Why T.C.C.
For some reason, the end of each year seemed to bring something difficult with it.
There was the winter when I moved to London and spent many days worrying about finding a job. The following winter, we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog.
The year after that, I went through a difficult health scare, and last year,
I found myself having to leave a company I had been happy working for.
There were many moments during that time when I felt uncertain about what would come next. But having some time to step back from everything also gave me the chance to slow down and, in a way, get to know myself a little better.
Before T.C.C., I had been preparing another brand with my younger sister.
While working on it, I somehow found myself visiting more and more vintage and antique markets. At first, I think I was simply curious.
Then, little by little, I became completely fascinated by this world.
I started wanting to know more about the things I found there - where they came from, how they were made, what they were used for,
and who might have used them before me.
That was how T.C.C. began.
During my years of working, I rarely had the time to visit galleries.
Having more time to myself meant that I could finally wander through them again,
looking at paintings from hundreds of years ago.
I loved noticing the objects in those paintings — the little vessels, boxes, dishes and everyday things that people once used. And then, to come across objects that looked just like them sitting on a table at a vintage market felt almost surreal.
There was something very special about picking up an object that had quietly survived for a hundred, or sometimes several hundred, years.
Holding it in my hands and bringing it home with me felt strangely exciting.
I would often find myself wondering who had used it before,
what their everyday life might have looked like,
and how it had managed to make its way into my hands.
I used to be someone who naturally looked towards new things and new trends.
But during that period of slowing down,
I began to appreciate the beauty of taking my time.
I started to love old things.
And somehow, I also became more appreciative of the things I already had.
The more I looked at old objects, the more I realised that looking at the past isn't simply about having an appreciation for things that are old.
So much of what we consider beautiful today - the way we design things,
the objects we use, the styles and tastes we have - has come from somewhere before us.
Looking at old things became a way of understanding
where some of those ideas came from.
When you hold an old object, imagine how it was used, and think about the life it might have had, even familiar things in the present can start to feel a little different.
I think T.C.C. grew naturally out of this process of discovering and learning.
I want to find objects that have already lived a life, but still have a place in the present. Objects that can continue to be used, loved,
and perhaps become part of someone else's everyday life.
I hope that more people will join me in this little journey - discovering the stories, details and beauty held within things that have been around much longer than we have.
And finally, I want to say thank you to Cecilia and John,
who gave me so much support and encouragement when I stepped away from the comfort of a company and started worrying about finding my own way.
There is an English saying John once told me that has stayed with me ever since:
“When one door closes, another opens.”
I suppose T.C.C. is one of those doors that opened along the way.
I hope you'll step through it with me, and discover a little of the past along the way.