Esprit

Esprit was founded in San Francisco in 1968 by Susie and Doug Tompkins. The Californian label built its identity around informal clothes and an optimistic approach to everyday life, expanding from a small clothing venture into an international fashion business. Color and a recognizable graphic identity helped make its casual wardrobe a fixture of the 1980s and 1990s.

Menswear applies that outlook to practical separates. Denim and knitwear sit alongside relaxed tailoring, offering clothes that can move between work and time off. A bright sweater or a graphic T-shirt can shift the mood of an otherwise straightforward outfit, keeping personal expression within an accessible wardrobe.

The company’s visual history is part of that appeal. Its 1980s people-focused advertising treated personality as an asset, while the 1992 ecocollection introduced organic cotton into a wider conversation about how clothes were made. These projects connected the brand’s informal image to questions of community and responsibility.

Following the restructuring of its retail operations, Esprit developed a business centered on licensing its name and design heritage. That change distinguishes the brand from the earlier network of company-operated shops. Its enduring reference point remains California casualwear, recognizable through comfortable proportions and an enthusiasm for color.