Zazi Vintage is a Luxury ethical fashion label with a focus on sustainability and women’s empowerment. With the aim of giving a new life to traditional vintage, Zazi Vintage create a fashion label entirely out of collected vintage materials and rejected fabrics, all without the need for new physical production. By working with existing materials, Zazi use the overwhelming beauty that is already in existence, by translating traditional vintage clothing from a variety of countries, into modern, contemporary Boho fashion.
As an online trading platform, Zazi create a bridge between the women in the West and the women from the places where their vintage pieces are collected. By linking the two worlds, beautiful projects and local women worldwide are supported. Zazi is open to anyone, from activists to collectors, travelers and like minded souls who want to share her work. The dresses come from the Kuchi tribe, where women wear them to get married. Covered in heavy woven beadwork, specially stitched coins are combined with rich silks and velvets. Handmade coats are a combination of vintage Mongolian sleep rugs, and Suzani embroidery from Tajikistan. Inspired by Afghan coats, each coat is linked to a girl in rural India, and provides a full year of education. a girl you get to read about and know when you purchase a coat. Coming out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia and Tajikistan the dresses and coats are a way of telling the women’s story to those that appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. Zazi wants everyone to know exactly where their clothes come from, and what they are supporting through their purchase.
Founder Jeanne ZIZI Margot de Kroon grew up in Holland, where fashion was always at the center of her world, and a means of communicating with the women around her. Clothing was a way to feel strong, a way to create a bridge between women from all corners of this weird and beautiful world. Formerly a model, Zizi realized that many of the brands she modeled for, did not live up to her own code of ethics; they empowered Western women, while disempowering those that made the clothing. Leaving modeling, Zizi decided instead to focus on women’s empowerment projects, by telling the stories of the clothes she wears and the women behind them. Boycotting high street shopping, Zizi went on to collect her clothing from wherever she wandered, from Guatemala to India, Lithuania to Ethiopia. Having seen first hand the reality of women worldwide drove her to start ZAZI, a platform that supplies micro-credit to women, in the hope of connecting fashion and story telling.
Website: www.zazi-vintage.com
