Eskell

From the August, 2005 issue of Time Out Chicago.

People often talk about the threads that bind friendships, but for Kelly Whitesell and Elizabeth Del Castillo, that thread is literal. Close friends since high school, the two seamstresses are now launching their own clothing line and boutique.
   An amalgamation of both women’s names, Eskell is the long-awaited fruition of ideas sown years ago. Del Castillo and Whitesell both studied at Indiana University, where they developed a shared appreciation for details such as hems, ruching and elaborate stitching. "In college, we were like, 'We can't go out tonight--we have to sew,'" Whitesell says. "We had some all-nighters spent sewing. It was ridiculous."
   After Whitesell moved to Chicago last October, she and Del Castillo took a tentative step toward creating their own clothing line. A May fashion show at Acme Art Works drew 150 people, prompting the pair to make Eskell a full-time endeavor on little more than a whim. "We got a good response," Whitesell recalls with a laugh. "So from there, we were like, 'Well, we're totally doing it now!"  Read more...