Every garment that we produce and consume has an impact on the planet.
Learn about the impact of fashionFashion that's better.
Fashion is hurting our planet and our humanity. At Esse, we want to make a difference by treading lightly on our planet. Our vision is to create a better fashion industry that is traceable, circular and more inclusive. Through our mission of building a better fashion brand, we hope to create change, inspire others and redefine the industry through the way we create, operate and collaborate.
By aligning our brand with environmental and social goals, we hope to be a force for good. Our journey is just beginning, but we hope you’ll join us to make fashion better for our planet.
Environmental Responsibility
Designing for longevity
Rather than chasing trends, we design our clothing with you, the wearer, in mind. By balancing creativity with functionality, we draw inspiration from classics and our customers’ feedback to create modern, foundational essentials that evoke effortless sophistication, innate beauty and confidence. We design with the entire lifecycle in mind, and continuously look to improve our design process so we can eventually close the loop.
Considering every detail of each garment - from the materials and trims, to the stitching and finishing, our design process is rigorous but our goal is to create a well-loved garment that stays in your wardrobe for a long time.
Seasonless, slow fashion model
We choose to create season-less styles that sell throughout the year. Each of our styles are tested by time and are phased out or brought back accordingly in updated fabrics or refreshed colours.
To prevent any wastage from excess inventory, each of our styles are launched in small capsules instead of huge collections seasonally. As of 2020, we have chosen to launch more of our capsules on a pre-order basis. This is our way of encouraging more thoughtful and conscious shopping habits, as we strive to change the current consumption patterns propelled by fast fashion brands.
Sustainable fabrics
Much of the environmental impact of fashion happens at the raw materials stage, even before the actual garments have been made. That’s why fibre selection is important to us: it affects the way you’ll care for the garment and how your garment goes back to the earth eventually.
When selecting fabrics, we implement a selection criteria, taking into consideration water use, land use, eco-toxicity, human toxicity and greenhouse gas emissions. This is balanced against fabric availability, price and garment care implications.
Conscious Packaging
All our packaging is plastic-free and made from recycled paper. By opting for packaging with minimal to no branding, we encourage all our packaging to be reused and repurposed.
Since July 2020, we have embarked on a trial with Package Pals to make our packaging more circular. All our used mailer envelopes are collected through Package Pals and sent back to us to be reused.
Responsibly Sourced Trims
We are moving towards using only responsibly sourced trims. As of now, 90% of our garments use natural shell buttons. We will be looking at sourcing and using more natural and certified materials for our trims and brand labels in 2021.
Social Responsibility
Ethically Made
Ensuring that all our garments are produced under safe, fair, legal and humane working conditions is a cornerstone of Esse. We partner with other suppliers and work closely with them to mitigate any harm created during the manufacturing process. We hold ourselves and our suppliers to the highest environmental and social standards, leaning on industry tools and standards to manage this process.
Giving Back
We are proud to support various causes. Besides partnering with Star Shelter Singapore, an organisation that provides a temporary refuge to survivors of domestic violence, and Trees That Count, a conservation charity in New Zealand to fund tree planting and help to restore New Zealand’s native forests, we continue to support various initiatives and find ways to give back to our community.
Diversity and Inclusion
We believe in ensuring everyone whom our business touches feels accepted, valued, respected, represented and understood. In 2021, we have set forth some guiding principles to help us move forward with more inclusivity.
Our Workshops
Our Makers
We acknowledge that traceability throughout the entire supply chain is complex. However, it is our commitment to understand and share this information with you.
This is an area that we are continuously working on and we want to show you where we’re at. By sharing information about our makers, you can better understand where and how the clothes you buy are made.
Our Community
Forging Bonds
Our community means the world to us, and we want the bonds that we’ve forged to extend beyond digital connections. Through our free events, we intend to create a space where like-minded people can come to learn and connect.