Esprit

Quality first

Esprit is an international youthful lifestyle brand offering smart, affordable luxury and bringing newness and style to life. 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.

Esprit licenses its logo to third-party licensees that offer products bearing the same Esprit quality and essence to consumers. Esprit also operates the Red Earth cosmetic brand which includes cosmetics, skin care and body care products.

Esprit is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993 and is a constituent stock in the Hang Seng Index, MSCI Hong Kong Index, FTSE All-World Index for Hong Kong and S&P/HKEx LargeCap Index and S&P Asia 50 Index.

The Board comprises nine Directors, including the Chairman of the Board, three of them being Executive Directors, and the remaining six Non-Executive Directors, of whom five are independent.

History

1968 | San Francisco

Esprit - the brand was born

Susie and Doug Tompkins started selling Esprit clothes out of the back of their station waggon

1971 | San Francisco

Seven product lines

The company incorporated under the name of Esprit de corp. and seven product lines were created.

1971 | Hong Kong

Esprit Far East started business

Esprit Far East Group was born when Doug and Susie Tompkins met Michael Ying, the group's former chairman and shareholder of Esprit.

1978 | San Francisco

Esprit takes off

Sales topped US$ 100 million and international partnerships in Hong Kong and Germany were formed.

1979 | New York

Esprit triple-bar "E" logo

In 1979 John Casado designed the famous Esprit stencil-effect logo. Despite worries that the triple-bar "E" would not be legible to customers, the new logo became one of the most recognised and memorable in international fashion

1986 | Cologne

First Esprit store in Germany

Cologne was the location of the first opening of an Esprit store in Germany. The store was designed by Ettore Sottsass with typical elements of the Memphis style.

1987 | San Francisco

Engagement

Susie and Doug Tompkins urged the public to confront the growing AIDS epidemic. In the same year the company expanded into Taiwan, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark

1989 | San Francisco

"Esprit, the Comprehensive Design Principle"

The Japanese art publisher Robundo published "Esprit, the Comprehensive Design Principle". Esprit was now launched in France, Norway and the UK.

1992 | San Francisco

"What would you do to change the world?"

The "What would you do to change the world?" campaign became well known and famous worldwide.

1993 | Hong Kong

Esprit Asia on the stock exchange

Esprit's Asian distribution business listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as Esprit Asia Holdings Limited.

1995 | San Francisco

New product worlds

Design philosophy applies