George Esquivel

George Esquivel is a shoe designer and craftsman. He is the founder, President and Design Director for Esquivel Designs, a Southern California design company that makes bespoke shoes and unique leather goods. The company has been in operation since 2001, but George began making shoes in his garage in the mid-1990's, where he designed and made shoes for Orange County musicians, such as The Reverend Horton Heat and Lit. He has made footwear for such celebrities as Drew Carey, Seth Green, Kevin Costner, Ryan Stiles, Gwen Stefani, Richard Tyler, Janelle Monae, Robin Finck, Jeremy Popoff, and Taylor Swift. Esquivel shoes have been spotted on The Shins, Bruno Mars, The Killers and The Pixies.

History

George has spent the last decade experimenting with his particular style and refining his look to create what is now being hailed by the press as the fresh new look in footwear: unrefined elegance. New style meets old world craft. European quality meets James Dean Americana.

In 2009, Geore was a Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund nominee, one of the finalists among nine others, including Waris Ahluwalia, Alabama Chanin, Sophie Theallet, Ohne Titel, Wayne, Monique Péan, Gary Graham, Spurr, and Patrik Ervell.

Esquivel has been charged with the redesign of the American collection for historic Italian shoe company Fratelli Rossetti, and has consulted to a number of other well-known brands. Esquivel shoes have been featured in hundreds of press outlets, including blogs and the most well-known magazines such as GQ, Esquire, Vogue, In-Style, the LA Times, and on NBC, and literally hundreds of other online and print publications.

In October 2011, George exhibited at the “Americans in Paris” initiative, sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger and Vogue magazine. The show was created as a global showcase for emerging American designers. Esquivel was among the past CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund designers that were selected to participate in the shared space:

Billy Reid Eddie Borgo George Esquivel Gregory Parkinson Monique Péan Ohne Titel Pamela Love Prabal Gurung Simon Spurr Sophie Théallet

George Esquivel continues to design his signature products, which are hand-made in Southern California. He also consults and designs for other well-known brands.

Collections

George Esquivel takes his inspiration from art and history. His original styles were inspired by music and cars. He designed shoes for the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2002, taking two shoes and making them reminiscent of two different cars in the "million dollar car" show. His subsequent collections included creepers worn by rockers, and rugged textured shoes made with the masculine American man in mind.

Esquivel's 2010 collection was inspired by the workers who built the Empire State Building, and so many other New York monuments. Workers wore their boots to work, and then with a little polish, wore them to a dance on Saturday and church on Sunday.

In 2011, George’s collection was inspired by architecture and the art of Frank Gehry.

George's 2012 collection is inspired by Egon Schiele, the Austrian protégé of Klimt.

Clientele

The Esquivel focus has largely been bespoke and made-to-measure. The clientele includes a variety of actors, artists, entrepreneurs and athletes. A few select boutiques carry ready-to-wear Esquivels.

Athletes

Esquivel shoes have become known among professional athletes, who must wear more than sneakers. With larger than life feet, Esquivel has been able to carve a niche for basket ball pros like Yao Ming, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joel Przybilla, Tyson Chandler, and football players such as Shaun Alexander and Rudy Johnson, among others.

Retail

Esquivel shoes can be found at a few key retail outlets, including Net-a-Porter, Barney's, A'MAREE'S, BERGDORF GOODMAN, Douglas Fir, Browns London, and the Esquivel store in Beijing. Select styles are offered at the *Esquivel website.

His shoes have been showcased at Fred Segal Feet, and prices for his shoes range from USD$650 to $2,500. Esquivel also designs the mid-range Joe's Garb brand.

External links

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