Fashion Star Quits SMU program to Pursue Dream

Esé Grembowski

Rising fashion star Esé Grembowski, who has been featured in the pages of Vogue, People, WWD, Essence, Forbes, and NYT Style, is a busy lady these days. 

I visited her during her annual bridal sample sale at the Highland Park home she shares with her husband and business partner Eric, and their 5-year-old daughter, Elah.

“It’s been a hobby since I was 8 years old,” Esé said. “I didn’t know it was what it was to become today.”

Born in Nigeria and raised in Canada where she majored in accounting at the University of Windsor, Esé designed behind closed doors, delaying her fashion aspirations until she moved to Dallas in 2010 for her master’s at SMU.

“Three weeks into my first semester, I decided I didn’t want to do my master’s anymore,” recalled the Bradfield Elementary School mom who designed her first collection in 2011. “I did a lot of Googling, ‘how to be a fashion designer.’”

Following her first successful fashion show in 2012, help came in the form of her eventual husband and business partner, Eric, in 2014.

“We put our heads together and started building a brand,” she said of their Esé Azénabor. “You don’t just become a designer overnight. There’s a lot of ups and downs.”

2015 brought new attention to her Instagram fashion posts, and designers and stylists began reaching out to her for dressing celebrities, bringing awareness to the brand.

“I just fell in love with the bridal part of the fashion industry,” she said, noting Esé Azenabor offers lines of bridal, evening, and ready-to-wear. 

Expanding, the brand has had a location in Dallas Design District for 10 years, one on Madison Avenue for three, and another in the Hamptons for two.

Starting with small shows in her local showroom and private shows in Preston Hollow homes, Esé now shows at New York Fashion Week four times a year.

“We took over the entire rooftop with the view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is breathtaking,” she said of her couture show on top of Rockefeller Center last September. “With my dresses against that backdrop, it was just a dream.”

Celebrity customers include Tyra Banks, Vivica A. Fox, Kelsea Ballerini, the ladies of Little Big Town, Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie XO, and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles.

“It’s very girly,” Esé said of her style. “I like things colorful and super vibrant, and I think that stems from where I was born. We love colors, beading, and details. That definitely got woven into how I design. A splash of colors and fabrics that you would think would never be paired together.”

“My family is still my number one accomplishment,” she said, mentioning she would like to have more children. “My dream is to open at the Village here. I think it’s time. A lot of our clients are in this area. We do want to open an international store in London or Dubai, but locally, that’s our next step.”