Chtapodi Collective Tennis/Pickleball Leggings. Photo by Sergio Garcia
By Natasha Anderson
Asheville artist Tessa Lang, known for her vibrant paintings and silk-screened leggings, has released Chtapodi Collective, a new line of leggings created specifically for yoga, tennis and pickleball.
“I was a competitive tennis player for years and coached for Peter Burwash International tennis specialists in California, Asheville and Tokyo,” says Lang. “I spent thousands of hours on court and craved a legging that actually functioned for racket sports.”
Chtapodi Collective Tennis/Pickleball Leggings. Photo by Sergio Garcia
The racket sport leggings have a pocket on each side that opens from the bottom for easy access and holds 2–3 tennis balls or 1–2 pickleballs. Other features include mesh panels down the legs for breathability, a cell phone pocket on the inside of the back waistband and an additional pocket for small items such as lip balm, keys or credit cards. Yoga leggings offer a high waist, phone pocket and credit card pocket. The pants are made of 73 percent polyester and 27 percent spandex to give support with a touch of compression. And of course, each pair features Lang’s original artwork.
“Every pair of leggings is a painting photographed and then turned into a silk screen,” she says. “The prints are so stunning, they actually look like paint.”
Chtapodi Collective evolved from Lang’s desire to integrate paintings into everyday life in a functional way, bringing them out into the world. She began several years ago by making items including towels and bedding, but soon found that her real passion was leggings. The process was not without its challenges. Lang tested numerous designs and kept working until she felt they were just right. Based on customers’ responses, she succeeded.
“Beyond the compliments I receive, these pants are extra comfortable,” says Arden resident Sierra Paturalski, who wears them for yoga, Pilates and tennis. “And the artwork on them is amazing.”
Lang loves the natural world and often uses animals as the subject of her work. Her first painting on a pair of leggings was inspired by an octopus (chtapodi in Greek) she saw while scuba diving in Greece. Her leggings are available in bold patterns featuring these and other animals including Pandas and Peacocks, Tigers and Toucs and Push Pop Octo Drop. Some prints, like Buddha Babe, featuring elephants, require a double take to see the creatures hiding within the abstract composition.
“I want the people who wear my art to feel special and unique,” says Lang, “and I want the art to bring joy to other people who see it.”
The full clothing line is available at ChtapodiCollective.com. The leggings are also available at Tessa Lang Painting & Leggings located at Wedge Studios, 129 Roberts Street, in Asheville’s River Arts District and in Good Art Co. in Greenville, SC. To learn more, visit Instagram @chtapodicollective and @tessalangart, TessaLangPainter.com or Facebook (Tessa Lang Paintings & Leggings), or call 828.713.8080.
