Esprit
“Social responsibility has always been in our DNA. It was a big part of how we built the brand.” Susie Tompkins — Co-Founder
In the beginning Esprit was just an idea that had to learn how to walk.
Fueled by the vision of essential positivity, Esprit was founded in California by couple Susie and Doug Tompkins in 1968. Inspired by the revolutionary spirit of the 60s the brand developed a clear philosophy – always celebrating real people and togetherness, in line with the brand's promise: “We want to make you feel good to look good”.
The success story of Esprit is based on two pillars: Delivering joy every day through laid-back tailored, high quality essentials and carefully selected fashion-forward pieces while staying true to its core values of sustainability, equality and freedom of choice.
Example: In the early 90s, long before "Eco Fashion" became fashionable, Esprit debuted its first “ecollection” made of 100% organic cotton and featured its own team instead of models in honor of their “Real People Campaign.”
Keeping this spirit alive since day one, today Esprit has a presence in 40 countries around the globe. Esprit’s headquarters are located in Germany and Hong Kong, where the brand has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993.
The company has seriously forged a plan towards greater sustainability with efforts put forth for: circular fashion, smart design with more sustainable materials, responsible production, sustainable shipping and selling, extended product life and reuse and recycle programs.
Corporate ethics include not only responsibilities in supporting positive and respectful relations with employees and business partners, but also providing grants, donations in kind and volunteering activities worldwide throughout the company to take pride in making contributions to the community. Some of these partnerships and global fund-raising campaigns include:
- Red Cross
- Unicef
- Craig & Karl campaign and the Ali Forney Center in New York
- Surfpop in South Africa
- World Wildlife & #SaveTheAmazon