Designer of the Week

DESIGNER OF THE WEEK: MOISE EMQUIES, Founder & Designer of Splendid

Would you ever have imagined that one of the most successful and comfortable lines on the market came from a man who had absolutely no fashion experience? Moise Emquies began designing t-shirts as a side evening job for his friend’s store while awaiting the results to his California Bar exam. Eventually this part time t-shirt designer would become the founder and designer of the amazing line with amazing basics season after season, Splendid.
When Emquies began designing for his friend’s store, rather than focusing of patterns and pictures, he focused on finding the softest fabric, so he began studying textiles to educate himself. His first t-shirt line sold out immediately causing Emquies to become intrigued by this concept of experimenting with new fabric combinations.
This led to the creation of his first fashion company, Leopold, which he owned for nine years. It was also through Leopold that Emquies met and hired Pamella Protzel, the woman who would become the head designer for another label he currently owns, Ella Moss.
“After an exhaustive ten year search, Emquies finally discovered the right combination: 50% supima cotton (a luxurious cotton that gives the fabric body) and 50% micro modal (a form of rayon that is super soft and deeply absorbs dyes). It was then that Emquies finally decided on a name for his new t-shirt collection: Splendid.”
Emquies stated, “I had finally found a way to create the perfect t-shirt, a t-shirt deserving of the name Splendid, the ultimate, the best.”
To this day, Emquies has continued to impress his audience with lightweight and soft fabrics, basics that we buy season after season, and prices that are affordable and incredibly reasonable. The latest spring 2009 collection features his usual comfy favorites and also stylish pieces like oversized vests and burnouts that we are obsessed with!