Founded in 1968, Esprit was the first clothes line established by Susie and Doug Tompkins (also co-founders of The North Face). It initially sold out of a VW bus, with the Tompkinses’ San Francisco apartment serving as the brand’s headquarters.[7]

In 1979, Esprit brought on graphic designer John Casado—who designed the branding trademark of the first Macintosh computer—to develop the brand’s stencil-effect logo.[8][9]

In 1985, the brand debuted its legendary “Real People Campaign.” Photographed by Oliviero Toscani, it featured Esprit employees, architects, and designers, including Ettore Sottsass, the Italian architect and founder of the Memphis Group.[10][11] Sottsass was also commissioned to build Esprit’s European headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany, and set the visual direction for the brand’s retail stores.[12] Other noteworthy architects and designers who contributed to the Esprit brand include Antonio Citterio and Norman Foster.[13]