On the eve of the launch of her brand new Chtapodi Collective line, Tessa Lang was so gracious to sit for a chat to talk about her artistic journey and diving into the world of wearable art.
In the summer of 2022, I was on my very first trip to Asheville, North Carolina to visit some friends and family.
My friend Rachel took me on a little tour of this wonderful section of the River Arts District, where we walked into the studio of an artist named Tessa Lang. I’d never heard of her, but as I looked at the artwork on her walls something struck me about her style.
Each canvas was filled with beautiful blasts of vibrant color that embodied her obvious love of the natural world, that was squiggly, almost cartoon-like.
Then, I saw a small rack of leggings. Of course, since I live in leggings, I was intrigued. I was attracted to this one pair with images of elephants that you almost have to look at like you do in those Magic Eye puzzles. The design is called Buddha Babe and I bought them on the spot. I lovingly call them my Señor Elephante leggings.
Every time I wear them, I get compliments, often from strangers in the grocery.
Photo credit:
Rachael McIntosh @ncweddingphotographer
Eventually, I bought two more pair from her website tessalangpainter.com : they are called She is like a wildflower, fierce and free, and The Duel, which features her signature depiction of octopi. Tessa’s original website features her original work and gives the client an opportunity to commission her for more personalized treasures. It is truly a beautiful website. Take a moment to check it out.
In the winter after my visit, I had asked Tessa if she had anything with tigers on it (our school mascot). She told me that she was getting ready to launch a new line of leggings with brand new designs in the spring of the next year and tigers would be featured on one of them. This was very exciting to me. So exciting that every time I’d wear her leggings at the gym, I’d post the my flipping videos on Instagram and tag her @tessalangart. I just wanted her to know how happy her creations made me feel when I wear them. I also wanted a wider audience to know about her work.
Fast forward to this past August, just over a year after my first trip to Asheville. I noticed that her new Chtapodi Collective line was on Instagram’s list of brands you can tag. I messaged her to ask about it, and she offered to send me a pair from the new line to try on and write a review.
New Tessa Lang leggings? I’m IN! She sent me a gorgeous pair called Tigers and Toucs.
Photo credit:
Rachael McIntosh @ncweddingphotographer
Finally, I have my
tiger leggings!
They certainly dress up
the walking boot.
Of course, I received them just after I broke my foot, but that didn’t stop me from doing a little photo shoot to show off my new leggings that made my lower half look fantastic (and yes, I was very careful to protect my foot):
I made good on my promise to review my new Tigers and Toucs leggings, which was a rave.
Our entire interview is on The Geriatric Gymnast channel on YouTube. Here are a few highlights from our chat:
An artist emerges
The daughter of an art teacher, Tessa was painting from the time she was old enough to finger paint. As she grew into her artistry, her style evolved from a softer impressionism (like Claude Monet) to a more vivid and spontaneous expressionism of Fauvism (like Henri Matisse). On a trip to France about ten years ago, Tessa had an experience that changed her life: she and her mom visited the house of Henri Matisse, where they sat for days absorbing his work. This watershed moment was the inspiration that led to her current style.
I love to have some playful nature to my pieces. If I’m painting a bear, it’s not usually going to be browns and blacks, no no. I’m going to bring on some pinks, some ochres, some purples, some blues just to make it really vivid.
Prior to the conception of Chtapodi Collective, Tessa was a competitive tennis player and coached for Peter Burwash International in California, Asheville and Tokyo. When she moved to Tokyo in 2015, she continued painting on the side and connected with some people who gave her the opportunity to do her first art show there. When she moved back to Asheville, her work was featured in various galleries, and as fortune would have it, she was able to get a lease to her dream studio, the one where I first purchased my Buddha Babes (aka Señor Elephantes).
It has only been in the last two-and-a-half years that she has dedicated herself full-time to her art and building Chtapodi Collective. One of her new products leans into the tennis niche and has a side pocket to hold several tennis balls, something she wished were available when she was playing and coaching.
The origin of Chtapodi Collective
Tessa was on a vacation with her sister in Greece. While scuba diving, she saw an octopus dancing along the ocean floor. Fascinated by the animal’s movement and shaping, she was inspired to create many designs with her in mind.
Tessa named her Achelois the Audacious, and she has become the face (legs?) of the brand.
She was the first design I put on leggings years ago just for myself. Other people really loved it and I met so many people through these leggings; it’s such a great conversation starter. It’s really a special way to connect people.
Part of the journey from the canvas to wearable art was when Tessa spent time in Barre classes. She noticed the leggings on everyone were usually black. From that, an epiphany: what if I was just a little different? She created a white legging with the octopus, and it was very well-received. She knew she had started something very special.
For almost two years, Tessa has worked tirelessly on creating her new line. As a solo entrepreneur, she has painstakingly crafted every aspect of the business: from design, to fabric blend, to marketing. Though the work has been painstaking at times, she has thoroughly enjoyed the process of bringing her vision to life, and is now eager to share her brand with the world.
I asked Tessa to share her vision surrounding her brand’s “collective” concept:
I’d say the ideal vision would be to partner with numerous different artists. I love my pieces on the leggings, but I’d love to support artists in my community or artists I meet. There’s so much talent and it would be incredible to have this full line of activewear with a variety of designs.
It would be really cool to have different collections featuring different artists.
That’s a great idea, Tessa.
Make it happen!
Chtapodi Collective launches October 3, 2023!
Sign up on the website for the VIP waitlist!
Stacey's Headspace 
Loved it and love the leggingsIrisSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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