Tired of staring into a wardrobe brimming with clothes with a sense of having nothing to wear, or throwing out clothes that fall apart after a few washes, designer and founder, Alicia Tsi quit her full-time job and set out to pursue her passion in fashion and create quality classics that make women feel beautiful in them. After delving deeper into fashion supply chains, she uncovered a system that trains us to adopt a disposable mindset and an industry that turns a blind eye to the high environmental and social cost of its production. Esse was born out of a desire to redefine the way consumers approach fashion and interact with their garments by inspiring them to consider their garments purpose and lifecycle. They do so by merging elevated classics and timeless designs with social responsibility and environmental awareness to create investment pieces that are thoughtfully-made, whilst building a progressive supply chain and business model that encourages longevity, reduces waste, and champions transparency. To reduce their impact on the environment, Esse makes their pieces from materials like tencel, bamboo, and organic cotton, which use much less resources than conventional cotton and are less polluting than oil-based fabrics. They also use overproduced fabrics from designers and fabric warehouses, allowing them to give a second life to fabric that would otherwise be destined for the landfill. Esse selects each of their supply chain partners through a stringent set of criteria emphasizing product integrity and good business practices. They visit each partner personally to understand the production process and focus on building long-term relationships. Esse ensures that the workers at their factories are in a safe environment and receive benefits like guaranteed minimum wage, paid holiday leave, sick pay, and overtime pay.
