Women of Tangent: Meet Mise Tusa

Meet mother-daughter duo, Meritta Gorman Geoghegan and Bridget Geoghegan, Tangent alumni and co-founders of Irish slow fashion brand, Mise Tusa.

Designer and creative director Meritta founded Ail Ruin design centre in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway in 1995, which successfully operated for over 25 years, and Bridget grew up on the shop floor, cutting her teeth in retail helping her mother before going on to work in marketing for an internationally renowned luxury retailer in London.

Meritta studied Tangent's Postgraduate Certificate in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship in 2020 and inspired Bridget to undertake our Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Thinking Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2021. Bridget was moved to start a course with Tangent after sitting in on some of her mother's online classes during lockdown and was keen to embark on further study, having just completed a master's in International Human Rights law. The pair decided to join forces and become business partners not long after completing their Tangent studies, founding the slow fashion and lifestyle brand Mise Tusa in 2021.

Designed and created in their west of Ireland studio on the Wild Atlantic Way, their clothing is made with a strong environmental and ethical conscience. Its mission is to nourish the individuality of all women, with the brand featuring two distinct fashion lines - Imagine, which includes unique, one-of-a-kind pieces; and Movement, an activewear range made from bamboo.

Reflecting on her time with Tangent, Bridget said: "Mom saw an ad on LinkedIn for the Creative Thinking course, and prompted me to consider it for myself. I like to always stay learning, and had just finished a master's so the timing seemed perfect. Plus, Mom spoke so highly of Tangent".

She continued: "The course taught me that it's good to pivot and change is good. It's OK for ideas to evolve over time, and pivoting allows you to get down to the essence of your idea. Mise Tusa pivoted a lot, but we were able to use tools we had picked up at Tangent to explore different iterations of the business, such as the lean canvas model to help with the ideation process".

During Paris Fashion Week 2022, they made their first international debut with a pop-up shop located in the iconic Jardin du Palais Royal, sharing the space with other internationally renowned labels, such as Manolo Blahnik.

Their temporary store remains open until Sunday the 24th of April. Check out their new website here.