Tête-À-Tête: Tennesha Vanterpool

Collage by Aylea Skye; Original Images by Tennesha Vanterpool @nieshvanterpool

Tête-À-Tête is a new series in which The VogueCIEL speaks to a plethora of women who epitomise ‘cool’. Authentic, urbane and affable, these women have caught the attention of The VogueCIEL not only through their nonchalant sophistication but through their social and political engagement and admirable work ethic.

Let’s start with an introduction. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Tennesha, Niesh for short. I’m 34 born, raised and living in London - the greatest city on earth. I work in fashion as a sales manager and brand strategist. I’m also a content creator and talk smack on the internet.

Has your experience in brand management and sales affect the way you consume fashion?

It’s the very thing that keeps the reigns on my shopping habits. Between collection and range planning, sales strategy, branding and marketing, my knowledge of what goes into making a final item of clothing goes way beyond the surface level.  I understand fabrics, weaves, stitches, cuts, manufacturing locations, how where materials are sourced and how that contributes to the final RRP. I can tell when something is hype because of great marketing formulas or because somebody just lucked out. I scrutinise and deliberate over everything for MONTHS and still find myself looking for a fault once I’ve bought it. I don’t make purchases often but when I do, it’s for something that gets a lot of mileage in my wardrobe (what’s up Uniqlo U crew neck T’s) or something that’s super special.

You seem to be somewhat denim connoisseur, do you have any tips for buying good denim pieces?

I worked denim in some capacity for 9 years. It’s a beautiful product with an incredible history and has been an anchor in our wardrobe since it’s inception. I made an IGTV video on finding the perfect fit because I’m tired of everyone leaning so heavily on the mid-rise skinny. 

I would say the 3 main things to consider are Fit, Fabric and Wash. Forget what the trend is, what fit best suits your body shape? What fabric are you most comfortable with? And, finally, what wash (shade) is your preference? 

What’s your stance on fast fashion versus slow/sustainable fashion? 

Fast fashion serves its purpose as not everybody can afford to buy into “sustainable” brands.

Equally, it’s not possible to be a brand selling on the high street at a lower price point and be “sustainable”. Truly ethical manufacturing - from crop to final product is not a bargain. Someone paid for it, big time, along the way. If you have a business and want to pay your bills, fair wages to your staff/manufacturers and still make money, your cost price drastically increases. That’s where the number on the swing ticket comes from. Moreover, “Sustainable” also doesn’t end with “organic cotton” or “less water”. As we’ve seen with some of our internet faves, brands who have branded themselves as being Sustainable have grossly failed people within their businesses.

In light of the recent events and the upsurge, Black Lives Matter movement there have been many discussions about inequality and lack of representation in the fashion, lifestyle, beauty and the arts. How do you feel brands can do better?

We’re all conditioned to exist in a very white-cis-male dominated world and we’ve all played our part in upholding that in some capacity, whether intentional or not.

We all need to do a better job of listening to each other and then make a point of doing. Actively create space. Listen to Black people. Listen to the people of colour within your business. Listen to the LGBTQIA+ and non-cis gender-conforming people within your spaces and actively tackle the issues that arise. Provide opportunities, support and nurture these individuals so that everybody can move forward. We have to sit with our discomfort in order to move forward. It won’t be easy and won’t happen overnight but change doesn’t come from the comfort zone. 

What advice would you give anyone creating content and/or starting out in the fashion industry?

Take your time. I’ve stopped saying “you won’t become a Creative Director overnight” because anything’s possible and it’s important to believe in yourself but I think there’s something to be said for being humble and learning to run before you can walk. Just make sure to give it your all. 

How have you been coping with the current pandemic? And what do you do to switch off and wind down?

I have a really bad habit of trying to push through stressful situations but it’s been hard to avoid this one. I lost about 3 weeks, staring out of my window at the beginning of lockdown but as time went on and I continued with freelancing commitments, I managed to find a pace. I rediscovered my analytical brain, painted, made plans for the future. I cooked (and ate) a lot. I sat with and revisited some business ideas that I’ve flirted with over the years. Even though the future is uncertain, they somehow seem that much more fathomable now.

What are you loving right now?

I’m rewatching The Wire for the 6th time. Mad, I know. The Neroli candle from Malin+Goetz is a nice one to burn during the day while I work. We don’t have a garden but we’ve found a spot not too far away that is quiet and perfect for catching some rays. I’m pretty much addicted to Torres truffle crisps. Oh, and tomatoes are in season. This is the only time of year I really care to eat them raw/in salads.

What’s your life motto?

“Fuck it.”  

Follow Niesh on Instagram @nieshvanterpool

Watch her on Youtube here.