Last month, just a few days shy of her 75th birthday, I met veteran fashion designer Eileen Fisher at her waterside headquarters in Irvington, New York.
At a time when sustainability-centered brands are closing left and right, Fisher stands out for her longevity. She has been in business for more than 40 years, but has spent much of the last five succession planning, trying to figure out how Eileen Fisher (the brand) can stay true to its values when Eileen Fisher (the person) eventually decides to step back. In 2023, that reckoning led Fisher to appoint her first CEO, former Patagonia executive Lisa Williams. Now, Fisher is homing in on the sustainability and design principles she wants the company to take forward.
“I’ve been going down this rabbit hole, looking at all the old photography and products from the past four decades, trying to work out what the essence of the brand really is,” she says. The end goal is to create a blueprint — an internal compass or guide that codifies what Fisher has built instinctively, which might one day become a public-facing book. “I want to document it, so the people who work here can keep the essence of the brand going. For me, it comes down to simplicity, timeless design, and natural materials.”
As Fisher figures out exactly what it is that makes the company true to her values, her teams are going through the same process; formalizing their sustainability ethos from product design to team culture. While Fisher has no imminent plans to retire, and “will remain closely connected to the company for life”, the company says it is “investing in leadership development and building institutional knowledge” to ensure continuity when that time comes. It’s a work in progress, says Fisher, but there’s already a lot for the broader industry to learn from.
The design team styles and re-styles new-season pieces to fit different customer archetypes, working towards a timeless collection that can fit seamlessly into women’s existing wardrobes.Photos: Courtesy of Eileen Fisher
Timeless design
Central to Fisher’s blueprint is timeless design. “The problem with fashion is that it changes so quickly,” she says. “We throw so many things away just because they’re out of fashion, not because they’re bad or worn out.”
Several of the first products Fisher ever designed — a loose-fitting duster coat, a boxy top, and a cropped, wide-leg pant — are still on sale today. “We might reinvent them with new fabrics or colors, and we might play with the proportions, but we have stayed very true to those core, iconic shapes,” she explains. “Some of what I’ve learned is not to go too extreme. A subtle oval shape is good, but when you make the shape too dramatic, it’s less wearable. We always try to bring that lens of, will I wear this in five or 10 years? Or will I look back and think, woah, that was interesting?”
