Following her presentation at Australian Fashion Week, Charlotte Hicks continues to refine the vision behind ESSE, a brand grounded in restraint, intention and modern dressing.
The Resort '26 collection is an exploration of purposeful dressing through a lens of focused, responsible design. ESSE's 2026 presentation marks a decisive evolution of the house’s ongoing dialogue with purposefully crafted pieces that connect intuitively with the wearer.
We speak with Charlotte on the evolution of the brand, the role of slow fashion, and her design philosophy.
Your work with ESSE feels deeply rooted in intention, with each piece designed to live beyond a single moment. How would you describe your design philosophy today, and how has it evolved as the brand has grown?
At its core, the philosophy hasn’t changed, we just continue to explore new ways we define it. It might be with new fabrics or new categories - the DNA stays the same. I think as the brand evolves, I get even more disciplined. Each decision is more deliberate - cut, fabrication, proportion.
ESSE was born from a desire to move away from excess and return to the essence of dressing. What does “slow fashion” mean to you in practice, and how do you translate that into each Edition you create?
“Slow fashion” is often reduced to pace, but for me it’s about precision. It’s designing with enough clarity that a piece doesn’t expire. That it holds its relevance beyond a season because it was never chasing one. In practice, that means restraint in the number of styles, discipline in silhouette, and a focus on fabrication.
Each Edition is not a reset - it’s a continuation. We refine, reintroduce, and build. Pieces are designed to sit alongside what came before, not replace it. That’s how a wardrobe gains integrity - through intention, not constant novelty
- Charlotte Hicks
At The New Trend, we focus on curating pieces with longevity and intention. How do you see ESSE aligning with this approach, and what does it mean to you to connect with a customer who is shopping more consciously today?
There is a natural alignment. ESSE isn’t designed for impulse - it’s designed for selection. For the woman who understands her wardrobe as a composition, not a collection of isolated pieces. She’s not looking for volume; she’s looking for clarity.
To connect with a more conscious customer means respecting her intelligence. She doesn’t need excess explanation - she needs precision, quality, and a point of view she can trust. She returns not for something new, but for something that extends what she already owns.
Sustainability is often spoken about, but less often deeply embedded. How do you ensure that conscious consumption, from fabrication to supply chain, remains an active part of your process rather than just a philosophy?
For us, it starts with design. The most sustainable product is one that is worn repeatedly, over time. The first responsibility is to create something that endures - both physically and emotionally.
From there, it’s about tightening the system. Working with mills and suppliers we know closely, producing in controlled quantities, and being deliberate about fabrication choices. We avoid overproduction because we design with clarity - there’s less guesswork.
It’s not about over-claiming. It’s about building a process where waste is reduced because intention is high at every stage.
With each new season, your collections build rather than replace, offering a sense of continuity. What can our customers expect from ESSE this season, and how does it expand on what’s come before?
This season is a continuation of that idea - composition over replacement. You’ll see a refinement of silhouettes we’ve been building - elongated lines, controlled drape, a sharper interplay between structure and fluidity. There’s always a tension between strength and sensuality.
Pieces are designed to integrate immediately into an existing ESSE wardrobe, but also to shift it forward. Nothing is standalone. Everything is considered in relation.
ESSE's newest collection is available for pre-order now and the sunglasses styled throughout the show are available online and in-store at TNT.
