"I like simplicity. It makes the woman important.
I want clothes to help us relax into ourselves."

Twenty-five years ago, I started EILEEN FISHER for a very personal reason: I was having trouble getting dressed. At the time I was working as an interior and graphic designer. In my mind I kept seeing these simple shapes for clothes. I knew they had to be beautiful colors, great fabrics and have certain shapes and proportions that worked together. This was my "aha" moment: a system of dressing that I'd been looking for ever since I abandoned my Catholic school uniform back in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Although I couldn't sew and only had $350 in the bank, I believed in these simple shapes. I had four shapes made up and took them to The Boutique Show in New York. Encouraged by $3000 in orders, I expanded my "line" to eight pieces. The second show brought in $40,000 in orders. Suddenly I wasn't just Eileen Fisher. I was EILEEN FISHER, INC.

Today we are 800 people strong with 44 stores in 14 states. Our warehouse-style corporate offices, located in Irvington, New York, were recently remodeled using natural lighting and we moved our New York City offices and showroom into loft-like spaces in the Flatiron district. These new spaces have contributed a lot to the way we work. By exchanging our cubicles for open work areas we are encouraged, inspired and informed by the people surrounding us. We are a company of passionate, engaged people who value our collaborative culture and are committed to connecting with one another as well as with our customers.

Design is what drives us and our business. We find that good design is a result of paying attention to what women want and need. The women who wear our clothes want to experience the magic that happens when you put on a piece of clothing that has been pared to its simple, pure essence. It comes alive on your body. It makes you move differently. It changes the way you think and feel about yourself.

I have two teenagers, great friends, five sisters, a brother, a mother and on most days, a very full calendar. I imagine my life is as busy as yours. I go to work, help my daughter pick out a prom dress, walk with friends along the river and every now and then host a party. In these modern and sometimes overscheduled times, I want EILEEN FISHER to be known for clothes you don't have to think too much about. You put them on and know that they will give you the comfort, ease and elegance to move with confidence through your day.