My name is Oliver Shuttlesworth and I am the founder of ESPEROS. We’re a casual accessories brand that blends a timeless aesthetic across the product line with a powerful mission. With every product we sell, we help fund one year of education for a child in the developing world.
Growing up, I knew I had an entrepreneurial bent but didn’t ever imagine it would take me to the places it has. I was an avid drawer and “designer” of things – from layouts of record stores and homes to wall prints and products that sprang from the far reaches of my imagination.
In college, I studied communications and was exposed to a pretty wide range of topics from applied psychology to advertising and public relations, all of which helped in forming ESPEROS. During my time at The University of Texas at Austin, I became actively involved as a mentor and tutor to students at Maplewood Elementary and Eastside Memorial High School. I had some profoundly impacting experiences with students there that would radically change my worldview and, ultimately, life plans. From that point, I knew I wanted to do something that would benefit children and, more specifically, knew I wanted to get involved in education.
In the middle of a two-year stint at an online advertising agency, I found myself uninspired by my job and generally unenthusiastic about going into work every day. So I started to think of ways I could pair my skills with my passion and, after a long string of failed ideas and pivots, ESPEROS was born.
I decided to get into backpacks and accessories because I didn’t see anyone else doing what we are doing or addressing the fact that more than 75 million children around the world lack access to basic education. In starting ESPEROS, my aim was to pair timeless, high quality, and beautiful products with a compelling mission to engage customers and build a consumer driven solution to this massive problem. My belief is that people around the world want to do good works and positively impact those around them; thankfully, that’s been proven overwhelmingly true so far!
The last two and a half years have been a whirlwind journey as I’ve built the brand. I could not be happier with where we are as a company, the team we have in place, or the impact we’re set to make on the ground with our new partner, The Nobelity Project. We’ve assembled an amazing team here and have some incredible things in the works on an international scale.
As for Oliver’s personal style:
Jeans: I’m usually wearing one of the following three, depending on the day: Joe’s Jeans, Levi’s 513’s, or J. Crew
Shirts: I have a pretty toned down style and stick mainly to J. Crew tees and oxfords, but also love my pieces from Steven Alan, Penfield and a healthy amount of tasteful plaid in the winter.
Pants: I usually stick to jeans, but when I mix it up I go with my JW Brine and Billy Reid trousers. All day.
Suits: You won’t find me in a suit too often, but when you do it’ll either be J. Lindeberg or Theory.
Frames: Oliver Peoples and Frederic Beausoleil (optical) and Persol (for the sol).
Shoes: I cycle through a collection of Sperry’s, Vans, Seavees, and a few John Varvatos pairs I’ve built out. My favorite pair is probably my Varvatos Hipster Chukka.
Accessories: I most regularly wear my Timex J. Crew Andros, although I’ve been bringing a Tag Heuer Carrera with a leather band back into the rotation recently.
Outerwear: My regular go-to is my Members Only jacket for the mild winters we enjoy here in Texas. When it does get a bit colder, I opt for a classic leather bomber jacket from Mike + Chris or a waxed canvas hunting jacket from Billy Reid.
Favorite Cologne: Prada Infusion d’homme. Wouldn’t know what to do with out it.
Your favorite App: I love learning languages and, for that, there’s no better app than Duolingo.
Favorite piece of technology: My iPhone. Probably couldn’t get through the day without it (sadly).
Next tech purchase: Sonos wireless speaker.
