We all know the importance of having plans, they are what aspires and helps us stay focused on our goals. But, what would happen if those plans went askew, with things we could not have predicted, with no safety net below? We are part of a hustle culture that only makes it seem as if everyone is doing better than us, and achieving only the best on their first try. This, paired with the previously mentioned aspirations and plans is a dangerous game to get entangled in. No matter how hard you plan, and try, and hope, instant success is not something that will most likely happen. And if it does, will it truly feel as good as you imagined it to be?
Taking things one step at a time might sound like the most cliche advice ever, but it is truly the only thing we need to hear. And not just hear, but understand. This is how our latest Cool Face of Bastet Noir, Tessy Wiseman, got to where she is now. Selected as a part of the Women @ Dior 2021: New Women Leadership & Sustainability Programme while running her own media platform phébé by TESSY and creating minimalistic and chic content over on her Instagram, Tessy is an up and coming force to be reckoned with. She is a firm advocate of trusting the process and evolving. By embracing sustainability, she is striving towards equality, inclusion and creativity within the fashion business, and is eager to learn from the best of the best. Continue reading to find out more about the chic and eloquent Tessy Wiseman.
Who is Tessy Wiseman?
Well, I have been told I am at the juxtaposition of an impeccably blended cup of white tea and broken record on repeat. I assume justified since I am constantly processing, rummaging, in a disturbingly unruffled and undisturbed kind of way.
Besides that, I am a 26-year-old navigating the fashion and luxury spheres for the past 8 years, mostly specialising in Marketing, Sales and Business Analysis: the business side of the industry.
What’s your morning routine like?
I usually aim for a plain and simple routine that I can easily replicate no matter the location. I boil myself 2 cups of hot water. The first one is to be sipped while I check my emails, messages, etc. I stretch, journal a few lines, then shower. Green tea and ginger go into my second cup, this one is necessary for the get-ready portion of my morning, i.e. skincare, hair and makeup, which is always accompanied by my morning playlist or podcast. Yes, I do not eat in the morning, it is what has worked for me so far.
Your style is truly impeccable, it’s definitely what immediately caught our eye. And not just your style, your overall aesthetic is what we would describe as minimalistically chic. But, we want to hear it from you — how has your style evolved during the years to eventually become what it is, and do you think it will continue to change in the future?
Well, thank you! It has not always been this way. I started off with a school uniform, never quite hated it, I genuinely relished in its directness and modesty. After that, I have had my phases, but it can be complex to navigate the adolescent space as a 13-year-old who prefers a tailored blazer to a tube top. Luckily, I was brought up in a safe environment which allowed me to trial run a couple of aesthetics completely unbothered. It was through a couple of Fashion Weeks, volunteering for a handful of brands that I realised the magnitude of this industry, its silhouettes and varied philosophies. Certainly, there is the Valentino woman, but there is also the Gauchère, Lemaire, The Row, (old)Céline woman who stands just as strong. And from there, I have what makes me feel the most “me”.
Nevertheless, I trust my style will evolve and change, inevitably. I surely aspire to consume more ethical and sustainable fashion as time passes. I have already started this year by removing myself from fast fashion.
You’ve recently started taking part in an amazing cause — the UNESCO & Women@Dior: Women Leadership & Sustainability program, a fairly new program dedicated to gender equality and women’s leadership for a responsible future. How would you describe your role, and have you noticed any personal changes since working on the project?
This program accompanies a new generation of women around the world and is dedicated to the topic of gender equality and women’s leadership for a responsible future. Since this program combines high standards and excellence, I have noticed its multilayered five fundamental values: autonomy, self-care and self-awareness, inclusion, creativity and sustainable development have truthfully seeped into every other area of my personal and professional journey.
In addition, you are the editor-in-chief of phébé by TESSY, a media platform that covers all aspects of fashion, culture and individual opinions. What exactly prompted you to establish phébé by TESSY and make it a collaborative platform open for contributors all over the world, as opposed to it being a solo project?
Phébé was kind of born from the steadfast convergence between my own dissimilar interests, tastes, and wants, and a deeper itch to create, compose and connect.
Myself, as a living-breathing entity with relatively moderate-to-high activity and presence on social media, there is again that same itchiness — at least for myself — to share in a more thoroughgoing sense, addressing the topics and discussions I had once wished to find in a commonplace, with a varying tone and style. Such varying tone and style would only be realistic as that of a cosmopolitan community, namely diverse contributors bringing a sense of purpose to this shared space.
Three things you wish you knew before starting out?
(i) nothing ever goes as planned. It does not matter how sturdy the plan is, it is how reactive and adaptable you are which actually matters.
(ii) your friends, entourage, circle, support system have more influence and effect on your circumstances than any morning routine, contact book could ever have.
(iii) drink more water. Seriously.
Biggest setback in life and what you’ve learned from it
Gunning for the status and prestige of a job offer is not necessarily the brightest decision there is. I have learned to prioritise balance, passion and growth, I have learned to remain somewhat flexible in my whole type-A-five-year-plan angst: slow and steady wins the race.
Books that changed your life
L’Etranger, Albert Camus
Cosmétique de l’ennemi, Amélie Nothomb
Le Grand Cahier, Agota Kristof
Les jeux sont faits, Jean-Paule Sartre
Favorite female empowerment speech
I do not think I have a favourite female empowerment speech per se, yet I do feel revived, energised and fired by the words of Recho Omondi (@omndi) in her podcast “The Cutting Room Floor”.
What’s in your Bastet Noir cart?
The Kim dress in black and the Lynda dress as well!
If you liked Tessy’s story, there’s plenty more to come, just hit that sign up button to get in our inner circle of coolness and never miss a thang!