About US

Hello. 

Welcome to my about page. Since you made it all the way here, you probably want to know a little about me. Here goes:

I wish I could say being a fashion designer was a dream I had since childhood but it wasn’t.  I only discovered a love for sewing after working as a Respiratory Therapist. At the time, I couldn't  find t-shirts that were long enough for my torso (which isn’t even that long btw). I signed up for a few sewing classes in between shifts and started learning everything I could on how clothing was made. I eventually ended up working for the Government of Canada and sold clothing I made on Etsy as a side gig but my goal was always to work on my label full-time. My dream was fulfilled 10 years ago when I was able to quit my day job. You can see why the name “tangente” has stuck around, I seem to take a lot of tangents. Now with my team, we’re able to create 2 seasonal collections a year that include dresses, tunics and tops. 

My goal with tangente is to make clothing that is stylish and comfortable to wear. If you live in Ottawa, you’ve probably met me at a market or craft show. I love these since I’m able to see my designs on a wide range of body types. From those meetings, I continuously tweak my patterns to make them more accessible to everyone. 

I hope the FAQs below will be helpful. I try to add as much pertinent information to each product page as possible to give you confidence in your shopping experience. But I’m also just one person managing this website so if you see an item that’s missing some info, please shoot me an email or a DM.

testimonials

FAQs

Where is your clothing made?

No factory made clothing here. All tangente garments are designed and made in my Ottawa (Ontario) studio. I have a small team from Ottawa and Gatineau that help me sew up a storm. Check out my Instagram for some behind the scenes.

What is your return policy?

Did your mom buy you a dress you already own? Not sure which size to buy? Returns and exchanges are easy peasy within 30 days of your purchase. If you live in Ottawa, contact me for more info on bringing back your purchase. Return shipping charges are the customer’s responsibility if your order is under $250. Purchases above $250 (pre-tax) can contact us to receive a return label for a free return.

Where can I try tangente clothing on?

I sell my clothing in a few boutiques across Canada. I also do many craft shows in the Ottawa region. You can check out my schedule here. You can also make an appointment to try on clothing in my studio by contacting me. Please note that most boutiques will only carry only certain items from the most current collection.

Do you make custom items?     

The short answer is no. However I can do alterations to my current styles (e.g. if you’re taller than average and need extra length in a dress). As long as we have extra fabric on hand, we can accommodate most requests.

When a size is sold out, is it sold out for good?

Not necessarily. Contact us to see if there’s any fabric left to make you one.

How do I wash my product?

This is probably the most asked questions I get. Since each garment is usually made from different fabric, I list the care instructions for each style online and there’s also a care label attached in each piece of clothing. A general rule of thumb is to hand wash anything that is made of rayon, bamboo from rayon, and viscose. Do not put anything in the dryer. Laying them flat is best or hanging over the back of chair would work in a pinch. Hanging (especially dresses) when wet might cause the shoulders to get stretched out. The dryer also disintegrates spandex over time (even spandex in jeans).

If you have a front loading washing machine, you can alternatively wash the items on either delicate or the hand wash cycle. I recommend putting each item, inside out, in a lingerie bag separately to avoid any friction which may cause piling. These bags can be purchased at most big box stores and even some dollar stores. If your clothing label has a dry clean only tag, I’m not kidding, dry clean it.

Sustainability

Certification: Some of our fabrics are Oeko-Tex certified. This certification ensures there are no harmful chemicals in the fabric. Another certification you want to look for is LENZING™ ECOVERO™. The viscose fibers are derived from sustainable wood and pulp, coming from certified and controlled sources. The viscose fibers generate up to 50% lower emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose.

Fabric: Did you know that all our fabric scraps gets repurposed? Crafty people often want our leftover fabric pieces to use for a variety of projects. Some projects have included pet beds for the local shelter, yoga bolsters and stuffing a very large bean bag. This saves a lot of fabric from going to the landfill.

Pattern: All our patterns are made out of blank newsprint paper that is easily recyclable. When we make a new style, we use A LOT of paper.

Packaging: We now ship all our orders in compostable mailers. To compost, remove the tape and paper address label. You also have the choice of choosing minimal packaging at checkout. By doing so, we’ll forgo the tissue paper, tags and business card. We’ll also ship your order in a compostable mailer .

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