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Meet Andrea & Liseth, founders of ENSŌ Vintage, a brand focused on upcycling and curating vintage pieces in their physical and online locations with a mission to giving clothing a new life. The founders connected over a dream to create a meaningful impact in fashion having left corporate creative and business backgrounds 5 years ago with the aim of building a conscious wardrobe that stands with modern aesthetics. Through a collection that embodies ENSŌ's DNA by transforming vintage into new designs where tradition merges with minimalism.
Our story began during our time at G-Star RAW. While Andrea was working as a designer and Liseth was on the business side we always felt a natural connection. Our shared passion for second-hand fashion and a desire to promote sustainability led to the creation of ENSŌ Vintage. We envisioned a brand that not only showcased the beauty of curated vintage pieces but also emphasized the importance of mindful consumption.
Driven by a shared desire to create a meaningful impact in fashion Andrea and Liseth transitioned from a corporate creative and business background towards establishing ENSŌ with the aim of building a conscious wardrobe that stands with modern aesthetics. Since then, the brand has grown into a hub for like-minded individuals who value uniqueness, craftmanship and circularity.
The disconnection between the intentions of sustainable fashion and it’s commercial reception made us question the authenticity of the fashion industry. That is why we decided to start something of our own to reflect the values important to us in our business model.
A blend of all. Every new selection starts with a “little fire” we feel inside of us, most of the time powered by a silhouette we want to focus on which then evolves into a whole look that makes ENSŌ take the next step in a very organic way. Sometimes we don’t even know until we see it. Color is essential, we are very protective of neutrals as a base but love to jump in on color-driven trends.
Bold femininity and subtle details are the core of our design language, which is quite fluid but helps us build recognizable ENSŌ silhouettes while still respecting the original archetype.
To get there, we sketch directly on vintage garments, allowing the new design to connect and evolve depending on the existing features. They need to work together and we (designers) are the enablers for it to happen, it’s a beautiful mind-opening process as most of the times your first idea and end result are quite far apart!
As every base garment is made differently, upcycling comes with lots of learnings. We’re still discovering craftsmanship details that are non-existent in todays clothing.
It taught us to listen to our gut, carefully and often, which has proven to be either the lead to right decisions or to the best lessons! And we’re trying to not overthink every decision or new designs but dare to try and fail. We feel that by being the sole investors, we are able to keep ENSŌ closer to us and it’s original values which we hope to have a stronger impact on the industry.
Retail has been surprisingly welcoming to our concept. For us it’s a space to connect and to access little worlds scattered around the globe, finding that unique personality in them.
We seek connections that are value-aligned and embracing creativity, most of the time not fashion related, so we can learn from other industries and individuals. By choosing collabs that are rooted in shared ethics and long-term impact, we can use partnerships to expand our mission, turning every project into a meaningful expression of fashion done differently.
On the creative side, growing our upcycled collection is currently a very fulfilling work in progress we want to focus on. Business wise… we want to go places and connect with other creatives and ideas around. All pop-ups we hosted (London, Paris, Belgium) have been such enlightening experiences that have always brought incredible energy to take the next step. So we are excited for the next one or maybe even new permanent locations, or shared concepts…
Our biggest challenge we would say has been to find the right pace in staying connected to our people while building such an evolving concept as ENSŌ is. Next to that, avoiding getting lost in too many new ideas (hard!) or the urge to fast forward the process, instead pausing, reframing, and making the right decisions. Yet, to see almost immediate positive impact we bring to the industry and responses from people around us, this is the most rewarding feeling.
We envision a future where creativity and sustainability are at the core of fashion. And we want to continue with community-driven events, new cities and collaborations.
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