{"id":2090,"date":"2018-02-26T19:44:25","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T00:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/?p=2090"},"modified":"2024-02-13T11:50:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T16:50:55","slug":"cibc-futurhighfive-spotlight-on-atelier-tonomy-fashion-that-changes-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/blog\/cibc-futurhighfive-spotlight-on-atelier-tonomy-fashion-that-changes-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"CIBC #FuturHighFive Spotlight on Atelier Tonomy: Fashion That Changes Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Futurpreneur Canada<\/a>\u00a0recognizes the hard work, determination and passion it takes to start a business. That is why we teamed up with\u00a0CIBC<\/a>\u00a0for a campaign to recognize the milestones (big or small) that our entrepreneurs reach while starting and growing their businesses.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a part of the campaign, we\u2019re encouraging our Futurpreneurs to share their start-up successes using the hashtag\u00a0#FuturHighFive<\/a>\u00a0on social media. Zahra Peal of Atelier Tonomy<\/a> is one of those success stories.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

People who work in fashion are notorious for challenging the status quo and continuously innovating with every design and product launch. Some people even take it a bit further and try to create clothing that makes a real impact on people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what designer Zahra Peal is doing with her company, Atelier Tonomy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The brand and online store is dedicated to helping people uphold their personal dignity, comfort and pleasure in life by creating beautiful and useful accessories that respond to challenges due to disability, illness and aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very exciting to be a part of the growing movement to make life better for older adults,\u201d says Zahra. \u201cI have always felt the need for my contribution as a designer to have a social benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long before launching her own fashion brand, Zahra would often help out her mother, a geriatric nurse, by visiting her long-term patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would find it quite uncomfortable and saddening spending time there, as the quality of life of the elderly folk was lacking,\u201d said Zahra. \u201cFast forward 25 years and now my parents are themselves in their early eighties, and are starting to lose their autonomy. Services for seniors have evolved in the last 25 years, but there is still room for improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launching Atelier Tonomy was her way of improving the quality of life of people who are losing their autonomy \u2013 even the name is inspired by this purpose.<\/p>\n

Atelier Tonomy carries various fashion items designed to make a person\u2019s daily life a little bit easier. From stylish purses that attach onto walkers<\/a> to bib-like accessories<\/a> that comes in various patterns, this brand\u2019s products truly stand out.<\/p>\n

For example, one product that she shared online as a part of Futurpreneur Canada\u2019s #FuturHighFive campaign in partnership with CIBC, is an innovative purse that attaches to rotators and walkers.<\/p>\n

\"Atelier<\/p>\n

This versatile bag is different from a regular purse because it not only keeps the purse from possibly dragging on the floor or falling off a mobility device, but it also keeps it at arm\u2019s reach, making it convenient for the person using it.<\/p>\n

However, with such unique products came the challenge of figuring out the right place to sell them. Should they be in a specialized store? In pharmacies? Zahra eventually decided to start online and soon her products will be available for sale on Amazon.<\/p>\n

While starting such a unique business has its challenges, Zahra\u2019s participation in Futurpreneur\u2019s Start-up Program, which paired her with her mentor Toby Stewart, has been a huge help in bringing her business idea to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mentor is great. She always reminds me of the big picture as I can easily get bogged down with the daily ups and downs of starting up and running a business,\u201d she said. \u201cWe touch base every six weeks or so. It has been friendly and motivating. She is a master of strategy and always on top of her game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aspiring entrepreneurs may be hesitant in jumping to a journey like Zahra\u2019s, but the accomplishments make it all worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing real momentum,\u201d says Zahra, who adds that outside of her success, she has also noticed an increase in research and community groups focused around these types of innovative products.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have received great feedback on our products, specifically on how they make life a little bit easier from the daily challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking of starting your own business? Learn more about our Start-Up Program<\/a>! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Written by: Sara Pivato, Social Media & Content Coordinator, Futurpreneur Canada<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Atelier<\/p>\n

Want to be featured in a\u00a0#FuturHighFive<\/a>\u00a0Entrepreneur Spotlight? Share you start-up milestones using #FuturHighFive on Instagram and Twitter!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People who work in fashion are notorious for challenging the status quo and continuously innovating with every design and product launch. That\u2019s what designer Zahra Peal is doing with her company, Atelier Tonomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-futurpreneurs-and-partners"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}