Paying homage to Olivero Toscani's pioneering 1985 “Esprit People”
campaign, Esprit Denim of today comes alive through the words and
experiences of our 2023 cast—real New York City creatives who have
earned their place in the big city through optimism and spirit.
Paying homage to Olivero Toscani's pioneering
1985 “Esprit People” campaign, Esprit Denim of
today comes alive through the words and
experiences of our 2023 cast—real New York City
creatives who have earned their place in the big
city through optimism and spirit.
“As a Black woman,
I’ve had to ignore the
institutionalized
societal norm of not
being the first choice,
or a choice at all, for
jobs I’ve wanted. I’ve
had to ignore the
words ‘this is not for
you’ when I knew I was
more than qualified.”
– Erika Belle | Curator, Designer + Dancer
“As a Black woman, I’ve had to ignore the institutionalized societal norm of not being the first choice, or a choice at all, for jobs I’ve wanted. I’ve had to ignore the words ‘this is not for you’ when I knew I was more than qualified.”
– Erika Belle | Curator, Designer + Dancer
“Rules can sometimes
create boundaries
that need to be
broken. Being queer
and a woman of color,
I’ve had to navigate a
system that often
didn’t support my
dreams. This has lit a
fire under me to be
more in pursuit of
what seems
impossible.”
– Kim Anh | DJ, Producer + Composer
“Rules can sometimes create boundaries that need to be broken. Being queer and a woman of color, I’ve had to navigate a system that often didn’t support my dreams. This has lit a fire under me to be more in pursuit of what seems impossible.”
– Kim Anh | DJ, Producer + Composer
“As a Black woman,
I’ve had to ignore the
institutionalized
societal norm of not
being the first choice,
or a choice at all, for
jobs I’ve wanted. I’ve
had to ignore the
words ‘this is not for
you’ when I knew I was
more than qualified.”
– Erika Belle | Curator, Designer + Dancer
“As a Black woman, I’ve had to ignore the institutionalized societal norm of not being the first choice, or a choice at all, for jobs I’ve wanted. I’ve had to ignore the words ‘this is not for you’ when I knew I was more than qualified.”
– Erika Belle | Curator, Designer + Dancer
“Rules can sometimes
create boundaries
that need to be
broken. Being queer
and a woman of color,
I’ve had to navigate a
system that often
didn’t support my
dreams. This has lit a
fire under me to be
more in pursuit of
what seems
impossible.”
– Kim Anh | DJ, Producer + Composer
“Rules can sometimes create boundaries that need to be broken. Being queer and a woman of color, I’ve had to navigate a system that often didn’t support my dreams. This has lit a fire under me to be more in pursuit of what seems impossible.”
– Kim Anh | DJ, Producer + Composer
“I have learned that
rules don’t break, they
bend. The better
understanding I had of
the rules, societal and
institutional, the more
I knew which were
worth bending and
how they could bend
in my favor.”
– Emeka Obi | Creative Strategist
“I have learned that rules don’t break, they bend. The better understanding I had of the rules, societal and institutional, the more I knew which were worth bending and how they could bend in my favor.”
– Emeka Obi | Creative Strategist
"New York City is a
great place to be
alone in a crowd—
a paradox essential to
creativity, identity, and
community.”
– Walt Cassidy | Artist, Author + Curator
“New York City is a great place to be alone in a crowd— a paradox essential to creativity, identity, and community.”
– Walt Cassidy | Artist, Author + Curator
“I have learned that
rules don’t break, they
bend. The better
understanding I had of
the rules, societal and
institutional, the more
I knew which were
worth bending and
how they could bend
in my favor.”
– Emeka Obi | Creative Strategist
“I have learned that rules don’t break, they bend. The better understanding I had of the rules, societal and institutional, the more I knew which were worth bending and how they could bend in my favor.”
– Emeka Obi | Creative Strategist
"New York City is a
great place to be
alone in a crowd—
a paradox essential to
creativity, identity, and
community.”
– Walt Cassidy | Artist, Author + Curator
“New York City is a great place to be alone in a crowd— a paradox essential to creativity, identity, and community.”
– Walt Cassidy | Artist, Author + Curator
