By Elizabeth Weinstein
Shaker Heights–raised designer and Jstyle cover model Esther Kim is the founder and creative director of ESYA, a slow-fashion label known for blending structure and linen into timeless and hand-crafted small-batch pieces. Think A-line linen dresses, belted cargo pants and oversized button-down shirts with signature pocket details and binding. “ESYA pieces are stand-alone – you can wear any of our outfits and they’ll take you from morning to night – you just change the footwear,” Kim says.
During the (COVID-19) pandemic, Kim and her husband, actor Matthew Daddario, best known for Shadowhunters and set to star this holiday season in the Hallmark movie Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, moved to Cleveland, where they are raising two young children. Kim spoke with JStyle about her career path, design philosophy, and what it means to create in Cleveland.
Tell me about your background and what it was like growing up in Cleveland.
I loved growing up in Cleveland. I made a lot of lifelong friends, went away after college (Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Business) and work, and, since moving back, it’s been nice to reconnect with my roots and the community here.
Your family immigrated when you were very young. How did that shape you?
Yes, from the Soviet Union – Kazakhstan at that time. Russian was my first language. It’s a big part of my cultural home life. There’s a spirit about immigrants: My family instilled a work-hard, play-hard mentality.
What brought you back to Cleveland?
Family. I’m very close with my family and they offer a great support system. If we can have a village, I’ll accept it with arms wide open.
Rooted in the motto “Easy, Simple, You, Anywhere,” Esther Kim’s ESYA line captures a sense of effortless style, playful spirit, and everyday adventure.
Photo courtesy of Esther Kim
When did your love of fashion begin?
Looking and feeling good has always been a pillar of how I approach my day. I saw it in the women in my family, through many generations. They weren’t dressed to the nines in jewels, but they always looked put together and cared about clothing quality. Their clothing lasted forever. I get hand-me-downs from my grandma that I wear now because the style is timeless. I get a lot of inspiration from my grandma and my mom’s closet.
Do you have a favorite hand-me-down?
Shoes! My grandma and I are the same shoe size. She loves really high heels, and I do too.
How did your career path lead you to creating your own label?
I started in product development at Macy’s which was my introduction to large-scale manufacturing and production. Then, I met people in New York who were breaking molds and making things possible that seemed impossible. I met a woman who started her own clothing brand. She showed me her domestic production line in New York, and it seemed tangible.
When I moved back to Cleveland, I wondered if I could find manufacturing here, because I learned you have to be near your product if you’re creating hands-on, quality pieces. We wanted to keep it thoughtful and small at the beginning. I was happy to find remnants of what was once a large garment district here, and there’s a small revival happening now with a few men’s fashion brands and other casual designers.
What do you think is driving the revival of Cleveland’s garment industry?
I think the pandemic brought a lot of talent back to where people grew up. I know businesses were reviving the garment district before 2020, but there’s so much talent in Cleveland that’s sometimes untapped because the industry doesn’t live here. With retail, you don’t need brick-and-mortar. If you have the brand identity and production, you can sell everywhere. Being anchored in a livable city is very helpful.
You have also worked as a travel blogger. How did that experience shape your approach to design?
I traveled a lot and I never wanted my suitcase to be a hindrance – it should add to my experience through versatile outfits. That’s been a big factor in my design.
ESYA stands for “Easy, Simple, You, Anywhere.” This motto guides my design: a piece should feel natural and uncomplicated. The ESYA woman is on the go, but also a little playful. ESYA is also what my family calls me. I wanted the name to be personal, but more than just me – to evoke a feeling of adventure and ease.
How did you get started building ESYA?
There’s so much uncertainty in the beginning. Everything I’ve learned, I learned by doing. I kept telling myself, “Build it and they will come.” When I first started working in private-brand fashion, I thought, “Where’s the manual? Where are the contacts for fabric, trim and factories?”
I Googled a random number to find my first factory and just called. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. That’s been my approach – learning business, marketing, supply chain and design as I go.
When ESYA launched in 2023, my five-year goal was to be in boutiques. We’ve already landed in a few – Double Rainbow in Van Aken and a shop in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Wholesale is the way to scale a small business like this, and we’ll continue expanding.
Walk me through your design process.
It’s different for every piece. Sometimes I’m inspired by fabric and need to make it work on a body, and sometimes I’m inspired by vintage fashion photography. I collect reference photos, work with a technical designer and patternmaker, source fabrics, make several samples until the fit is right, and then shoot it on a model – or sometimes me.
Inspired by vintage photography and timeless fabrics, Esther Kim brings her ESYA designs to life through careful craftsmanship and a touch of wanderlust. Photo courtesy of Esther Kim
As a parent and business owner who is married to a celebrity, how do you balance privacy with running a public-facing brand?
My husband’s job sounds glamorous, but at the end of the day, it’s his job. And this is my work. I don’t put my children on the internet. I went private on Instagram and I think carefully about sharing our private life. What’s cool is that I get to wear my clothing (when I’m out with him). When people ask, I can say, “It’s made in Cleveland.” It’s a nice way to meld my private and professional lives.
What does it feel like when you encounter your designs in the wild?
Sometimes I can’t believe people buy things I create and wear them around the world. We’ve been worn by influencers I really admire – Erin from “Real Housewives of New York” wore one of my pieces. I once saw a mom at our school pick-up wearing my button-down. She looked so good. I get so excited when I see people wearing my designs.