The Echo 100 project features scarves from 100 creators, celebrating the brand’s centennial and donating to charity.
To celebrate 100 years of business, renowned scarf designer Echo New York, is launching Echo 100. A project years in the making, Echo 100 will feature 100 designs from collaborations with distinguished and emerging creators from the worlds of fashion, design, art, architecture, photography, music, sports, dance, and more. The creators have pledged to donate a total of $1,000,000 to a variety of charities of their choice, following the release of the scarves, which started in September. The drops have continued through October, and will continue through November and the holiday season.
“This project grew out of our passion for the silk scarf, the iconic accessory that launched Echo in 1923,” said Charlie Roberts, Echo’s President and Chief Revenue Officer. “A quality-made scarf is a testament to creativity, craft, and individual style. Echo 100 celebrates these ideals in a way that gives back, fosters a sense of community, and highlights people who inspire us.”
The now, century-old brand was established in New York 1923 by husband and wife, Edgar and Theresa Hyman. Echo New York began exclusively designing scarves, but grew to include an array of accessories, beach and resort wear, loungewear, home decor, and bedding. Over 100 years in the ever-changing fashion industry, Echo adapted with the times, even successfully collaborating with prestigious fashion houses such as Ralph Lauren, producing accessories for their men’s and women’s lines.
“Few businesses last for one hundred years, so for Echo to remain family-owned and operated, and a leader in our field, is a mark of enormous pride,” says Steven Roberts, CEO and Chief Product Officer of Echo.
Each of the 100 creators participating in the Echo 100 project have designed a one-of-a-kind 35-inch silk, square scarf making the accessory a kind of wearable art. Each design will be available in only 100 editions, exclusively on the brand’s website. Listed at $195, $100 from each sale will be donated directly to the non-profit of the creator’s choosing. The donations will be going to causes such as the National Network of Abortion Funds, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, The Lower East Side Girls Club, The American Library Association, and so many more.
The designers were chosen with great consideration, explains Roberts. “First and foremost, we looked for passionate creators – individuals who have a unique approach to their style or art and who genuinely love what they do. We find that energy infectious,” he says. “Second, we wanted diversity in every sense imaginable. We have people who are internationally renowned and some who are very much up and coming. We have men, women, and non-binary people, living on 5 continents, representing so many different cultures and ethnicities.”
Scarves serve many purposes and are not just limited to fashion. While they can add a pop of vibrancy to an outfit or be a mode of self expression in clothes, they can also be used as decor to brighten a wall or interior. One of the most unique aspects of scarves is they fit nearly everyone, meaning they can be passed down through generations– accruing meaning and value over time.
With so many creatives and varying designs, the Echo 100 Collection has something to offer for everyone. It is an art gallery of scarves, a fitting homage to the century of work produced by Echo New York.
For the next 100 years, Roberts hopes to continue the brand’s legacy. “Our grandparents and great-grandparents founded Echo on the timeless ideals of beautiful design, enduring quality, caring service, and a great work environment, and we’re still focused on these core principles, even as we constantly look to innovate,” he says. “Over the course of the next 100 years, we hope to continue their legacy with a product our customers love that is designed, developed, and produced ethically and sustainably.”
Credits: Homepage image – Roberto Bonanomi for International AIDS Society; banner images top of page; left–Bandana Tewari for Jan Sahas; right-Nicole Rifkin for Trans Lifeline. Middle images– Johnny Dombrowski for The Society Of Illustrators
