We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Teresa Worley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Teresa below.
Teresa, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
This is a short but sweet answer! I had attended my first tutu school and was making my samples to show future clients my work and the options of designs. I decided to take a series of courses at the local community college continuing education program for adults that was named “Business for Sewn Products”. It seemed like a natural fit. One day, we were encouraged to bring in a sample of our work and sell it to the class. There were clothing articles and aprons but I was the only one making professional tutus for the theater. At the end of my presentation I was asked what was the name of my business. I hadn’t quite landed on anything just yet since I was just starting out and said so to the class. However, a classmate who was impressed with my work said out loud” you’re just a tutu terry! Well, it stuck! It is a bit kitschy but it is memorable. And so it is now my logo and it goes into all my garments.
Teresa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My sewing interest started as a child. My grandmother was a couturier from Cuba and started working in the fashion district of NYC back in 1948. I learned a lot from her and sewed throughout my adult life clothing and interior décor. My children’s rooms were designed by me, making their bedding and window treatments as well as hand painting murals on their walls. Their rooms were completely unique! I also went on to work as an interior designer for a while and also worked on the interior restoration of a historic home in Durham, NC. I have been very creative throughout my adult life.
When we moved to SD, my daughter started training at a ballet academy and soon after I started volunteering on sewing projects for the studio. I did the usual mending and alterations required for a studio with many students, but I also got to design and refurbish old tutus into new ideas for different repertoire.
When I turned 50, being a cancer survivor, my daughter and husband gifted me the idea of turning my philanthropy into a business. And so, I quit work and attended my first tutu school back in 2014. I spent the first year making samples and attending business courses and by the year end I had several clients requesting rehearsal tutus. My product was well received at local ballet schools and soon I was being sought after by local clients.
I entered a competition for new designers in 2018, hosted by tutu.com at the 2018 International Ballet Competition, and I was voted best new designer with my Starry Night entry. After that, I was approached by Dancewear by Patricia, an online ballet boutique, to design several looks for her store. I have sent several designs that I exclusively make for her clients, however I do keep the samples and rent them out along with all my other samples I’ve made over the years. I slowed down during Covid, however when ballet competitions started back up, I was up and running again.
My best client is a professional or pre-professional ballet student, that knows what it feels like to wear a professional tutu and dress. There is a lot of work and technique that goes into a garment for stage. Luckily, my grandmother taught me some couture techniques that fit in well with the classical construction of ballet bodice and tutu.
My clients are divided equally between local dancers and across the US. I have sent many tutus out to different states as well as internationally, to Canada and even Greece. A routine meeting with a new client, whether local or long distance will include an interview to get to know the client and determine his/her likes and aesthetics. My long-distance clients are instructed to send me 3 pictures; front, side and back, which I use to confirm the measurements they send me. We look at pattern samples and decide on fabric and color. I draw out a design for them to see a working concept and the embellishment ideas.
A professional tutu is 10 layers of gathered net, in increasing lengths that are all sewn on to a brief made of power net. A typical bodice is 10 to 12 panels, it is boned with stainless steel spiral boning and lined in coutil, a very strong and sturdy cotton in a herringbone weave. When the base tutu and bodice are done, I then go to the embellishment phase. The design concept shows the overall look; however, the embellishments are not decided until the base pieces are made and I discuss with the client the different options of trims and appliques. I work with my clients such that they can get greater use of the costumes by making the embellishments removable. Typically, the plate is the decorative part on the tutu and the bodice is decorated with an overlay. These pieces can be removed and the tutu and bodice can be redecorated for another year or season of competition for a different repertoire piece.
Even though my business model is to be completely custom, I have made corps de ballet costumes for a couple local academies. These projects differ in that they need to fit many dancers over the years so I always add extra in the side seams and offer 2 to 3 rows of closures.
I am most proud of the project that took over 2 years to come to fruition. I was commissioned by the academy where my daughter trained to design and make costumes for an entire production of Alice in Wonderland. I started on this project right before Covid and finally was premiered in March of 2022. I truly enjoyed the creative process of being able to start at the ground level of the artistic vision with the Artistic Directors. It was the ultimate experience!
I have continued to grow this past year with many new clients and I now have a larger studio and hope to continue working with the dedicated students and dancers that are passionate about classical ballet and dance. I am currently also taking a one-year course in bridal and formal wear. I plan on launching my second line, Epic Designs, in late 2023.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
There are 3 questions here that come together for me as a costumer. How do I grow my business, keep clients or meet new client’s The answer is simple; quality and support!
I give my clients a product that is well made. I listen to their ideas and incorporate where appropriate and always discuss reasons for designs choices but keeping in mind my clients wishes and wallet. My best advertising and marketing is my work. The new clients that came to me this year were all word of mouth. They saw my designs and work on other dancers and they inquired who had made their costumes. I always give out extra business cards!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
My clients all end up feeling like friends. It’s funny, but sometimes they contact me just to see how things are going. Or they freely send me pictures of their dancers because they are so proud of them. When a dancer feels beautiful, they are lifted and work that much harder!
Contact Info:
- Website: tututerry.com
- Instagram: tututerrysandiego
- Facebook: TUTU Terry
- Other: email: [email protected]
Image Credits
#stunning_photography805 Toby Batley Vladimir Zabezhinsky