Elsa Esser is a Berlin-based print designer and consultant working with brands like Röhnisch Sportswear, Fisch Swim, Rudi Gernreich, Carin Wester and Edited Label amongst others.
Elsa has worked as a print and textile designer for more than a decade, having earned her BFA in Painting and Illustration from liberal arts college RISD (Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI). Soon after completing her degree she expanded her fine art studies to also include textile design and pattern-making, at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City.)
Elsa worked for five years as a print and textile designer at H&M, the ubiquitous Swedish fashion retailer. She worked within their various product areas and concepts, ranging from swimwear to Guest Designer collaborations, the Studio collection and the Conscious Exclusive Collection, always bringing her painterly and fine art sensibility to the H&M family.
Working method
Elsa is a versatile print maker and responsive to her clients needs. Many collections start with a back and forth of idea sharing between Elsa and her clients. Thus product and print evolve side by side organically. Elsa uses a variety of techniques to produce prints, from drawing and painting to collage and digital renderings. With a wast picture library from travels and textile scraps, Elsa considers her large scale scanner another important tool. The play between analog and digital means that patina and atmosphere is never lost in Elsa's print, and prints are often “carved out of noise” in a reductive manner. Openness to discovery and learnings during the creation process is what makes Elsa tick.
For collaborations please get in contact.
