I placed an expensive preorder here that they never fulfilled, along with countless others. Please google and avoid this place. Insane.

I was hired to do hair and makeup on 10 models for #esbyfest, an annual festival hosted by the brand that takes place during SXSW, which is already an incredibly busy two weeks as a HMU artist in Austin. The Esby team agreed to my rate and I showed up and did my job getting the models ready to walk the runway in the fashion show portion of the event. After the event, I sent them my invoice, which has yet to be paid. I followed up regularly, each time being told that payment is on the way, there's been an issue with their bank, and even promises that "we will be able to send the payment out by end of this week," which Esby never made good on. In June, I learned that NONE of the vendors Esby hired for #esbyfest have been paid. The company owes over $120,000 in unpaid invoices for this event -- but wait, there's more. Esby stopped paying rent on their commercial space in late 2023, meaning that Esby was aware of cash flow issues and still chose to move forward with #esbyfest in March. This is unconscionable, especially for an Austin-based business that brags about its ethical supply chain practices. I'm proud to stand with the other vendors of #esbyfest as we bring these indefensible actions to light and demand action from Esby co-owners Stephanie Beard and Gerald Tempton. The amount I'm owed isn't worth taking them to court over, but I hope some of the other vendors who are owed thousands of dollars and even tens of thousands of dollars take legal action against these fraudsters and get justice. I hope the customers who placed orders in 2023 and have yet to receive their items get their money back. The vendors of #esbyfest have come together to demand what we're owed because we know there's strength in numbers. Esby, Stephanie Beard, and Gerald Tempton: do the right thing and pay us what we're owed. read more

I'm a film director in Austin and got hired to produce content for Esby by the owner - Stephanie Beard. 6 months later, I have not received a dime from my invoice owed. Stephanie also held an event called Esbyfest back in March 2024 that 20 vendors have never received payment from. Esby apparel is full of lies and deceit, and if there was an option for 0 stars thats what the true rating is for Stephanie and her business partner, Gerald Tempton's integrity. read more

Avoid, avoid, avoid! Placed an order on 3/4/22 for 3 pairs of jeans that their website indicated were in stock. After following up with their customer support 3x, was told there were repeated delays so the order wouldn't be in stock until 3/17. Since I live in Austin, I made arrangements with Esby to pick up the order from their S 1st location on 3/18/22. I tried on the jeans in the shop and found none of them fit, so I returned the items to the Esby employee. She told me she couldn't issue me a refund right then, but that they would get to it as soon as possible. So that I would have proof that I returned the jeans, I got the employee to write on my invoice that I returned all 3 pairs and was due for a full refund. It is now 4/13/22. I have written Esby customer support 6x and still haven't received my full refund. On 4/8, Esby responded to my email with "we just processed refund for 2 pairs of finch jeans out of 3 pairs that you returned, and you should received confirmation email for it. we will process refund for the rest of pair as soon as possible, and once we process it, we will send separate notification." On 4/13, Esby responded with "we do have full $902.81 on line for the refund. i know you have been waiting for it, so we processed $601.87 ahead, and we will process the rest of the $300.94 as soon as possible." I don't understand what the hold up is or why Esby insists on processing my return for only 2 pairs of jeans and holding off refunding me for the 3rd pair when all 3 pairs of jeans were returned at the same time on 3/18. This is highly unprofessional and feels like Esby does not understand how to run a business. read more

Let me start by saying I have been a faithful customer since I began buying clothes from Esby. The Esby clothing that I have are some of my favorite items in my closet. I was ok about pre ordering items since I knew they were a small business. Initially preordering worked out & I was very happy with their products. Their clothes were beautiful, well made, & stylish. Last fall when their new line was released I was excited. I placed several preorders between August 2023-March 2024, spending approximately $2600-which is a lot for me but I really loved the items I had previously purchased. I was patient when the preorders began getting delayed a month at a time starting in December. By July I became suspicious about the multiple excuses I was getting as preorders kept getting pushed back but their customer service person was very nice, apologetic, and always responded to my emails. I really wanted to believe things were going to work out despite the signs that that was not going to be the case. In July I began reading comments on the Esby Instagram site from multiple customers having the same experience as me. Then last week the company's landlord came forward on Instagram with his negative experience of being lied to, put off, & losing rental money. I now am feeling disappointed & manipulated by a company I had trusted & thought was reputable. I am assuming I will never see my orders or any refunds. I am also now past the window where I am able to dispute these charges with my credit card. It's a hard lesson because if they had been honest & upfront about whatever their struggles have been instead of lying to me & to their other customers I really think it would have been a better choice for them. They have squandered so much good will in the process. I know there are so many others that feel the way I do. I don't know what the real story is with this company or what happened to them but I think it's very sad where this has ended up. read more

I was conned out of $600 cdn for a "pre-order" that never arrived. For awhile when I contacted them I'd receive replies saying, we're having "growing pains" but we're working on it. Eventually, the website went down and emails started bouncing back. Don't touch anything that Stephanie Beard is involved in! read more

I used to be a repeat customer, so I'm sad to be writing this. Esby took money from people during preorders, decided to close down temporarily without telling anyone, especially those with pending orders, can't provide an estimated reopening, and will not refund our money. Initially, the customer service person was responsive and repeatedly gave me a generic response, saying that they were a small business with growing pains. My preorder got pushed month after month after month, and I received the same response. I was even offered a refund after a few inquiries each time I was expecting my order to ship, but I decided to wait it out because I still wanted to give them my support. As a previous small business owner, I understand how difficult it is. Last month, I finally decided I should get my refund and the customer service person vaguely responded saying that the owner decided to pause their online store while they work through some things and they expect to be back up and running in two weeks to issue refunds. I wrote back saying that if they were working through things, there must be a way for the owner to issue refunds, and haven't received a response to that or my follow-up email two and a half weeks later. Not even an update about what is happening or when they plan to reopen or get people their money back so they don't feel like they were a victim of a scam. There are a number of people talking about their experience with this as well in Instagram comments. I even went on their Facebook page recently to see if they posted any updates and it appears that they don't pay their vendors either. They shouldn't be hosting events if they can't pay their vendors, or selling products they don't plan to receive/ship out. Needless to say, they have lost a loyal customer. I always gave Esby high praise whenever people ask where I recommend buying small and sustainable, but I can no longer root for a brand who pauses business out of the blue with no communication whatsoever, and ghosts customers with pending orders. read more

I like their clothes, but their return and sale policy is not consumer friendly. I bought a $300 jumpsuit, and returned it after waiting nearly two months to receive it. During the 2 months, I received multiple updates saying it will be in the next week, then the next week, etc. They charged me for it before it even shipped, which is not what other merchants do. Then when i returned it and I asked for a receipt, the prim and proper clerk became standoffish saying "we're a small business," so "I can't give you a receipt." I said, "okay I understand, can you at least sign the invoice so that I can keep it as proof that I returned it today?" She looked like my request was a giant ordeal and I was being extra to ask for a receipt, which is, for all other businesses, customary. I understand if it's a $5 item, but for an item that costs $300 to receive this kind of strange inconsiderate service and not be given a receipt is simply unacceptable. She offered to process store credit right away, but not a refund. Then another clerk said "just give her a refund today." So after much strongarming, she gave a refund today. Okay, so it's possible to get a receipt and refund ASAP only if you demand it? Lol. Also beware, if you receive any sort of discount whatsoever like 15% off for text alerts, they only give you store credit. I love to support local, but they need to improve their return and sale policies. In order to grow as a company, I highly suggest revising the receipt and refund policies. read more

i used to adore this company, HOWEVER: THEY HAVE NOT FULFILLED MULTIPLE ORDERS OF MINE TOTALING $1K+ FOR OVER A YEAR WITH NO TENTATIVE UPDATES. they have STOLEN from hundreds of people by refusing to fulfill their orders or refund them. they have also apparently ripped off their vendors & landlords. their website domain and their customer service email address no longer are active. the ONLY place they have OCCASIONALLY responded to me is via their instagram DM (@esby_apparel) and all they say is "sorry," but offer no actual solutions or explanations. VERY SHADY. I reached out to the non-emergency Austin PD and they told me to contact www.ic3.gov TO REPORT THIS FRAUDULENT COMPANY & THE CEO, Stephanie Beard. SHAME ON YOU! read more

On 10/20/23 I placed a preorder in the amount of $238 for a shirt from Esby Apparel LLC. My understanding was that this was a preorder, promised to arrive in December 2023. Each month I received an email saying that the preorders were delayed by another month, but promising them soon. It has now been 9 months and Esby has shut down their website and is no longer responding to emails. My credit card company does not allow me to charge back because it is outside of the 180 day dispute time frame, which I believe was part of their intent in dragging out the shipping timeframe for months on end. read more

Had a similar experience as others with a preorder made in September 2023. The timeline kept getting pushed back for delivery, and finally after 8 months I asked for a refund. I was promised a refund within 30 days, and during that time the company wiped their website and shut down with no communication to customers (which is baseline courtesy). I know it's a small company and there can be growth challenges, but the clothing I paid for and never received wasn't cheap, and I'm an individual on a budget. No hope for seeing that money again or receiving what I ordered, but I did open a BBB complaint which is public, to elevate this issue. read more

So happy with the items I received and grateful to receive a reply when inquiring about a return. However, the month's delay in processing the refund is a little strange, especially after reading about similar experiences from others here. If and when the refund is processed I'll be sure to follow up with 5*. read more

I love the clothes I bought from Esby, and imagine I will have them a long time to come. They were very slow getting products out, several months slow, and I could tolerate it. But the last time I purchased online, it had been at least 5 months after they had promised delivery, and I began to get uneasy. I tried to contact them and my email got returned. I drove to the store on the one day they were open and it was completely empty, with no sign on the door. I had put in an order for around $1000. After some sleuthing, I was able to get in contact with a representative, who assured me that the order was still on track, but they were having manufacturing problems that were getting resolved very soon. She said they had to move so quickly, they weren't able to contact customers to let them know. It seemed like a very bad sign that they would close down a store and disappear and not contact customers to let hem know what was happening, given it is their customers who support them. I asked for a refund, and was able to receive it. I'm so surprised this has happened to them--they had just had EsbyFest with their new lines coming out, and a catered fashion show, so who knows what happened. Trust has been lost, and ultimately they betrayed their loyal customers. read more

I love this place. My first purchase was a coat (Cora duster) about a year and a half ago. Since then I've added jeans (Lindsey and Hayley), a linen top (Bryce), and a couple sweaters (Quinn and Yates). The quality of each item is excellent. Natural fibers, sustainable products, and the store is woman-owned. They offer a wide range of sizes, as well as both women's and men's styles. Everyone there is very helpful and friendly. And during COVID they've provided curbside pickup options. Oh and their new South Congress space is open now. So proud Austin has such a wonderful, thoughtful store. read more

Mama wanted a brand new bag. And she wanted a real nice one. Let's just say....shopping in Austin hasn't been a thing that I do because most of the fashion that comes through makes me want to cry...and not from joy. Thank you Esby for changing that. I'm an Instagram junkie. It's my one vice. I gave up FB and I never tweeted a day in my life soooo...I saw Nikishia Brunson posted a picture of the Duffy Jumper....I fell out of my chair and was determined to get it. Do the clothes here come with a really steep price tag? Yes. More importantly---do you like and appreciate quality over quantity. I'm not the girl who is going to be able to come in here and by a $300 jumper and a $200 shirt and some other goodies. But I am the woman who will carefully and thoughtfully plan a budget so that a collect classic, beautiful, timeless pieces in my wardrobe that are jaw droppers. The store is located off of first---you'll have to park on an offshoot street and the entrance is on the side of the building that faces 1st. Inside it's bright and crisp and clean and deliciously fragrant. The folks who work here radiate a kindness and friendliness that's really balanced. I didn't feel like someone was all over my energy, but was thoughtfully recommending and enlightening me on what they had to offer. DEFINITELY check out their fragrances. (I'll be back for that!) they are truly unique and unexpected. Oh! Something to note. I am not your typical body shape. Lol. I'm curvy and and have to really carefully figure out how to fit all my junk into the trunk. The Duffy Jumper wasn't going to drape gracefully on my body. I was going to hug my curves. And for a girl who LOVES fashion, and is perpetually let down by how it doesn't accommodate my curvy frame---I was pleasantly surprised by how the clothes worked for my frame. All in all, a really lovely shop and one that makes me go..."oh ok Austin.....maybe you do have something to offer me in the ways of fashion." read more

esby - Duffy Jumper----I added the lace insert on it because otherwise all the goods would have been open for all to sample. - Women's Clothing Near Me - Austin, Texas

i came in 30 minutes before close because i wanted a fragrance to my knowledge only they have. The floor assistants looked SO MAD lol but i get it. i didnt get the one i wanted but i got this exclusive one the brand did with Esby and while i was at first kind of sad the clerk at the counter quickly made me excited to use it this season. She made sure i was taken care of right away and i was in and out. theres something to be said for having such a great experience and only getting one small and super cheap item. Its not about money but making shopping exciting and fun i think. anyway i only thought about how nice she was hours later. very pretty store also. read more

Yes! I have a jumper from esby that I live in. It feels like everyone I know does? The space is so calm and lovely. I love to get a treat from Elizabeth St and walk over to see what's new. And not-for-nothing, it smells great in there. If yelp supported emojis, I would be hearts-eyeing here. ;) read more