Interview Simon van Esch
“My father’s passion for metal, detail and craftsmanship live on in our family firm”
Three generations, two brands, one family firm: director Simon van Esch dips into the rich legacy of Functionals and van Esch. From 7.5 million coat hooks to exceptional collaborations and of course the impending merger of the two brands.
HJW van Esch
“My father HJW van Esch was all about the details. A true craftsman. He completed his technical education in Tilburg and specialised as a silversmith in Schoonhoven. His first job was with a company that made ecclesiastical art: from baptismal fonts to candle holders. Later he went to work for BeFo and then Van den Bos Handelscompagnie. First as a silversmith, later as the manager.”
“At Van den Bos, my father met Willem Burg, head of the technical department. Together they developed the cloakroom range WIBÖRG. At one point, they saw the opportunity to start their own coat rack line. They established the company AESTIC PRODUKTEN together. The first racks stands were assembled in our apartment cellar. I can still remember that we used to play there when we were children, while my father was screwing parts together.”
van Esch Metaal
“My father’s coat stands were indestructible. This became apparent when 25 years ago we were having product photographs taken for van Esch at a photo studio in Moergestel, in the Netherlands. Immediately after entering, I saw my father’s coat rack from the nineteen sixties hanging on the wall. The photo studio is housed in the former town hall in Moergestel, one of the very first customers for my father and Willem Burg. Incidentally, the coat rack is still in use there, 60 years on.”
“In 1972, Willem Burg and my father parted ways, and my father continued independently on his own. He did that under the name ‘van Esch metaal’. He had to start from scratch again. My father took on commissions from other companies and accepted anything that came his way. Not just metal construction, but aluminium greenhouses too. Yet always a link with metal.”
Pastoe and sun beds
“At a Dutch suppliers exhibition my father’s stand drew the interest of Cees Braakman, a designer for Pastoe. He was impressed with a pipe construction, welded with precision at right angles. He asked if my father could also work with aluminium. And the rest is history. My father started to make tables and chairs for Pastoe. We still have one of those chairs here in the office.”
“We worked for Pastoe for a while, but after a year of cooperation my father stopped hearing from them. He had nothing in terms of an agreement on paper. But he did have an enormous stock of aluminium pipes. My father’s bookkeeper suggested that my father make sun beds. He had seen them at an exhibition in Germany. The Pastoe pipes found a new purpose as sun bed components. Under the name Helios we grew to become one of the leading manufacturers of sun beds in the Netherlands.”
Coat rack specialist
“My brother Ad and I joined the company early on. Ad was 18, I 21. Ad was responsible for the manufacturing and organisation, I focused on sales and marketing. We have two different characters that complement each other. I sometimes say that we were both educated in the van Esch university: ‘learning by doing’. In 2013 Ad decided to take a step back. His son Kevin now works in the family firm as joint director and fulfils the same role as his father did. Sometimes, when joking around, I give him the enviable title of ‘Ad substitute’.”
“From the early eighties we made both sun beds and coat racks. Sun beds picked up increasingly more negative publicity and what we really wanted to do was make coat racks, continuing in the tradition of my father’s original idea. Which is why we decided to focus on coat racks and cloakroom systems. A turning point for van Esch. We grew to become the coat rack specialist. Just imagine for a moment: over the last 50 years we have made 7.5 million coat rack hooks.”
Gerard Kerklaan and the second generation
“One of our first cloakroom systems is Tertio, by Gerard Kerklaan. We still make it to this day. Gerard was of enormous value to the family firm. He was not just a designer, but a really good salesman too. A creative jack-of-all-trades. He taught us a lot, a true mentor.”
“In 1988 my brother and I accepted the baton. My father had the feeling that he needed to give us more space, financially too. The market was turbulent. Ad and I felt very strongly: it is down to us now. We were determined to ensure the continuance of the family firm.”
Exports
“At the beginning of the nineties, we took part in an export promotion project. We chose our 10 best sellers that we could ship in boxes. And approached a number of companies in Germany. It was an instant success. With many of these German resellers still doing business with us today. In the last few years, we have expanded our reseller network across 38 countries: from Scandinavia to Australia. Exports account more than half of our sales.”
“Design became increasingly important at that time. We had a need for better designs for our products. Which is why we decided to bundle our strengths with designers. Our first collaboration was with Axis Design in Londen in 1996. The coat rack that this produced, later stood in The Bank of England and even in Queen Maxima’s office. Since this time, we have continued to seek collaborations with leading designers. Artisans - like us - who love to make things. And who see the beauty in simplicity.”
Functionals
“Through collaborations with designers other things crossed our path. From tables to lighting. We drew great inspiration from this, but we did not feel that it sat quite right with van Esch as a super specialist in coat racks. Which is why we established Functionals in 2009: a label for unique design. We constructed our plan on two A4s: we wanted to make products for real design lovers. We immediately had the right public in our sights.”
“Think of Functionals, and the Lloyd Table by Christoph Seyferth springs to mind. I saw the table for the first time at the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam and straight away I thought: this is a true Functionals product. Made from metal, with splendid details. I discovered who the designer was and I approached Christoph. It did not take long for us to reach an agreement. The Lloyd Table has grown to become an iconic Dutch design. We still enjoy working with Christoph to this day. We speak the same design language: his work is timeless, with attention for craftsmanship and the essence of pure materials. He is also the designer behind the Functionals chairs Wendela, Emil Rosi and Miller.”
Products for places where people meet
“But van Esch has not stood still either. We shifted our focus to ‘The Perfect Entrance’. After all, who does not want a good reception? Immediately feel welcome. This vision was not restricted to cloakroom systems, but it included such things as display cabinets and waste sorting bins. Like our bestseller Ditch. Did you know that this waste bin populates the Apple offices?”
The merging
“In January 2025 we will merge Esch and Functionals into a single rock-solid brand: Functionals. This has been a long journey. van Esch and Functionals grew closer together in recent years. But things take time before you actually dare to take the decision to continue under one name. Now it feels like a natural step that creates lots of space for new opportunities.
It goes without saying that the idea of letting the van Esch name go is confrontational. We have put our hearts and souls into it for the last 50 years. But we have never been afraid to take new steps. Anticipating new developments and opportunities is something our family firm has done since the start.”
Organising Spaces
“The new Functionals brand promise. We believe that comfortable working and domestic life start with a tidy and orderly environment. Because a well-organised space ensures peace and quiet, around you and in your head. We help organise spaces. That can be an office, someone’s home or a public building.”
“From January 2025 we will be supplying our products with a 25-year guarantee. Something exceptionally unique in our industry. All quite logical when you consider the quality of our products. We know how good they are.”
Educated by architects
“As a company we have been educated by architects. We understand the demands they make of a product. It has to be sustainable and functional. The details have to be right. It must not evoke resistance. Our products sparkle with simplicity and blend seamlessly into a building. This is a language we have mastered and speak fluently.”
“It is a true honour when architects choose your product. We have worked with names like Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, Eduardo Souto de Moura and Philippe Starck. And with Cruz y Ortiz for the revamped Rijksmuseum. We even developed a special coat hanger for them: the Tubulus 100.”
The HJW coat stand
“We launched this HJW coat rack last year in honour of the 50th anniversary of van Esch. The steel coat rack is an ode to my father. The ‘crossroads’ where the three legs seamlessly meet, does justice to his passion for craft and eye for detail. The three legs represent the three generations of van Esch. On the inside of each leg, you will find one of my father’s initials.”
Own factory
“In Goirle we have an office and a factory under one roof. A total of 25 people work here. My father’s passion for detail, metal and craftsmanship can still be felt on the work floor. We still use many of the machines from his time. Our coat stand Dodici is a great example of this. The coat stand comprises four metal uprights – encircled at the top and at the base – with parts – that the craftspeople in our factory weld and grind to produce seamless joints. As though it was made from a single piece of steel. The ultimate example of hand-crafted work. The details, the details, the details, I say it so often.”
Third generation and the future
“I have always said to my children: there is an opportunity to come and work in the family firm, but please do not feel obliged to. If you enjoy it, that is wonderful. Because I know myself how contented it can make you if the things you do suit you. Two of my three children – Madelief and Felix – now work for the company together with Kevin, my brother Ad’s son. My son Isidoor chose a different path and is now an entrepreneur himself. I think that is really great. Entrepreneurship is nestled deep in this family.”
“I hope that the third generation experiences as much joy on their journey as I have on mine. That you can make a company truly yours and also draw personal satisfaction from it. That you see how much your products are appreciated and become part of the most wonderful projects in the world. If you look at it honestly, it is just a great big party.”