Tenielle Franklin was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and raised in Toronto, Canada. She studied arts at The University of Western Ontario (B.A., 2008) before continuing her education at George Brown College in Toronto (Jewellery Methods & Design, 2010). In 2008, Tenielle was chosen as an emerging talent at Henri Bendel’s designer casting call in New York City. Her work has been featured in various Canadian design publications, and was selected as Editor’s Pick in the Fall 2008 issue of Fashion.