Teuf - An Interview with Shanna Lee
- Sasha Morales
- Oct 16, 2017
- 6 min read
Hey girl, hey!
I'm Shanna Lee, and I started a brand called Teuf in my mom's memory at the start of 2016. My shirts feature hand-printed, hand-sewn, or chain-stitched designs that have typically been drawn by hand and all stem from a loving seed. I source everything (& I mean everything) as ethically as I possibly can, which means no sweatshops, eco-friendly inks, vegan friendly materials, and handmade wherever possible.
-Your brand is named Teuf and has a very personal meaning to you. Can you expand on the significance behind the name choice?
Teuf stemmed from my mom's maiden name, Teufel. As a kid I always loved that name and wished it was my last name on more than one occasion. When I was around 10 or so, we got plaques of my parent’s family crest, and I found out Teufel literally translated to "devil" in German, which intrigued me even more - especially because my mother was born on Halloween and wouldn't let me have a black cat due to superstition. "Teuf" was a nickname my mom and her brothers had growing up and my late uncle Ron that my mom was very close to (also known as Mr. USA in his bodybuilding days during the late 70s/80s) had it tattooed on his left knuckles. I "saved" that same spot on myself to one day have it tattooed on me too. When I first started brainstorming for my brand in the early stages, it was going to be a play on my own actual last name, but I didn't love it and it didn’t feel quite right. About a month or two later, I had my husband tattoo a tooth on me (as I'm also a bit enamored by teeth) and I posted a picture of it on my Instagram and captioned it "Teuf" (pronounced toof) not even thinking about the brand, and it kind of just connected the dots later for me in my brain and it was decided. A few months after starting Teuf, I finally got it on my knuckles in the same spot as my uncle.
-What was your inspiration to create Teuf?
I had been wanting to start some sort of creative endeavor for years, but would always let something - or more honestly - fear get in my way of really diving in and making it real. My mom has been sick since I was little and in summer 2015, being the only family member home, I had to make an emotional 911 call for an ambulance for her and thought that was the last time I'd ever see her. When she did come home after that, maybe it put things in perspective for me that she was going to be gone soon. Three or four months after that, I started to tell her I had ideas for a brand I was going to create in her honor, naming it after her and drawing inspiration from her wherever possible. The last week she was alive was the first week I did real things with Teuf and had small runs of my first two pieces - dad hats & crop tanks that said, "GIRL MOB." I got to show her those before I presented them to the public at my husband’s booth at the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention Valentine's Day weekend, where I made my first ever sales. The night after we got home is when she passed away around midnight.
-Have there been any struggles that you've had to face since the onset of your creation? What challenges do you currently face, if any?
Holy hell, yes. It was honestly a bit of a struggle to put effort into the brand in the beginning because it literally pretty much started at the same time my mom passed. I thought I was prepared for it, and I was, but I also needed to give myself some time to heal and grieve as well. On the flip side, focusing my energy into creating Teuf helped me deal with it too, and still does. Any entrepreneur will attest to challenges upon challenges, I just think it's a matter of perspective mostly. It took me months to figure out that I could save money on shipping supplies by buying in bulk. An early challenge was that I didn't feel involved enough after the first run of crops were printed at a print shop. I wanted to do it myself. I needed to get my hands involved more intimately so I could feel like it was really mine. This started me researching and teaching myself how to make screens and print them myself and the trickle down of all the handmade flairs I add to everything. I also am a stay at home mom to a really smart and active 3 1/2 year old, and as she's gotten older it gets easier and simultaneously harder to work during the day. I also feel the silent pressure to grow Teuf to be stable enough to supplement income for our family before she hits school age. Which can also get tricky because currently, I cannot and choose not to put anything on credit, so Teuf has to sustain itself for the most part, and sometimes because of that, things get pushed back and I don't stay as stocked in all sizes as I'd like to be. In all honesty, I could go on and on about every challenge presented and faced, but this year in particular I have tried to really implement letting go of that which I cannot control. I have put my full trust in the universe that as long as I stay true to what I want Teuf to emanate, then my family and I will be fine and provided for as we need.
-What do you hope to bring to society even with your brand? Are there any specific causes you support and hope to bring to light with your brand?
Something my mom said to me all the time growing up was something to the effect of, “Be friendly with and nice to everyone no matter what crowd they come from.” Granted, she was specifically referring to school and friend groups, but I've really taken that to heart in all aspects of my life. I've been vegan for over 4 years and in that lifestyle change, have had my eyes open to enormous amounts of horrors that exist in the world - and it's not just about the animals. Our entire planet is literally at stake because of animal agriculture and the unthinkable greed behind the corporations and industries that support and fund it.
I want every girl in the whole galaxy to know that they are enough, they can and should be heard, and most importantly that the girl next to them or across from them is not and never will or should be their enemy. I want girls to feel empowered and find their inner power. I want them to stick together and embrace the divine feminine energy. These are some of the inspirations behind my designs, and why I've chosen to include reiki infused crystals with each order placed, and also donate a portion of each order back to charities and organizations, a lot being animal rescues and equal rights causes in Teuf & my mom's honor. I've only just recently found a MS charity that I feel comfortable donating to that aligns with my personal beliefs. Progressive Multiple Sclerosis is the disease my mom had and it took a lot of time and memories from us and our family, and I love what overcomingMS.org is promoting with their recovery program and hope they start to get more momentum and support within the US. Teuf will be donating to them periodically on a long-term basis to help support what they're doing.
-Ultimately, what legacy do you want to leave behind with this brand and for your life in general?
Teuf is a way for me to honor and remember my mom. It's a way for me to continue my mom's legacy as an independent female business owner and at the same time show my daughter what that looks like. I know that I am a fiercely strong woman, and it has a lot to do with my mom and the caretaker role that I was given at such a young age. It's my intention to create things made from a place of compassion, love and light, and to spread that on to all of my supporters. I practice intuitive reiki and have found my path as a healer and creator with much thanks to this brand and the confidence and courage it has helped instill in me. As cliché as it may sound, I truly want to leave this plane of existence having helped to make it a better, more loving place. If my daughter chooses to continue it after I'm gone I would be grateful, but that will be her choice, and whatever I have done with Teuf and this brand during my time here will have been enough in and of itself because it existed in the way that it did.
For more and to shop check out Teuf at www.teufbrand.com
Images by Shanna Lee, Eazy Feliciano, John Viebhan and Alanna Virgilio. Interview by Sasha Morales.
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