The Queen of Slow Fashion on the Art of a Slow Exit (Published 2022) (2024)

Fashion|The Queen of Slow Fashion on the Art of a Slow Exit

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/13/fashion/eileen-fisher-retirement.html

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The Queen of Slow Fashion on the Art of a Slow Exit (Published 2022) (1)

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Eileen Fisher went from industry outlier to godmother of a movement. Now, she is getting ready to pass the torch, starting with a new chief executive at her company.

“Being a chief executive has never really been part of my identity,” Eileen Fisher said.Credit...Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

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“Being a boss is not my strength,” Eileen Fisher said, shifting awkwardly in a seat from a sleek meeting room inside the headquarters of a company she started herself almost 40 years ago.

That may seem surprising, given the degree to which Ms. Fisher, 72, has proved herself as a leader with staying power in an often brutal industry defined by relentless change.

After all, she is a designer who built a fashion empire offering modern women comfortable yet empowering designs in natural fabrics that simplified busy lives. In an industry in which, by some measures, a truckload of clothes is burned or buried in a landfill every second, she was an early pioneer of environmentalism as a core brand value. She’s a founder of a company who, in 2006, decided that rather than taking her business public, or getting acquired, she would transfer ownership to her employees instead.

But front and center has never been Ms. Fisher’s style. For most of its history, Eileen Fisher (the brand) has rarely had a chief executive, opting instead for “collaborative teams” of assorted shapes and sizes. It was only in the last 18 months or so that the company has ever even had a single C.E.O., in the form of Eileen Fisher (the woman). She stepped up to steady the ship after the brand, as she put it, “kind of lost its way.”

Now, the queen of slow fashion is ready to give up that role (albeit slowly), part of what she described as a “responsible transition” away from the helm. This latest step in stepping back would, she explained, allow her to concentrate on formalizing her design philosophy so the brand might eventually exist without her.

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The Queen of Slow Fashion on the Art of a Slow Exit (Published 2022) (3)

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The Queen of Slow Fashion on the Art of a Slow Exit (Published 2022) (2024)

FAQs

What age group is Eileen Fisher for? ›

A certain stereotype that your mom shops at Eileen Fisher endures. But what about Eileen's younger customers, a small but devoted cadre of Gen-X and millennial women who, yes, aspire to the intelligentsia but for whom economic precarity has made that work increasingly inaccessible?

Did Eileen Fisher sell her company? ›

They expect to have a new CEO in place by the beginning of 2022. Fisher said she will focus on design and get that department in shape so she can eventually move away from that role, too. Currently Fisher owns 60 percent of the firm, with the employees owning the remainder.

Is Eileen Fisher retiring? ›

At seventy-two, Fisher is taking baby steps toward retirement, refocussing her energies on design work and stepping away from the more commercial side of the business. Recently, she announced she would hire a C.E.O. for the first time in the company's history, appointing the Patagonia executive Lisa Williams.

How much is Eileen Fisher worth? ›

Today, Eileen Fisher is valued at $400 million and has more than 60 stores across the US, Canada and the UK. Staying private has also enabled Fisher and her employees – a majority of whom are female – to be more vocal about issues that are important to them.

Is Chico's for old ladies? ›

Chico's is on a mission to prove older women can still be fashionable. The apparel and accessories brand, owned by parent company Chico's FAS, is using women over 40 in its campaigns and influencer programs.

Who is Eileen Fisher's target audience? ›

Well-established fashion brand Eileen Fisher has traditionally appealed to older women. However, to drive growth, Eileen Fisher's management team wants to target a younger demographic and has revamped its Fall product line to offer more fashionable styles to appeal to younger women.

Why is Eileen Fisher so popular? ›

Eileen Fisher is an iconic brand that has stood the test of time (since '84!) — not through reinvention, but by being ahead of the curve. EF has been designing simple, beautiful silhouettes and gaining ground on sustainability for 40 years.

Is Eileen Fisher an old lady brand? ›

I used to think Eileen Fisher was a brand for “old ladies” – even though I'm not exactly a young lady myself. But when I checked it out recently, I was pleasantly surprised. The pieces look expensive, chic, and not that different from big money brands like The Row.

What is Eileen Fisher's nationality? ›

Eileen Fisher is an American designer known for blending trend and timelessness.

What does EILEEN FISHER do with old clothes? ›

Circular By Design

We're taking our clothes back—over 2 million pieces since 2009—to be resold, donated or remade into new designs. It's all part of our vision for a future without waste.

How many EILEEN FISHER stores are there in the US? ›

The company has over 1200 employees with over 56 retail stores in fifteen states.

Where is EILEEN FISHER's headquarters? ›

Eileen Fisher, headquartered in Irvington, NY, is a women's clothing designer and retailer with a network of retail stores located throughout the United States.

What is the target age group for talbots? ›

Talbots is making great strides to become a cult brand for women between the ages of 45 to 65 years old and right now it is focusing on reclaiming its brand DNA and sense of style.

What age group does J. Jill target? ›

Jill is in a niche category, targeting women mostly around 45 to 60 years old. In previous quarters, the company had benefitted from shoppers returning to work and looking for new outfits for the office. Around this time last year, net sales at J.

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