Fashion has a waste problem - we want to fix it. At ESSEN, we constantly challenge ourselves to do more for our customers, and the world we share. We carefully consider the design, production process and material of each style so they have a greater impact on your wardrobe and a smaller impact on the environment.

To celebrate life out of lockdown and the environmental benefits of on-demand manufacturing, we’ve partnered with sustainable jewellery brand Linden Cook to create a very special release of our bestselling Foundation Flats, so you can re-emerge in style.

Inspired by our common focus on time-honoured craftsmanship and minimising waste, this special collaboration is a combination of our bestselling styles which can be worn individually and in combination. Each piece can be customised so you can wear them as an anklet, bracelet and necklace, making them endlessly versatile and maximising wear. With our "Made to Order" production model, we want to set an example against overproduction and waste of resources, whilst offering you a personalised experience.

Overproduction in fashion is one of the biggest environmental threats and the pandemic has highlighted how much waste traditional fashion manufacturing generates. 

Most fashion companies produce large quantities of inventory upfront, a practice that reduces unit production costs, but often leaves them stuck with excess product at the end of the season. This extra product is put on sale, marked down repeatedly, and if consumers still won’t buy it, it’s dumped in landfills or burned, adding significant pollution to our planet. 

Our entire business model revolves around slow fashion, small-batch production and on-demand manufacturing processes. We only work with high-quality materials from low-minimum suppliers. The Foundation Flat is handmade in Italy, in a solar-powered factory by skilled artisans.
 

When you pre-order, you aren’t getting a something that has been sitting around in a warehouse for months. You’re getting something that has been made especially for you.

Doing so allows us to avoid overproduction and eliminate up to 90% of waste associated with traditional production processes and to use our resources smarter. This means lower costs per pair, so the prices of our handmade shoes and jewellery can stay competitive too. 

Producing shoes on demand is a very challenging process, so we offer 15% off to customers who pre-order and help us make shoes in a more sustainable way. Simply enter the code PRE-ORDER during checkout.