www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 18, 2007 - 33 Entrepreneuring couple have designs for the future By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER While fashion magazines tout the latest and greatest in design, they don't often chronicle the arduous, financially taxing road the creators of those flawless, gorgeous pieces traveled to get there. Teresa and Regg Miller do. She just launched her first clothing line called Teaze and he introduced an innovation called The Lock to the sporting world. Both design ventures have required huge capital up front and an uphill battle to gain recognition from retailers and the public. In the fashion industry the competition is as cutthroat as it is fickle, changing from one season to the next. Regg has had to prove to buyers that The Lock jock and SubLock underwear both live up to their technical claims while keeping copycats at bay. The window for approval is a mere 12-18 months. This is Teresa's story. After 20 years of absorbing the technical lessons gained from designing for noted private labels Alfred Sung, Eddie Bauer, Nordstrom, Cotton Ginny, and Club Monaco, Teresa wanted to put her own signature on a line of skirts, dresses, sweaters, coats, patented. It cost $100,000 to develop, required retooling a loom to make the innovative fabric weave, and an "arm and a leg" in legal fees, said Regg. Mission, Itech bought the innovation that promises to keep `the boys' tight to the body and hold the protective cup in place all the while feeling as comfortable as plain underwear. Manufactured in Canada, already 6,000 of The Lock have been sold in the first year. Regg is hoping to sell 30,000 in the years to come. More comfortable than a compression short, more secure than a typical jock, and odour free to boot, men on rinks, tracks, courts and fields everywhere are praising The Lock for its performance and comfort. (In partnership with a London, Ontario scientist, The Lock products are treated with an all-natural, non-toxic antibacterial that is said to bind to the fabric for life, despite multiple washes.) Teresa Miller tops, bags, scarves, ties and hats. It's taken one year of hard work to reach this goal. "It's a very stressful process to get product out to the public," said Teresa. Worry accompanies every step along the way because there are few guarantees in this business. Nevertheless, Teresa has produced "a series of comfortable, stylish, soft, draping cotton Lycra pieces that appeal to the young professional," such as Teresa's 30year-old daughter Lea, "and those in their middle ages," like Teresa. (Her daughter Lea is the graphic artist in the company and son Robert takes care of the sales.) On the heels of returning from a trade show in Las Vegas, the Millers embarked on another trip, Regg Miller this time to Europe with appointments to offer the Teaze line to buyers at department stores Harvey Nicholls and Neiman Marcus. The trip is also research into plans for the spring 2008 line. Teresa's main influences come from Italy and France. Travel is a compulsory in this line of work because design is fruitless if it's done in isolation, and emerging colour trends, styles and fabrics need to be researched, said Teresa. This is Regg's story. Five years ago Regg Miller decided to make a better sports jock. It's taken three years to develop the right kind of fabric and fit then get his invention O'Connor MacLeod Hanna LLP, Halton's full service law firm, is pleased to welcome Marian G. Gage to our team of specialized professionals. Marian practices in the area of Family Law. Her practice involves the drafting of domestic contracts as well as representation with respect to divorce, custody, access and spousal and child support matters. Marian can be reached directly at Tel: 905.842.8030 x 3312 Fax: 905.842.2460 Email: gage@omh.ca 700 Kerr Street, Oakville, ON, L6K 3W5 www.omh.ca Runner Up