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SQUASHT BY LES IS URBAN HODGEPODGE
 Lesley Timpe, owner and creator of Squasht by Les, has always had a great intrigue and love for self-expression through clothing. Following her heart and indulging her life-long interest in art and design, she earned a 2-year fashion design and style degree from Maestro Mateo Design School in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in June of 2004.
Lesley returned to her hometown of St. Louis and started to make hats and women's fashion-forward apparel. In October of 2004, Squasht by Les, an independent clothing and hat company, was founded with the debut of its signature, retro-styled “bella” hat. Shortly thereafter, boutiques started to carry Squasht hats and the product line quickly grew to include tanks, tees, hoodies, various hat styles for men and women, skirts, dresses, halters, tube tops, and handbags.
Lesley is the winner of the Threads for Hope Fash-N-Bash Fashion Show, held at the Pageant Theatre in St. Louis on October 7, 2005. Lesley was presented the award for “best emerging local designer” in front of an audience of over 1,000 onlookers after Squasht apparel shared the runway with other emerging local talents, along with outfits by big name designers Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs and Chloe. Squasht has since gained much notoriety and has been featured repeatedly in several local publications such as Hipster Magazine, St. Louis Women on the Move, Alive Magazine, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Most recently, Squasht was mentioned in the July 2006 issue of New York's Women's Wear Daily, and a Squasht dress received recognition in the September 2006 California Apparel News as a must-have trend for Spring 2007.
Squasht's design aesthetic revolves around the merging of fabrics, textures, colors and embellishments in unexpected combinations, while consistently achieving high-quality, well-made results. Squasht prides itself in pledging to remain sweatshop-free and strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Natural, vintage, and/or sustainable fabrics are used in the majority of garments and hats. Hand-dying, distressing, studding and screen-printing are also utilized to make garments with one-of-a-kind, hand-made appeal.
All stages of production continue to take place in St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL. Points-of-sales have recently expanded and Squasht is now being carried in over 20 premium boutiques nationwide. Squasht exhibits seasonally at the Pool Tradeshow in Las Vegas, a marketplace for today's hottest emerging designers. |
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