Esprit Designs Apparel for the Home
April 8, 2004
RATINGEN, Germany – Esprit, a brand name known internationally for affordable casual apparel and sportswear for men, women and children introduced Esprit Home at Heimtextil 2004 in Frankfurt. F&FI took a sneak peek at the new home line a month earlier at the new 700-employee Esprit Holdings Limited European headquarters in Ratingen and talked with some of Esprit's key people about why the company took on the home market.
"There's no denying, when talking about global design nowadays, you simply cannot ignore how the home section increases in importance all the time. That's why we decided to focus on the market of home textiles and the accessories from now on," said Gary Zboralski, license manager for Esprit Europe.
"Our decision is a very logical one. Esprit already was a household name in the fashion industry, and now we hope to achieve the same thing in interior decoration. In our concept, we enable our customer to express themselves through the use of our products. What's more, our customer is a well-defined one: it's someone who fits the well-known Esprit slogan, 'It's an attitude, not an age.' To put it in other words: The people that buy our articles are youthful and value a dynamic global brand of quality products at democratic prices. They keep an open mind, are self-confident and appreciate sportiness. At the same time they show that they are brand conscious and that they are aware of trends and fashion."
The light-hearted Esprit home line includes pillows, seat and sofa cushions, table linen, shower and window curtains, blinds, lights, carpets, paint and accessories, available in stripes and posies in bright orange, yellow, pink, red and neutral tones.
''The Esprit home collection is our answer to an all-the-time faster and faster changing home market, in which the influence of interior magazines and TV programs on interior decoration increases,'' said Mathieu Delaey, executive director of Bervision, the new Belgian Esprit Home license partner for 28 countries. "[We] aim at excellent quality and extremely strong delivery times throughout Europe. The concept also features a wide choice of contemporary and tasteful offerings in home decoration products, which reflect international trends and themes in an attractive way and which bear the well-known Esprit look and signature. The concept also promises strong price-value relationships, is positioned in the mid-price segment and relies on a comprehensive know-how as a manufacturer and retailer," he said.
Esprit Holdings Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong and boasts 500 retail outlets and over 2,000 franchised shops. The company's brand, ESPRIT, has been a leading international lifestyle fashion brand name for apparel, footwear, accessories and other licensed products including watches, eyewear and fragrance. The Group also controls the RED EARTH brand name and distributes its cosmetics, skin and body care products primarily in Asia Pacific. The Esprit Group's turnover and profit attributable to shareholders for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 were approximately $1.6 billion and $153 million respectively.
"There's no denying, when talking about global design nowadays, you simply cannot ignore how the home section increases in importance all the time. That's why we decided to focus on the market of home textiles and the accessories from now on," said Gary Zboralski, license manager for Esprit Europe.
"Our decision is a very logical one. Esprit already was a household name in the fashion industry, and now we hope to achieve the same thing in interior decoration. In our concept, we enable our customer to express themselves through the use of our products. What's more, our customer is a well-defined one: it's someone who fits the well-known Esprit slogan, 'It's an attitude, not an age.' To put it in other words: The people that buy our articles are youthful and value a dynamic global brand of quality products at democratic prices. They keep an open mind, are self-confident and appreciate sportiness. At the same time they show that they are brand conscious and that they are aware of trends and fashion."
The light-hearted Esprit home line includes pillows, seat and sofa cushions, table linen, shower and window curtains, blinds, lights, carpets, paint and accessories, available in stripes and posies in bright orange, yellow, pink, red and neutral tones.
''The Esprit home collection is our answer to an all-the-time faster and faster changing home market, in which the influence of interior magazines and TV programs on interior decoration increases,'' said Mathieu Delaey, executive director of Bervision, the new Belgian Esprit Home license partner for 28 countries. "[We] aim at excellent quality and extremely strong delivery times throughout Europe. The concept also features a wide choice of contemporary and tasteful offerings in home decoration products, which reflect international trends and themes in an attractive way and which bear the well-known Esprit look and signature. The concept also promises strong price-value relationships, is positioned in the mid-price segment and relies on a comprehensive know-how as a manufacturer and retailer," he said.
Esprit Holdings Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong and boasts 500 retail outlets and over 2,000 franchised shops. The company's brand, ESPRIT, has been a leading international lifestyle fashion brand name for apparel, footwear, accessories and other licensed products including watches, eyewear and fragrance. The Group also controls the RED EARTH brand name and distributes its cosmetics, skin and body care products primarily in Asia Pacific. The Esprit Group's turnover and profit attributable to shareholders for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 were approximately $1.6 billion and $153 million respectively.
