Since March 2019, Etre Cecile has been donating £10 for every ‘Paris Kiss’ t-shirt sold in-store and online. You can change lives whilst looking good here.
Walking into Être Cécile’s Cross Street store is a light, homely experience. In the calm, it’s easy to forget that this is a growing global brand, bringing French style to customers worldwide, as well as Islington.
On a sunny April morning, store manager Phillip Hatton emphasises that this is a local brand, well connected with its neighbours that line this stylish enclave between Upper Street and Essex Road. Cross Street is home to modern purveyors of traditional trades; friends of Phillip and the team include decorating suppliers (Farrow & Ball), perfumers (Le Labo), soap sellers (Aesop) and a florist (Untitled).
In March 2019, Être Cécile began donating £10 from sales of its iconic ‘Paris Kiss’ T-Shirt to support lifechanging projects in Islington. The brand has a history of doing good by giving back, its outside brick wall adorned with the names of other charities since the store opened in 2018.
This local outlet is, Phillip says, a “template for a grand plan”, which includes summer pop-ups in London locations with “a community vibe”, before, hopefully, opening stores in key international markets such as Australia and China.
Phillip’s current focus is local, however, and looking beyond the warm Bank Holiday weekend, he talks of plans by Cross Street businesses to campaign for Christmas lights to continue on from Upper Street. He wants to make the street a destination, supporting more innovative businesses, and, in turn, more local change.
You can buy the Paris Kiss T-shirt, donating £10 to Islington Giving, either at its Cross Street store, or online until 10th May 2019.
