N.B. student pays university tuition by launching a tie-dye clothing line amid pandemic

A New Brunswick student who found herself out of work happened upon a colourful solution to earn some cash for her university tuition.

When 20-year-old Georgia Northrup of Moncton was laid off as a server last spring amid the pandemic, she said she knew she had to find something creative to do with her time.

“There was a lot of time spent not doing anything and that is something that I don’t like to do,” Northrup said.

Northrup was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in her early teens and said she needed to keep her mind busy while sticking close to home amid the pandemic. But she said that she never imagined that would lead to launching her own business.

“This was a complete accident, actually. So over COVID, we decided, ‘hey, let’s do some tie-dye,'” she said.

But once friends and former colleagues saw her tie-dye creations, the orders for the ’60s style sweatshirts, which represent freedom and individuality, started pouring in, Northrup said. With encouragement from her mother, she decided to launch her own business called The Tie Dye Co.

“I made a page and I started posting and it has just been growing and growing,” she said.

Northrup said she has only been in business for four months and has already earned enough money to pay for her entire year of university tuition.

“I had a collection launch last week and it sold out within two hours,” she said.

Northrup is studying to be a teacher one day. She said that with so many people working and studying from home amid the pandemic, the timing for her business was spot on.

“Everybody is at home working from home and everybody just wants to be comfortable,” she said.

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Her mother, Lesley Nothrup, said she could not be more proud of her girl who, amid the stresses of the pandemic, has created not just her own comfy clothing line, but an outlet for her active mind.

“It is a release for her and her mind is always working, so it just takes her focus to something fun and creative,” she said.

Northrup said she isn’t sure where the journey will lead. She hopes to work with students with different abilities one day.

Until then, she said, “I will take it one step at a time and one day at a time and see where it goes.”