European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 8, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 by Melissa Sones United press International last year in new York at Macy s trendy Junior department it was Madonna. This year it s  Star wars and Steven Spielberg is to the movie business Esprit is to the clothing business says Terr Melville Macy s fashion director for juniors. Melville who in March opened a huge Esprit shop on the former site of a Madonna shop says Esprit clothes Are like hamburgers and  with sales approaching $1 billion Esprit de corps a san Francisco company is an acknowledged Leader in the apparel business. By producing Quirky colourful sweaters skirts pants and jackets worn in the scrambled layers that Are so fashionable Esprit has successfully mass marketed the idea of being different. It s very Eclectic says Susie Tompkins 43, who started the company with husband Doug. " americans Are just learning How to talk about themselves by what they Wear. It s just caught on. It s  Tompkins who runs an 11-person design department from the firm s san Francisco Headquarters says her clothes Are popular because they give people a vocabulary for body  much As one creates a sentence Esprit s customers select pieces and mix and match them at will. In a sense the company gives lessons in  s easy for them to learn says Tompkins. Esprit is marketing far More than clothing. It s almost As if they be created a club and people want to be members says Melville. Tompkins Calls it a positive confident attitude and others refer to the Esprit state of  we re very California very san Francisco says Tompkins. There s a whole sort of honest lifestyle going on Here. When people think of us they very much associate us with the California lifestyle. Freedom of color and Energy. All Over the world its California this and California  the Esprit lifestyle pervades company Headquarters where workers Are encouraged to leave High heels at the door to protect the Pine floors in favor of Flats which Are provided if you be left yours Home. In House exercise classes Are routine smoking is discouraged and the company pays half on concert tickets. The company has its own Park Golf course Tennis court and cafe. Hardly the crazed new York exec Doug Tompkins spends several months a year White water kayaking and Mountain climbing. Before starting Esprit he began the North face a popular san Francisco outdoor equipment company. Susie Tompkins introduced a women s clothing company called Plain Jane in 1969. Ten years and Many facelifts later that company became Esprit. Although Many designers would say Success Means keeping close tabs on trends Susie Tompkins advocates the opposite. We Don t have to worry about what somebody else is doing and run after them she says. Indeed now that they Are Industry leaders the Tom Kinses worry about knockoffs or other firms copying their designs. A lot of times we get knocked off and get in the stores before we get there ourselves says Tompkins. The company has t decided what they re going to do to protect themselves but they re working ont she says. Tompkins and her staff designs collections for kids and pre teens As Well As juniors. Each one includes a whopping 130 pieces and unlike most companies they re done monthly rather than seasonally. Whether shooting one of their real people ads at Bloomingdale s in new York opening their own boutiques which they launched in 1984, or creating special displays for department stores Esprit s founders Are known for the watchful Eye they keep on merchandising which is Doug s realm. In different regions of the United states for instance available Esprit styles Are different although the Basic concept components and unexpected mixtures Are the same. Take their ski sweater this past season. We did it oversized in new York very body conscious on the West coast she says. Heavier weight fabrics went to the North while lighter ones reached the South. The fall collection introduced in March concentrates heavily on knits. The Neo sexy knits that Are Short and modern will sell in new York Tompkins says and will be worn with leggings. They re not going to Wear them in the extreme of the Interior that s for sure she says. The company also adjusts clothing to Esprit s foreign markets which now include Switzerland Germany and the Netherlands. The designers expect to move their very California look into Southern Europe soon. Very san Francisco Esprit lifestyle popular Esprit fashions Are worn in layers which customers can mix and match to suit their individuality