Tell us about yourself.
Hi, I’m Ellen, Creative Director and Co-Founder of and I previously lived for around 5 years in Lima, Peru. The other half of the brand is Kelly Phenicie, who is the Managing Director and based out of Houston, Texas.
What inspired you to start the brand and where did the name The Endery originate from?
We were inspired by all of the leftovers we saw in Lima (that were very high quality!). Both Kelly and I come from a knit manufacturing / production background. Starting a brand was a no-brainer, and we’re both ideas people so it was really fun developing The Endery from scratch. We wanted to be called ‘The Ends’ but it was so difficult to trademark – and then The Endery was born.
How do you, and Kelly, manage the brand (and your time) between Brooklyn, London, and Lima?
Pre-Covid I was in Lima almost every 3 months for developments – but since neither myself of Kelly has been back! We run the brand out of Brooklyn and we see this location as defining part of our brand.
What challenges did you face when starting the brand?
The challenges came firstly from working with deadstock – it requires a lot of thinking outside the box when developing a collection and our first collection was a real testament to that. But in general – everything! As a new brand, you’re doing everything for the first time, and a lot of it is trial and error.
What has been your proudest moment as a founder?
Probably when we were featured in Vogue Mexico recently!
Words of advice that have been most valuable to you as a founder?
That it’s always up and down, and you have to give yourself to make mistakes and grow from them.
Favorite piece from your brand?
I’m a huge fan of our first cotton collection – I think also it was the last time we really worked in person as a team before Covid and we were full of so much hope and creativity! So I would probably say The Purple Watch from that collection.
Other sustainable brands that inspire you?
I love Maggie Marilyn, Mara Hoffman, Mozh Mozh – too many to mention !
How do you start your workday?
Coffee and music.
What helped you stay focused, and positive, through the pandemic (2020-2021 in general) as we slowly return to a new normal?
That’s a great question! I personally found the pandemic to be so incredibly tough to navigate (and often found myself over-working and spending too much time on social media) but mending and using my hands to repair clothing really helped. I still struggle to find a balance and really miss the traveling part of my work.
What can we expect to see from the brand in the next couple of seasons?
We’re working on some exciting new collaborations with brands we love, as well as some new product categories such as socks.
Shop The Endery's knitwear on MenoMieux and keep up with the brand's projects and new drops by following @the.endery on IG!