WHIMSY BY TALISA

The last time you experienced the word?

Every day. I try to insert a little whimsy into my daily life. I truly value being around playful energy, and a sense of humor.

What is the inherent emotion you feel in this word?

The first thing that pops into my mind with this word is a person, my aunt Aylin, the most playful and whimsical person I know. As a child I was very close with my great grandmother, and my time with her was my first experience with old age and the idea of loss. But my most vivid memory of those times is how my aunt could make the whole family laugh out loud, including my great grandmother. From my aunt, I learned the strength of positive feels and how contagious they can be, even in hard times.

How is this word related to you/your work?

Almost everything I do has a pinch of whimsy, from the brand logo to the punny names of the products. Even the name St. Pia derives from a childhood mispronunciation. I try to incorporate fun presentations and wordplays to make people smile and enjoy engaging with the brand.

To me, ‘whimsy’ also represents being bold and unconfined when it comes to my work. Considering things out of context, being inspired from a random array of things when designing and presenting a product, gives those pieces that extra depth and story that’s very fulfilling as a designer.

About St. Pia

The story behind.

“After studying and working in London for twelve years as a jewellery designer and maker, I decided to combine my skills in design with what I truly love, working with animals. Essentially, I wanted to incorporate the sensitivity to detail and refined design discipline I developed working in the luxury and precious materials sector to the pet products industry.

The inspiration for the name derives from a mosaic of the mythological goddess Soteria outside my childhood home. Actually, the mosaic reads “cwth pia”, but growing up we interpreted it as “saint pia”. To me this mosaic came to represent a sense of family, protection and belonging and also inspired the equally suiting name for my beloved dog Pia. When designing the brand logo, I tried to reflect the timeless texture of this mosaic along with the crazy, lovable spirit of my dear terrier.”

What makes it distinctive?

“Our products are for pets and their humans. The goal at St. Pia is to get tails wagging and people smiling. We try to achieve this through refined design, creative presentation and good quality products. There are a lot of pet-supply brands out there, but few of them take into account how those goods might look strewn across your living room or laid out on your kitchen floor every day. I for one was tired of the soulless, mass produced products that are made from cheap materials. The truth is, animals are just as picky as us humans when it comes to quality. That’s why oftentimesthey are more interested in sleeping on our furniture, or even chewing up our belongings. We use human-grade materials on all of our products, which means our goods are equally suitable for children. We proudly operate on a “slow movement” ideology which means we are conscious and respectful of our environment, production methods and materials. We don’t keep huge piles of stock, in fact, most of our products could be considered limited edition.”

Helping animals in need.

“St. Pia’s journey is just beginning, so it’s very important that each and every penny we give goes straight to paws in need. This is why we provide regular food and veterinary care to stray animals living on the outskirts of the city ourselves. We also have our own fostering program where we treat and find forever homes for as many animals as we can. Since the launch of our website, in the space of about two months, we have provided over half-a-ton of food, neutered two dogs, and rescued three dogs from the forest. One of our beloved fosters has already found her loving forever home and the other two will do the same once their treatments are complete. We also pair with other volunteers we know and trust around the country.”

For the future…

“There are three main concerns which fuel the project St. Pia; happy and healthy paws at home, joyful owners and last but certainly not least, finding lasting solutions to help animals without loving homes. So, we have plenty to address! Though it’s a little soon to predict exactly where we’ll find ourselves in future, we have many issues to delve into to keep us on our toes and motivate us both creatively and intellectually. As the founder of St. Pia, my dream is to have steady and healthy growth, leading up to a successful company that is both self-sustainable and kind to the Earth.”