Life patterns from my mother

Jessica Tan-Gan is a mom of three young children (four, three and nine months) and the youngest daughter of acclaimed and well-loved fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan.

She is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles with an associate’s degree in merchandise marketing and a bachelor of arts degree in business management. When asked if she once dreamt of following her mom’s footsteps, her reply was: “I never dreamt of becoming a fashion designer like my mom, but I did gear my studies and career to work hand in hand with her in Tan-Gan.”

After her studies in the States, Jessica came home and handled the operations and merchandising aspect of Tan-Gan while her mom Lulu handled the creative and production side. “Being a creative or a designer is an innate ability or skill,” Jessica says. In a way this helped, as my mom and I were able to run the business by working on our own strengths and opposite skill sets to complement the business.”

During the pandemic when unemployment was at its all-time high, she launched a new business, “Morsels Healthy Snacks.” Morsels is a homegrown business that aims to create and keep jobs in the country while providing nutrient-dense and delicious snacks. Their best-selling product is their vacuum cooked mushroom chips. The chips are sold at specialty stores and restaurants, including Wildflour, Florabel, WeNourish, One World Deli, Gourmet Corner, Milky Way Cafe and the upcoming Katutubo Pop-Up Market.

When asked what her ultimate wish for her mom is, she answers, “My mom has always given so much of herself to my sister and I, and I am forever grateful. My wish for her is to continue to do what she loves,  be inspired, travel the world and do whatever she wishes. Ultimately I wish for her to be worry-free, happy, and content.”

Read on as Jessica shares with us lessons her mom taught her.

1. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. My mom is an artist born to a traditional family. It couldn’t have been easy being unconventional – and the youngest of 11 siblings to boot – but it did not hinder her from doing what she believed in. Dare to be different, she taught me. I often felt like she was too ahead of her time, but the older I get, the more I realize and appreciate how forward-thinking she is.

‘When my mom would do store visits, my sister Samantha and I would tag along. We would buy Coney Island ice cream with my sister then we would take fun photos at the Photo-Me booth outside SM Makati when we would tag along with my mom.’

2. Growing up, my mom always encouraged me to learn continuously and to embrace this as an opportunity. She always told me to work on my passions and to continuously develop/hone my skills.

3. Mistakes can become opportunities. I learned this by observing her in the design process. My mom is an innovative craftsperson. She designs clothes holistically by conceptualizing and analyzing the look and the use of the materials. The cut and fall follow. Finally, there is the end use, the care and the handling, which need to be practical. My mom is constantly in experimentation and innovation mode.  On many occasions, a new design was born from a mistake.

4. Work hard and play hard. As far as I can remember, my mom has always been a working mom. I would always tag along with her to work, no matter how long the day was — whether it was a visit to the factory or the shop, sourcing or visiting suppliers, waiting backstage, or watching her fashion shows. She took me everywhere. Her work hours were long. I would get bored out of my wits and impatient! But now that I have my own business, I value all those moments. They have taught me so much.

5. Trust your intuition. I can recount numerous instances where Mom just told me to trust her. True enough, she was right.

6. Less is more. There are two categories: Want and need. Don’t buy what you don’t need, and don’t buy on impulse. Either shop for a new look or add on to match what you already have in your closet. The same goes for food: Eat only when you’re hungry.

7 .Value and take care of your things. One of my mom’s most prized possessions is this Vidal Sassoon wide-tooth comb, like a rake, of the ’60s. It is older than me! It has trotted the globe with her. We laugh about it because it’s such a simple item, but my mom appreciates and cherishes her things from both the past and the present.

8. Never stop learning and evolving. Someone once commented, “It’s like she just graduated from college and is starting fresh!” My mom never runs out of ideas and that’s just the way she is.

9 .Enjoy your kids. One of the reasons I love being a mom to my kids is because my mom was always fun to be around. She completely tore her Achilles tendon doing races and long jumps with us! So it comes naturally to me to do the same with my kids.

‘My mom always made things fun and enjoyable. When we’re together we are always laughing.’

10. Never give up. Like everyone else, we have had our fair share of trials and tribulations, and it was during those times I really saw how tough, persevering and tenacious my mom is. Mom is a problem-solver; there is no giving up until a solution has been found — and if it cannot be found, then we fashion one.

(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)

Mother and daughter complement each other.