Mind:Body:Community

Like you, we don’t do just one thing. Our goal is to cultivate a community of self acceptance and personal growth. Based out of Ketchikan, AK, TufTitties is just an extension of the loving, creative, and encouraging culture that embodies our little town. We create with the intent to spread hope and tenacity to anyone that needs it.

TufTitties Television

TTTV is a space where we can share content that promotes our fair treatment and anti shaming efforts while telling incredible stories.

Our first show On The Docks On The Rocks is a story telling round table for people that work on the water. The sea has so many stories to tell and we want to capture as many as possible. Check out our first episode below.

Heather G.

Living in Ketchikan, Alaska for the past three years has taught me that the proper shoe irregardless of what you’re doing is immensely important. I moved to Ketchikan during the rainiest summer on record in 2017 and within the first week of being here, I purchased my first pair of tufs. Since then my tufs have gotten quite a bit of use wearing them to work on various boats on a daily basis. After all, they are commonly referred to as the Alaskan sneaker. My favorite day with my tufs would have to be the day of my shoot. The summer of 2018 was quite different from the summer of 2017 SE Alaska was experiencing quite the drought and it was rather warm. That’s where the idea to do the shoot in the lake came from. We drove on a back country road to this glorious lake with beautiful lily pads in the water surrounded by the immense forest southeast Alaska is known for. As the photographer worked his magic everything just came so naturally. We were all just having fun swimming around in the lake until we got the shot. It was truly a wonderful experience and something I think about every time I put on my tufs.

Nicole F.

I moved to Alaska a little unsure and a lot lost. The moment I bought my Tufs was a monumental occasion, it was a moment of belonging and excitement for the adventures ahead. Over my three years in Alaska my boots and I traversed mountains, square danced, kayaked, worked countless hours at my job as an Environmental Scientist, met my friends for weekly brunch, posed for a calendar capturing the uniqueness of Alaskan women, and discovered self-love. Every time I catch a glimpse of my Tufs or at my picture in the TufTitties calendar, I’m reminded of the bad ass woman I am and the lessons Alaska taught me.

Heidi P.

My name is Heidi Poet and I am a born and raised Southeast Alaskan. Both my father and mother’s families chose to make SE Alaska their home as early as the 1950’s and seamlessly adapted to it’s way of life. Collectively, my family has held nearly every conceivable job there is to hold in our great state. My grandfather was a charter captain and worked for the loggers union for many years before finally starting , “The New Alaskan”, a newspaper that shared with Alaska his love for the culture it represents and the people who call it home. My father, my aunt, and my uncle, all worked for the Alaska Marine Highway System from the galley to the wheel house. My cousin’s have been dock kids, running skiffs from slips to fuel docks, and attendants that then pumped that fuel in all kinds of weather. My sisters have been crossing guards during tourist laden months and stood in puddles for hours in the pouring rain. I, myself, have worked for marinas and tour companies and trusting my boots would keep me dry and warm was a luxury I took for granted realized only when I was wearing the wrong shoes. When I wasn’t wearing my tufs. These simple brown and yellow boots have weaved their way into the fabric of the southeast. Anecdotally I’d say one in every five people you run into out and about are wearing tufs. Somehow this familiar yet voluntary uniform is just one more way that Alaskans find comfort in belonging to the same family. One thing this family has learned it that in SE Alaska if you stop for the weather, you’ll never get going. This resilience, this determination and vim creates discerning and loyal folk who know exactly what will help them pump that 80 gallons of gas, stand in that puddle at the end of Main St., or deliver those bundles of newspaper to the grocery store. You have to go outside. No matter the precipitation; no matter the temperature. Rain or shine SE Alaskans live their lives and make their livelihoods outside and this requires the right equipment. This requires trust and I think any Seasonal worker can tell you, when they ask a local what they should get to keep their feet dry the answer is, “tufs”. They’ll probably say they didn’t have to ask at all because the local asked them, “Where’s your tufs?” before the need even arose. When Alaskan women set their minds to it they can do almost anything. They looked out into the rain forests of SE Alaska and had no quit. They’ve been captains, loggers, tour guides, crossing guards, journalists, mothers, camp cooks, baristas, anything you can name the women of Alaska have done it and they’ve done it in their tufs. The creators of TufTitties took one look at the way women of Alaska turn brown rubber boots into working multi-tools and knew that they deserved a moment to feel confident in their achievements and to feel how strong they were. With our nations history of underestimating and belittling women the smallest symbols of power and solidarity make for an invaluable source of confidence. When I was asked to participate in this project it took me all of one second to say, “absolutely”. Not only would I be supporting a project showing the range, ability, and power of women in my home state, I’d get to be a part of it. I’d get to show that Alaskan women are strong, strong women are sexy, and sexy women are tough. What are we, as women, representing when we wear our tufs? We represent the backbone of Alaska. We stand with the mothers that came before us and the sisters we have now in showing that tough is ladylike and ladies wear tufs.