuality. Under the Mise Tusa umbrella there are two distinct labels; Imagine & Movement. Imagine is Meritta’s creative space of unique and innovative designs.
Movement is a capsule collection made from Bamboo fabric. Having designed and made her first suit at age nine, Meritta has been designing and creating all her life. While fashion design is her primary creative outlet, Meritta also enjoys working with a variety of other mediums from paint to wire sculptures.
What’s a typical day in the studio like for you?
On a typical day, I try to work on bespoke orders for the first part of the day, and then later on work on pieces for my new collection. I like to start with client orders first because I want to get stuck into creating the pieces when it is fresh in my mind and I can picture the person I am designing for most clearly. When creating bespoke pieces, I am focusing on the individual, what they are looking for, our conversations, fittings, and so on. I enjoy working on client pieces, because I enjoy the women that I work with, it is always a collaborative process and that makes it interesting and every piece special.
Then in the afternoon, I feel my mind is free to play! When designing for my own collection, sometimes I have clearly planned out what it is I’m looking to make that day, and other times I get into a flow and see what the fabric wants to be. This time of work requires me to feel that other parts of the business is taken care of so I can get into the zone.
There is a lot that goes into turning craft into a business, so it's important that there is time to cover everything that needs to be covered, even the areas you might now enjoy as much! Knowing that these things are being taken care of will give you the headspace to create more freely and creatively.
Meritta Gorman-Geoghegan
Mise Tusa
What do you like most about your work?
Getting into an undisturbed flow of creativity and exploring new possibilities with the fabric. When I’m in the flow, hours could pass by. I’m able to completely focus on what it is that I’m doing and follow where fabric wants to take me. Many times I’m in such a flow of creating that I surprise myself at the end with what I have created! It’s like I become one with the fabric!
What do you like least about your work?
accounts!! When your craft and passion become your livelihood, and then the livelihood of others, it brings with it new responsibilities. I could happily create all day, but for the business to run, I need to be across all of it! Of course, I am very lucky that my eldest daughter Bridget is involved, because she can focus on the areas like marketing, online, development and putting systems in place, all areas that she is great at, which gives me more time to do what I do best.
What’s your favourite craft item in your home?
What other maker in your discipline do you most look up to?
Issey Mikake, because I appreciate the innovation of the cloth and designs, but also the comfort and quality of each piece. He created pieces that were joyful and beautiful but also extremely wearable, and for me that is what I look for in design, that combination of innovation and practicality.
How do you start your day?
Ideally, I like to start the day with a dip in the sea followed by yoga. There is something about a morning sea swim that makes you feel a sense of accomplishment and oneness with nature. When the water is particularly cold it reminds me that I can do hard things!
What’s the first thing you do when you leave the studio?
