Lesley Timpe, owner and creator of Squasht by Les, has always had a great intrigue and love for self-expression through clothing. Following her heart and indulging her life-long interest in art and design, she earned a 2-year fashion design and style degree from Maestro Mateo Design School in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in June of 2004.

Lesley returned to her hometown of St. Louis and started to make hats and women’s fashion-forward apparel. In October of 2004, Squasht by Les, an independent clothing and hat company, was founded with the debut of its signature, retro-styled “bella” hat. Shortly thereafter, boutiques started to carry Squasht hats and the product line quickly grew to include tanks, tees, hoodies, various hat styles for men and women, skirts, dresses, halters, tube tops, and handbags.

The design aesthetic revolves around the merging of fabrics, textures, colors and embellishments in unexpected combinations, while consistently achieving high-quality, well-made results. Squasht prides itself in pledging to remain sweatshop-free and strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Natural, vintage, and/or sustainable fabrics are used in the majority of Squasht garments and hats. Hand-dying, distressing, studding and screen-printing are also utilized to make garments with one-of-a-kind, hand-made appeal.

All stages of production continue to take place in St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL. Points-of-sales have recently expanded and Squasht is now being carried in over 20 premium boutiques nationwide.