Tinc Presents Playful, Practical Fashions
Tinc’s logo, a screen-printed silhouette of a figure climbing a telephone pole, encapsulates the design philosophy of the San Francisco–based label. Designer Jessie Skips takes a playfully mischievous stance when designing clothing, much like the mysterious figure fussing with the wires in the logo, which was inspired by the character Archibald Tuttle from the 1985 movie “Brazil.”
Skips sold one-of-a-kind renewed vintage pieces for several years before she began producing her line last year. The designer uses unconventional fabrics such as pink ballerina tights and details such as dainty vintage buttons that give the line a handcrafted look.
“A lot of times [I would work with] just scraps of fabric not knowing where it would go and letting it take me to the end of the piece,” said Skips of her tactile-based design process.
Tinc’s practical styles reflect the needs of San Francisco, where weather plays a large role in the way that people dress. Layer-friendly pieces—including a lightweight one-pocket trench coat, a fitted top with a ruffled bustle that peeks out from under a jacket and gaucho pants with snap buttons around the calf that allow the wearer to ride a bicycle—are designed for the girl-on-the-go.
“[The clothes are] not being worn just for show,” Skips said. “The beach kind of look that there is in L.A.—we don’t have that. It might seem a little warm, and [then] you go to a different neighborhood and it will be freezing.”
The Kids Are Alright in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood was the first store in Southern California to pick up Tinc’s designs for the Fall season. Show Pony, also in Echo Park, will be carrying Skips’ handmade pieces as well as some of the Tinc line.
Wholesale price points are $23 to $68 for tops and blouses and $85 for gaucho pants. Several items are offered in different fabrications that change the price point. A one-pocket smock coat wholesales for $67 in denim and for $82 in a raincoat material called “Slicker.”
Skips designed many of the garments to be tinkered with long after they have left her hands. The “Dragonfly” top can be wrapped and tied in different ways, and the reversible “Park” halter comes with detachable straps. Such versatility allows the customer to infuse her own style into each piece, added Skips’ partner, Wendy Windsor.
“The line has become [Skips’] sense of fashion. It has a very clear identity. There’s something sweet, but there is something that’s a little challenging to it,” Windsor said.
For more information, call (415) 827-0572. —Rhea Cortado
