The Evolution of Echo Design

The 95th anniversary of the Echo Design Group has technically come and gone but the celebrations are still alive and well. Known for their iconic Echo scarves and colorful accessories, the brand recently took a modern spin on its 1970s #InterestingWoman campaign. The idea behind it all is to highlight visionaries and trailblazers who are making an impact on the world today.

For the launch, Echo hosted a party at Elsie Rooftop, a midtown venue in New York City. That event led me to think about a woman who constantly inspires me: my mom. Coincidentally, scarves have always been her thing for as long as I can remember. She is almost always with a lightweight silk or cotton floral scarf either tied around her neck or handbag. It’s her signature accessory and she always throws it on after a spritz of perfume before heading out the door.

To me, being interesting means to be well-rounded and to chase dreams that you are crazy about—and then tell your stories…even the not-so-perfect parts. It is what makes them real, raw, and most of all, relatable.

My mom’s hardworking outlook has affected me since childhood. She’s always been there as a source of motivation, whether I was practicing the viola for school orchestra concerts, taking up ice skating lessons on the weekends, studying to get into college, and everything in-between, even now.

If there’s anything my mom has taught me, it’s to not forget your roots. She didn’t show me the way by examples of her past—it was different when she was in her 20’s and having just moved to the U.S. English is her second language after Cantonese. She’s always encouraging me to develop my own style in life, because no two are the same.

Visiting the World of Echo

Speaking of mother-daughter bonds, Echo is a fourth-generation family business. I visited their showroom for the Fall 2019 preview and had a blast speaking with the chairwoman Dorothy Roberts aka “Dot” and her daughter, Lynn, VP of communications. At the age of 90, Dot still works Mondays through Thursdays at the office from 8am-6:30pm.

On Fridays, Dot visits stores to check out their products on the sales floor. Later, I realized Lynn is so right in saying, “she does more in a day than most do in a month!”

In Dot’s office, there’s a needlepoint pillow on the couch that reads “ECHO” in capital print letters. “When we moved into this office, my friend Sue Robins made that for me. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” says Dot, appreciating the fine details of the embroidery. Today, the Echo logo is written in a cursive font, under an illustration of a zebra with polka dots instead of traditional stripes. It’s a nod to their “never take yourself too seriously” attitude.

The “New York Est. 1923” text on the bottom reflects Echo’s longtime headquarters in NYC. There have been about 20 variations of the logo so far—from a big print to a small one, to a combination of both. Throughout the decades, the company has survived the Great Depression, World War II, and several economic hardships. The key to their success? Their keen ability to stay relevant.

“It’s exciting that Echo is 95, almost 96 years old. Now we’re preparing for our 100th anniversary. Years ago, it was easier but now it’s not. It’s a challenge and everybody who works here has to think differently to build the business.”
—Dot Roberts, chairwoman of Echo

Blast From the Past

Echo started as a love story between Dot’s parents, Edgar and Theresa Hyman. The two got married at a courthouse on September 27, 1923, the same day that they launched their company. Funny enough, Edgar’s career began with selling veils (yes, the bridal headgear). He worked for two firms that went bankrupt and it eventually led him to create his own. The name Echo is an acronym of Edgar’s initials, Edgar C. Hyman cO.

Back in the ‘30s, Theresa requested that their logo be printed on every scarf to not only separate the brand from its competition but to also show that each product is created with the highest quality and care.

One item that’s really personal to the Roberts family is the Heirloom scarf, a navy blue silk number with hand-painted watercolor renderings of mixed jewelry. If you look closely, you might just find a number of the family member’s wedding rings hidden within its design!

Wendy Sy wearing a black dress, sunglasses, and a colorful Echo scarf tied as a skirt in Gramercy Park, New York City.

Here and Now

Dot began learning the ropes of the company at a young age while traveling with her parents across the U.S. to London, Paris, Switzerland, Como, and other far-flung corners of the world. But it wasn’t so glamorous all the time.

When she started working at the office, she was given a clipboard and one assignment to be responsible for all the things that no one else wanted to do. That involved recording every sale on white and yellow index cards.

Something I admire is the way she looked at the task with a glass-half-full kind of mindset and took the opportunity to understand the business from the ground up.

Today, the Echo products span from scarves to beachwear, bags, hats, gloves, fabrics, bedding, tabletop, and other accessories. And they only plan to keep growing.

The Next 95+ Years

As we wrapped up our convo around 11:45am that morning, Dot mentions she’s heading to a luncheon at 12pm to celebrate Parsons, one of the five schools (including the Fashion Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design, Jefferson University, and Syracuse University) that Echo awards scholarships to.

Just like that, it’s another day in the life of Dot Roberts—carrying on the family legacy and inspiring the future of the design world, one Echo creation at a time.

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Wendy Sy

Founder & Editor • Style Meets Story

Wendy Sy is a New York City-based writer whose work has also been published in Allure, Shop TODAY, Forbes, InStyle, Elle, Avenue, NewBeauty, Travel Curator, and Billboard. Read more.