For those of us who grew up in the '90s, there are few brands that evoke the same feelings of nostalgia as Esprit. Those striped, crew neck sweatshirts! The crazy colors and patterns! The word Esprit with its weird, invisible "E" stamped on literally everything we owned! Though the brand's recognizability has admittedly faded in the last few years (tough look, generation Z), it's coming back better than ever thanks to an upcoming collaboration with fashion-forward powerhouse Opening Ceremony. As far as I'm concerned, the collection can't come soon enough, so when does Esprit by Opening Ceremony come out?
According to the company website, the collection launches on Sunday, Sept. 11, and will feature men's, women's and unisex pieces. It will be available online, at Opening Ceremony's stores in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo and at select boutiques in London, Paris and Hong Kong. (If you close your eyes and think hard enough about all of those oh-so-Cher Horowitz styles, I swear you can actually hear the refrain of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" playing in the background!)
Here's what we know about the heritage collection so far: It is bright and colorful, several pieces are reversible and Esprit’s iconic multi-colored logo will for sure make a comeback comeback on T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and accessories.
Humberto Leon, who's one of the founders of Opening Ceremony, called the collaboration one of his "dream collections" because of how much he loved Esprit as a teenager growing up in California. Both brands regularly embrace bright colors, loud prints and unexpected mixing and matching, so one can only imagine what will happen when they come together to create a single line.
Opening Ceremony's website describes the collection as "comfy materials feel like the grown-up alternative to playing hooky during gym class."
Um, Yes.
In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, Chief Brand Marketing Officer of Esprit Arnd Müller said that "[the collaboration] shows that Esprit’s original vision is still today as relevant as ever.”
I, personally, cannot wait to get my hands on one of those sweatshirts.
Images: Courtesy of Opening Ceremony
