You know the brand… Red logo, fun minimalistic lettering, bright energetic images.  It’s Esprit, started in 1968 in San Francisco by Susie and Doug Tompkins who sold garments out of the back of their van.   Now, the Group operates more than 800 directly managed retail stores worldwide and distributes its products via more than 14,000 wholesale locations internationally, occupying total selling space of over 1.1 million square metres in more than 40 countries. They are rapidly expanding their US retail presence but still always have a global conscience.  Recently Esprit, through a fund-raising campaign in their retail stores, donated to help Haiti.  The total amount raised, 115,000 euros. will go directly to SOS Children’s Villages Haiti via the ‘Esprit Cares Trust’ in Hong Kong. This will enable Esprit to assist aid workers on the ground as well as ensure the long-term well-being of the children in Haiti. Lynn Furge garnered a lucky moment with John Gunn, President of the Americas, Esprit to talk about the future plans for such an iconic global brand.

Lynn Furge:  I remember my favorite pair of Esprit pants.  They were orange and blue and checker board and had black fish sketched on them and every girl in school wanted them, but they were mine!  With a new boost in your retail businesses you are looking to re-introduce the brand to growing Gen X’ers like myself.  How do you plan to do that?

John Gunn:  Many of our consumers in the US remember Esprit from when they were young.  We find that now we can appeal to both old and new shoppers since we have a variety of lines that get the attention of different generations.  While we still have the basics that have been available since the start, we also have pieces that follow the trends a bit more, so there really is something for everyone.   

LF:  The Esprit Brand is unique because it was one of the first affordable luxury brands that started in the US and built a global empire through partnering and then brought it all back under the same roof to New York as the corporation expanded, how are you able to keep the Global Esprit image consistent?

JG:  The image of Esprit worldwide is that it’s OK to be yourself.  The typical Esprit shopper likes to follow fashion but is not a slave to trends.  She enjoys being out with her friends and family and lives a busy life outside of fashion.  Our new campaigns will show an edgier side of the brand with Julia Restoin-Roitfeld representing our Women’s Casual line and Daisy Lowe as the face of edc by Esprit.  We hope that both will grab attention and have a lasting impact on our consumers. 

LF:  Esprit seems to be the one global company that has been opening store after store in different international markets and now begin to bring attention back to the US with boutiques popping up all over America.  Can you explain the risk and how it has begun to pay off?

JG:  There is always a risk when starting a new business venture in a new market.  Our team is successful at researching and developing new ways to expand our business and make improvements with each new opening.  Short term we are looking at opening up to 20 stores in the next fiscal year.

LF:  Do you take any type of different approach when handling retailer partners vs. wholesaling to your own boutiques?

JG:  Our approach is different when handling retail partners vs. wholesale.  The target customer for each channel tends to be different in their shopping approach.  We need to appeal to our shoppers that are both loyal to the brand but also those that are not label conscious.    

LF:  You are really looking at all angles of the consumer demographic… we touched on the aging Gen X’ers who grew up with the brand… now tell me about the initiative to get a Facebook following, how do you feel that will benefit the brand?

JG:  It’s very important for a business to grow with the times and right now, tapping into social media with sites like Facebook and MySpace and even Twitter will allow us to reach a new customer and develop a deeper relationship with existing ones.   We recently launched a Facebook page for the US which has been very beneficial to us as a company.  Facebook has created an open line of communication between us and our customers which has provided us with great feedback. 

LF:  How does imaging/branding play an important role now more than ever in a global retail business?

JG:  We are extremely proud of our Spring/Summer 2010 image campaign featuring Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Daisy Lowe, global fashion influencers that are relatable to our international customers.  We have never attached famous faces in an image campaign before.  The feel of these photo shoots relates to Esprit’s heritage of a laid back, cool lifestyle but is a bit more updated to show that we’ve grown over the years. 

LF:  How much of the business is ecommerce? And what plans for growth do you have for this aspect of the business?

JG:  Ecommerce is a significant portion of our business for growth right now.  We have recently expanded our e-shop to include Canada as well added menswear into the product mix.

LF:  Esprit’s flagship store in the UK is really using technology to gain the advantage on an entertainment and interactive level any plans for the American stores following suit?

JG:  While the recent technology we have used to leverage business in the UK proved to be successful, we have not yet made plans to integrate this into our marketing strategy in the US. 

LF:  What does your partnership with the London College of Fashion consist of?

Esprit is working with the second year BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology womenswear and menswear students over two terms since 2005. Esprit’s head of design Melody Harris-Jensbach asked the students to “Create a cutting edge line for Esprit based around the existing ‘Collection’ or ‘edc’ lines for either men’s or womenswear. The objective is to push the boundaries forward.”

As part of the ‘Esprit Academy’ students need to design a versatile capsule range of 4-6 outfits.

The lucky winner has their designs produced and sold through Esprit stores worldwide as a
“limited edition line” with it’s own individual label and special window display. In addition to this,
the winner has the opportunity to work with Esprit at their Global Business Headquarters in Germany
following their graduation.

It was our first step in supporting new fashion design talent, and the start of a long term
world-wide campaign in which they plan to collaborate with design students. We plan to work
in the future with other internationally acclaimed fashion design schools across the globe.

LF:  Is there any market you are not already in that you are really interested in investigating or introducing to the Esprit brand, either in terms of an Esprit boutique or a retail partnership?

JG:  We are thrilled about our expansions in the US market so far with our largest opening on 34th Street in New York City following the openings of four other stores – Rock Center, Columbus Circle, Soho and Flatiron.  We also have expanded to the west coast, the birthplace of Esprit, to open Esprit Santa Monica on the famed Third Street Promenade and also to Philadelphia to open Esprit Walnut Street.  We are continually researching other markets that we feel could be beneficial to the brand and are always seeking out new opportunities.