ESPRIT MOVES TO NEW YORK CITY TO HOUSE ITS NEW GLOBAL CREATIVE HEADQUARTERS

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ESPRIT announced today that it has signed a lease with Hudson Square Properties in New York City for what will become the company's new Global Creative Headquarters. The lease deal includes over 38,000 square feet spanning two floors at 160 Varick Street, on the border of Greenwich Village and Soho. The new offices at 160 Varick Street will be the company headquarters for the brand's global design, branding, creative, and marketing efforts.

ESPRIT is looking to appoint a world-class architectural firm for the renovations of this industrial-style space built in 1927, with the aim of creating an open plan office, flooded in natural daylight, to help promote enhanced creativity and collaboration. Once renovations are complete the 11th and 12th floors will house approximately 100-120 employees including Chief Brand Officer, Ana Andjelic, and Senior Vice President of Design, Tom Cawson.

The new Global Creative Headquarters signals the brand's return to the US, where ESPRIT was originally founded in 1968. The move represents the modernization of ESPRIT's California-cool roots into a metropolitan brand that is designed, created, and photographed in New York City. While the creative headquarters are in New York, the operational headquarters remain in Hong Kong, reinforcing the vision for a global brand known for its innovation and collaboration, and a recommitment to the brand's original key pillars – design, quality, and fit.

On the decision to move the creative headquarters to New York City, ESPRIT Chief Executive Officer, William Pak, said "our intention is for the brand to resonate with a global audience. New York City is the cultural epicenter of the world, a diverse city full of incredible talent. From a creative and design perspective the next evolution of ESPRIT, like New York, will be sleek, aspirational and timeless."

The official ESPRIT relaunch is set for mid-2023 with a focus on modernizing the brand heritage and values for today's consumer in a way that resonates across generations.  The refreshed ESPRIT embodies an ode to '80s and '90s nostalgia – luxury apparel with an attainable price point. With a New York City-based global flagship and a Los Angeles flagship set to open this year, customers will be reintroduced to ESPRIT's signature playful and modern aesthetic, updated for the 21st century. To bring back the brand's retail presence, additional flagships are in the works across the US and Canada in the coming year.

About ESPRIT
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 90ies, 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 more than 30 markets around the globe. The Group has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993, and Esprit's global headquarters is located in Hong Kong.

SOURCE Esprit