Thank you for bringing Esby back for another FELIZ. It's been a big year for you already. During SXSW you debuted your 10th collection! Congrats! And you did it by throwing a weekends worth of exciting events you called Esby Fest. Can you tell us how this event came to be? Did you always have a plan to launch your 10th collection in this way?
One of our favorite 3rd party vendors - Krewe, a brand we carry in our store - invited us to New Orleans last year for an informative weekend and brand emersion experience. We got to mingle with other shop owners, have a private buying appointment, and experience how they see their brand in it’s home of New Orleans. The 8 hour drive home got me thinking that we could do something similar! We usually show our upcoming collection during market week in NYC, in the blur of fashion week and surrounded by hundreds of other brands. While the energy is undeniable and inspiring, it’s truly exhausting and overwhelming as a buyer. This hometown experience felt like the perfect way to celebrate our 10th collection and get everyone in Austin instead.
Can you walk us through a recap of that week? What all did you have planned?
We started the 3 day event off strong with our first runway show, followed by a beautiful dinner. With plenty of free time during the day for our out of towners to explore, we invited everyone to the South Congress Hotel for a little live music and dessert. Our final day we had a special small business Q&A panel and then finished the day with a final happy hour at Hotel San Jose.
esby fest panel. images by hannah koehler
Will Esby Fest be back for another year? What was your strongest take away from the week post SXSW?
We will definitely have another #esbyfest next year! and our strongest takeaway is that we will likely back up our esby fest to right before SXSW next year (and get more out-of-towners to stay and just flow straight into the madness with no break. :)
See more images from esby fest here.
AND we'd love to know from a veteran FELIZ vendor, what do you love about FELIZ, as a vendor and/or shopper?
Feliz is a one stop shop for all of my favorite local vendors and the energy is great! You get to catch up with friends, explore new brands as well as new product - all under one roof. And with it being just before Mother’s day - it’s the perfect spot to shop for all those mamas in our lives.
Shop Esby's 10th collection in person at FELIZ. From 11am - 6pm this Sunday (May 6th) at the Palm Door on Sabine.