Insights from Meg Roberts of Echo Design
The Calico stores recently launched a new fabric collection, Retreat, from Echo Design. Calico’s Jan Jessup queried Meg Roberts, Senior Design Director at Echo, about how this collaboration evolved. Here is their interview:
Q: For 70 years, Echo was a one-product scarf company. Why did you decide to diversify to the Home category in the 1990s?
A: As we grew, Echo became known for our unique prints, patterns and colors. Research showed home décor was most impacted by these elements. We started with wallpaper and decorative fabrics, then added bedding. We make sure all elements in a collection are powerful individually and work well together.
Fabrics from the Echo Stone/Linen group show neutrals with texture; the Indigo/Sky group adds a cool note of color.
Q: What sets apart the textile designs from Echo? Is there a unique Echo DNA?
A: Absolutely! It’s a freshness and clarity of execution identifiable across decades. I believe in the “integrity of design.” We create designs with balance that stand the test of time, pushing boundaries with color and scale.
Styling in the studio: solid textures and jacquard wovens add a restful note when integrated with prints.
Our fabrics and the way they mix should be easy—sophisticated but approachable. We want you to live with them, not treat them too preciously. Put that together, make it beautiful, and we are proud to put the Echo name on it!
Six chairs, 12 different fabrics! "Together they make for an exciting, whimsical, dynamic interior," notes Meg.
“When you think about decorating a room, you think about multiple patterns, textures, and colors and how they come together to tell a story. In a way, that’s what we do with every scarf.” — Meg Roberts
Q: How do colorways differ in Home vs Fashion?
A: As we say, “You take off your scarf at the end of the day, but not your sofa!” Neutrals and blues are perennials. The Citrus/Coral group is the fashion color story of the Retreat collection, in sync with our beachwear line.
Q: Are there interesting stories behind the patterns in the Echo Retreat Collection?
Nature themes that are both classic and whimsical—kaleidoscopic butterflies, hidden rabbits, and lounging leopards.
Dipping into Echo’s Colorful History
Echo was founded in 1923 on the wedding day of Theresa and Edgar C. Hyman. Their daughter, Dorothy Hyman Roberts (Dot), joined in 1950. After her husband Paul died suddenly in 1978, Dot became President overnight, leading the company to new heights for 30 years.
Echo’s founders in a passport photo and their daughter, Dot, who embodied "The Echo of an interesting woman."
Q: Last year, Echo celebrated its 100th anniversary. How do you account for this longevity?
A: We thank our founders for the foundation. Edgar Hyman focused on the customer and seeked out the best artists in Europe as early as the 1930s. Today, the third and fourth generations work together under a Family Mission focused on harmony and quality.
The Echo logo with a tribute to Dot Roberts; Echo Retreat fabrics add pizzazz to an antique settee.
The Echo management team reviews artwork: Sam Roberts, Lynn Roberts, Steven Roberts, Meg Roberts, and Charlie Roberts.
Q: Meg, how did you start out in the business?
A: I graduated from RISD and started as a freelancer for Echo. After a stint with Diane Von Furstenberg, I became Echo’s first in-house artist. I launched Echo Home in 1992 and have been Design Director for 30 years.
Generations three and four of Echo Design New York: Steven, Meg, Sam, Lynn, and Charlie Roberts.
Most recently, I’ve led Echo100, creating limited edition scarves with 100 creators globally to donate to charity. It’s been a mammoth and fascinating project!
Thank you, Meg — and best wishes to the Echo family for the next century!