Canning is a village in northeastern Kings County, Nova Scotia located at the crossroads of Route 221 and Route 358. It was once a shipping and rail hub for farmers in Kings County along with being a major ship designing and building centre. Today it is becoming more known for its fashion designs than its ship designs, all thanks to Pamela Matheson, designer and owner, of the Esmé Original Jacket. Spotlight on Business spoke with Pam from her studio in Canning where she has been building her product line since 2013 with a focus on quality, comfort and affordability.
“Funny how the life path you choose in the beginning, will almost definitely not be where you end up. That was certainly the case for me,” said Pam at the start of our conversation.
Pam began her working career in an advertising and marketing agency as art director, which she says was perfect for her, “It allowed my creativity to flow.” For the past 22 years, Pam and her husband have owned Country Real Estate Brokers, a successful real estate company in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia which enabled her to sharpen her business skills.
Pam says, “I have always been creative and have always loved clothes. I have designed and sewn clothing all my life. I remember sewing for my Barbie dolls when I was eight years old and sitting on a pillow to reach the sewing machine.”
Six years ago, Pam was growing increasingly more frustrated with the mass produced, “cheap and cheerful” throw-away clothing she was seeing in shops. She was craving quality and originality. One day Pam’s friend saw her in a jacket she had made for herself. Her friend said, “I would buy this jacket if you made them to sell.” It was like a “Eureka” moment for Pam. It was the impetus she needed. Being a business person, she began thinking of the huge undertaking a clothing business would be, but rather than being scared off by the idea, she was excited and made the decision that she would design a woman’s jacket and start a clothing business producing jackets right here in Nova Scotia. Preliminary research indicated that Pam’s target market would be a woman between 40 and 70 years old with a desire for a quality product, comfortable and well-fitting clothing. Pam says, “I was my target market!”
She chose to create a fitted jacket as her first Esmé “original” garment. When asked why her answer was simple and to the point, “because a jacket can make an entire outfit simply by pairing it with a dress, trousers, leggings or jeans.”
Pam did not just rely on her self-taught skills, she also studied pattern making and took courses from experienced patterned makers in Nova Scotia. She spent almost 2 years designing, developing and perfecting the jacket pattern. Pam says, “It had to be perfect in every way. I wanted to be proud of my product and it had to be a garment that I would buy.” She goes on to say, “I created and revised the pattern many times before I was satisfied with it and sewed many, many samples before it was ready to go into production.”
The name Esmé is an old French girl’s name. It’s a soft, gentle name, yet strong and enduring, and that’s what Pam wanted to portray with her jackets along with a design having a classic look. The pattern is a simple one – princess seams, stand up collar, clean lines and form. She believes what makes the Esmé jackets special is the choice of unusual fabrics and the simplicity of design. Also, the fact that there are only a few made in each fabric creates a feeling of excitement and originality that will make you stand out for all the right reasons.
The quality of the garments is not by accident; Pam has gathered around her a team of seasoned seamstresses here in Nova Scotia. They have years of experience and training and she is very quick to say that it is a pleasure and privilege to work with them. Esmé uses industrial equipment so that all garments are extremely well made.
There are three important criteria for an Esme jacket: form and fit, quality finish and above all, comfort. Pam also wanted to be able to sell the garments at a reasonable price; what good is a jacket if it is not affordable.
The princess seams running from the shoulders to the hemline, in the front and back of the jacket, flow smoothly over the curves of a woman’s body. They hug the curves and accentuate the positives. The A-symmetrical front panel which is cinched at the waist hides the negatives. Overall, the lines of the Esmé jacket compliment every woman. Because the cinch belt lays slightly above the waistline, the front panel falls loosely over the lower part of the body, essentially creating a smaller waist. The result is an amazing fit on every size of woman.
Pam does not purchase any fabrics online. She believes in being hands on, and travels to wonderful places around the world shopping for fabrics. Pam searches for, touches and must love every piece she purchases – beautiful wools, blends, jerseys, cottons, alpacas and cashmere. And she buys in small quantities so only 3 to 5 garments are made from each fabric. She calls them “Limited Editions.”
Pam is energized by colour, texture, unusual patterns and she lets the fabrics take top billing. She has realized that no matter what the garment is, it’s the fabric that makes the statement. And it’s her deep and forever love of fabrics that keeps her inspired. With endless ideas and energy, she introduces something new to the Esmé Collection several times a year – like the fun Pullover Jacket, which is loose fitting and relaxed with a large droopy pocket in the front, large enough for keys, wallet and your puppy, or the Esmé Poncho and the very popular Swing Blouse which compliments every figure. This season Pam has introduced “The Shorty Jacket” which will pair perfectly with Esmé high-waisted trousers. And she is not stopping there as she tells Spotlight on Business that a long pencil skirt is presently on the design table and we are confident that it will be an amazing addition to the collection.
At the Esmé Studio, located in the pretty little Village of Canning in the Annapolis Valley, Pam welcomes customers and hosts fun-filled events throughout the year. Pam returned from India in the Spring with beautiful silks, cottons and linens. “I was over the moon about the fabrics and presented a one-day event called “Love INDIA” to showcase the clothing made from Indian fabrics . . . like the long, paisley silk shirt dresses, the linen wide-leg trousers and crisp white cotton blouses. “What a day we had. Women loved it.”
Since Pam began, she has gone from attending one show a year to six shows every year, such as the Nova Scotia Christmas Designer Craft Show and their Designer Summer Show, Saltscapes, the One-of-a-Kind Show in Toronto and other out of Province shows. Pam has developed a strong clientele – one woman owns eight of the Esmé fitted jackets! Each one has its own personality and with all the unique and unusual fabrics, it’s hard to stop at just one. Pam told us that she recently sold a jacket to a lady, who contacted her to say her husband had asked her to call. She said she dressed in her new jacket for a function they were attending, and her husband’s jaw dropped when he saw her. He said “Honey, we have been married for 30 years and I have never seen you look so beautiful.” She was delighted . . . and so was Pam.
Pam is constantly receiving hugs and emails from happy customers. A recent email from a lady who visited Pam at a show said she couldn’t stop thinking about her “beautiful jackets.” She had recently bought a pair of glasses that she said would match perfectly with the lemon yellow and black leather jacket. She wanted that jacket. Pam told us that she laughed when she read her email thinking how funny it sounded, but truly, we know that Pam herself would have done the same thing!
by Christi Rideout