Meet Elise Champe | éclipse Glove founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elise Champe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elise, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
We had to make the decision whether to stick with the original sun sleeves and sun gloves, or expand into general apparel. That decision came with the commitment of investing in vastly greater quantities of fabric and expanding our manufacturing network. In the end, we discovered that Made in America cannot compete with Made in China. Chinese costs are much lower and their quality is just as good or better than American made. We have decided continue to make our products in the United States and to return to our core products, sun sleeves and sun gloves and other sun accessories leave apparel manufacture to better capitalized companies.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I went to Rhode Island School of Design, but drifted away from the creative art world and later went to school to become a licensed Physical Therapist. Moving from Vermont where I went to PT school to Boulder, I became aware just how much stronger the sun is here and began to notice the effects on my hands and arms in particular. Although I was practicing physical therapy, the creative bug remained and I began to design what would be my first pair of sun sleeves for which I received a United States utility patent. My design and healthcare backgrounds both contributed to the creation Eclipse Glove.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The place I always come back to and love to introduce new people to is Sanitas Trail. Located where Mapleton Ave turns into Sunshine canyon, the trail is challenging, but well-maintained and manageable for most. I love the transitions from railroad tie steps to rock scrambles surrounded by red sandstone walls. Reaching the top you’re rewarded by an unimpeded view of Boulder from North Broadway all the way to Chautauqua. It’s a well-trafficked trail, so don’t expect solitude, but it’s nice to greet fellow hikers going up and down.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout to my husband, Peter. I had made sun protective arm sleeves for myself, was really excited by their convenience and versatility and thought the idea could be successful but I didn’t know how to commercialize the idea. I was pregnant with our first, was confined to bed rest and couldn’t do much, so Peter took the initiative to create a website, do photography, design the packaging and launch the business that became Eclipse Glove.

Website: https://eclipseglove.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eclipseglove/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECLIPSEGLOVE