This Was Made By A Black Woman: Cortisha Patrick of Tudecor

I remember sitting at my first Philly Fashion Week and witnessing Tudecor. Of all of the brands I was seeing (and I was seeing some amazing Philly lines, yall.) one of the brands that stood out the most was Tudecor. The combination of unabashed femininity, urban edginess, and unashamed sexy grabbed my attention.

I remember how the pieces moved or clung to the body in strategic ways. I remember how the models moved, how they walked, how they posed. Tudecor showed strong, sexy women just being their strong and sexy selves and I have been a fan ever since.

This time on This Was Made By A Black Woman: Cortisha Patrick of Tudecor.

"Hello, My name is Cortisha Patrick and the name of my brand is Tudecor. My clothing line targets all women of different shapes and sizes. The only thing you have to do is be "clexy" (classy + sexy). I created a brand that is for the women who are classy but admires their curves and sexuality. I love to dress the women that walk into a room and without speaking Tudecor does the talking for her."

When asked how she became an entrepreneur, Cortisha says"After coming home from college I had no job and did not know my next move. I woke up at three o'clock in the morning and created a complete collection within thirty minutes. I contacted my father and told him I wanted to produce a show. One month later, on November 25, 2012, I had my first sold-out show. Then multiple stylists contacted me to pull for celebrities and I was contacted to do Philly Fashion Week. God revealed to me that I should use all of my gifts and no longer sit on them."

When asked how she arrived at the design space, Cortisha says "My father is actually a designer and so was his mother. Sadly she died when he was just three years old. I would recall being very young while sitting on my father's lap as he would sew. I would allow me to stitch straight seams at the age of eight. I would come to school dressed for the Met Gala. My principal would contact my mother and ask if she was aware of how glamorous I was. It was my expression. My mother always allowed me to express who I was through fashion. I would dress everyone around me and have fashion shows at school. I never thought to make clothing. I would call my father almost every day asking him to make me dresses. It was until God stripped me of nothing which made me realize that all I needed was within me...fashion.

Cortisha is a passionate creator who is dedicated to her craft and to her brand. "Tudecor is beyond just a brand it's a generational connection. Every piece serves a purpose and every collection has a story." 

While Cortisha may have fashion in her blood, but her heart is definitely with her community, as seen through her dedication to those in need. "A portion of every single item that I sell goes into my nonprofit organization that I started at Penn Medicine which is call Penn Medicine Outreach Program. Every two months I provide families with clothing and food, care packages to the army and help with different needs for freshmen college students. My brand is bigger than me. I do not speak too much about it because God can see my work. Furthermore, my favorite product from my brand is the outcome of my work."

I asked Cortisha what being Black Woman-owned brand meant to her, she had this to say "The words Black owned/ Woman-owned is music to my ears. (Let me repeat it for the people way in the back!) Black Owned/Women Owned. All I can do is scream! Yes, it makes me feel that good. It shows strength dignity poise and power. It shows that I am unstoppable. I represent and stand firmly for the next generation to come. I am the example for the children that we as black women can do more than the expected. We are the light and the force to be reckoned with. Black people especially black women we are the bomb.com."

You can snag your own Tudecor pieces here and show your support and stay up to date with the latest here.