Elizabeth Suzann Announces 'Closing of a Chapter'

Liz Pape, designer and owner of the clothing brand Elizabeth Suzann, announced via Instagram that she’ll be shuttering her company and laying off all employees due to the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. She hopes to resume as a solo enterprise in the fall.

“The hit to our made-to-order sales over the past two months, as well as the hit to our lead time from being out of the warehouse for an extended period of time, are too severe for us to recover from in a healthy and responsible way,” writes Pape on the brand's website. “There is still a demand for our garments, albeit drastically reduced from normal, but our current overhead is far too high in proportion to the sales that are coming in.” 

The ES brand has been a leader in the slow fashion movement in the U.S. and Canada, setting new standards for environmentally sustainable fabrication and manufacturing, financial transparency, workforce compensation and benefits, as well as plus-size expansion. In last year's Best of Nashville issue of the Scene, Pape was named Best Fashion Designer, and our 2019 Fashion Issue spotlighted the brand’s environmental impact. The company has a cult following, and its semi-annual sample sales at the South Nashville warehouse would bring in shoppers from around the country. 

Pape closed the South Nashville warehouse on March 14 in compliance with Metro’s safer-at-home order, and employees turned to making face masks while also operating from inside their homes. Yesterday, Pape announced on Instagram that her company made 4,371 masks and sent them to health care centers in Nashville and around the country. The company has continued to pay ES employees throughout the shutdown, and Pape says it will continue to do so as they complete orders. 

In the post, Pape stresses that she’s confident that sending employees home was “the right thing to do for their safety.” The company will have one last online sample sale in the next month. Pape says that she will be selling her Nashville warehouse to cover existing debt. 

“My intention for the future of ES is to make a major pivot,” writes Pape. “I am currently planning to re-open independently in the fall, just as I started out, taking limited orders and making each garment myself from a home workshop.” Pape will make assets and equipment available for to team members to use for future income generation and to help them find new employment. “If anyone in Nashville (or anywhere with remote work) is hiring,” she concludes, “I have a long long list of absolutely incredible individuals to connect you with.”

A tip for other mourners: Second-hand ES garments are frequently for sale on sell/trade Instagram accounts like @selltradeslowfashion and @selltradeplus.