This Uniform's Esme Marsh on Taking a Slow-Fashion Approach to Streetwear
“I always keep in mind that I’m making pieces that my friends and I would genuinely want to wear.”
Thoughtfully made clothing takes time. At least, that’s the belief of Esme Marsh, founder of London-based label This Uniform. Built around the principles of slow fashion and functionality, the rising brand has a very clear idea of what it is and what it’s not — something that’s increasingly difficult to do with today’s rapidly changing trend cycle.
“I wanted to make clothes we’d actually wear all the time – pieces that are super comfortable, easy to move in, durable and functional,” Marsh tells us of the brand’s inception. “Our goal is for people to connect with and trust our design language, choosing to wear it because it feels authentic, not just because it’s ‘on trend,’” she adds.
Off the back of the brand’s recent “Star” capsule collection, we caught up with Marsh to find out more about the journey behind This Uniform so far, and the plans for the future.
Read on for the full interview.
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Tell us a bit about the decision behind creating This Uniform. What was the catalyst for you?
I wanted to create a brand that approached streetwear in a slower, more hands-on and considered way. Right now feels like an exciting time to be building something, as there’s room to rethink not just how we design clothes, but how we operate as a creative brand. That opportunity for nuance and experimentation really appeals to me. With This Uniform, the intention was always to go beyond just making clothes. It’s been fun shaping something that feels more like a creative platform, where cultural dialogue and community exist alongside the garments themselves.
What’s the significance of the name?
The name This Uniform came about because I’ve always designed with my friends and our everyday lives in mind. I wanted to make clothes we’d actually wear all the time – pieces that are super comfortable, easy to move in, durable and functional. As more people connected with that approach, a small community naturally began to take shape around those same values. Now, it feels like there’s a growing network of like-minded individuals wearing TU and in a way, this has become all of our uniform.
The brand focuses on themes of individuality, spontaneity and practical design. Where does the inspiration for its pieces come from?
Fabric! Fabric is the starting point for everything we make. Combining unlikely fabric combinations like fun and weird stripe jersey with dry waxed cottons, with super sheer organic cottons, with hand-loomed vintage cottons from the 1950s woven on a narrow loom by some of the people of Western Yunnan. We always try to keep a sense of playfulness in the process and there’s a nice juxtaposition in working that way while using real, beautiful vintage fabrics – materials that already have history and character. I love this idea that clothes tell stories when they have lived many lives and passed through multiple people. Every wearer gives the garment a new history, memories and emotions and hopefully, our pieces become part of this cycle.
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What can you tell us about your creative process?
Play about! Create something based on how we are feeling that day, nothing overly serious, seeing the beauty in fabrics and shapes and function and then play about! We have lots of music playing in the studio and sometimes some really bad TV.
This Uniform produces its garments in London in small batches, which is a pretty impressive thing to do as a smaller brand. What was the thinking behind those decisions? How do you implement them?
Making in London has always felt right for us because the brand is deeply rooted here, and it’s important to stay close to every step of the process. When I started, everything was made-to-order for two reasons: first, it was the only way we could afford to produce the clothes, and second, to avoid overconsumption. As we’ve grown, we’ve gradually increased batch sizes, but we keep them small enough to effectively sell out. I believe we’ll always remain a slow brand in this way, but adapt in new ways if we must, as we continue to grow.
People’s mindsets are beginning to shift as more people are understanding that thoughtfully made clothing takes time, and that this is actually part of the beauty of the process. When you buy craft-led, carefully made pieces from a small brand committed to doing things thoughtfully, a slight wait is part of receiving something special.
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Similarly, the brand seems to focus on timelessness and not producing trend-led silhouettes. How do you avoid getting sucked in to the trend cycle as a new business?
We truly believe in what we create, and I always keep in mind that I’m making pieces that my friends and I would genuinely want to wear. Our goal is for people to connect with and trust our design language, choosing to wear it because it feels authentic, not just because it’s ‘on trend.’ We have core silhouettes that we’re constantly refining and evolving, which have become central to our identity.
By developing and adding new styles around these foundations, we’ve built a modular, ever-evolving collection – one where pieces from three years ago still look right paired with something we made three weeks ago because they’re all grounded in the same core principles.
The brand just dropped its new Star capsule. What can you tell us about it?
The star-inspired collection is really an evolution of ideas we’ve been exploring for a while. For example, the shorts are a development of the boxer-style pieces we’ve been offering, but this time we wanted to experiment with shapes as functionality. Stars reimagined as pockets, where playful forms serve a purpose. It’s a quiet shift from decoration to function, woven naturally into the design. There isn’t a single fixed concept driving the collection; it’s more about a feeling.
It often starts with something that resonates that day, like a shape or a word or a symbol and we then play around with it until it becomes something tangible. There will always be a lot of really bad outcomes, but that is all part of the process. At the core of our design process are recurring principles: usefulness, intention, structure and feel. The rest grows around that. The stars, playful elements and fluid shapes are all part of an ongoing exploration into how clothing can be expressive, instinctive and playful – without needing to be overly serious or over-explained.
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Finally, what’s next? What are some of the long-term goals and plans?
We want to get really creative! We are currently sourcing new, beautiful, unique fabrics with rich histories from unexpected places. Because these materials are hand-sourced by us and often one-of-a-kind, we’re excited to create clothes that go beyond everyday wear, crafting distinctive artefacts and bespoke designs that combine artistic detail with thoughtful craftsmanship and explore the space between fashion and art.
Long term, I would love to develop this idea that This Uniform is a creative space as well as a brand, and host more community-based workshops and teach-ins. I love the idea of using social spaces as an inclusive means of exploring how fashion, creativity and sustainability can intersect both in theory and in practical application.
In my own view, the best learning comes through dialogue, so I see these events and spaces focusing on the sharing of ideas and collectively trying to be better. I strongly believe that if you give away ideas, more will come back to you. When you reserve ideas, you end up living on your old ones, and eventually you become stale. A community built on exchange feels really meaningful to me.
