Zazi Vintage is an Amsterdam-based company founded by Jeanne de Kroon.
“The company is known for their use of heritage textiles and artisan-based
textiles that have been produced along the traditional Silk Route,
including Uzbekistan ikat, Kashmiri embroidery and Suzani embroideries,”
says Sass.
Zazi Vintage produces a small ready-to-wear line of contemporary fashion
pieces–separates, but predominantly dresses. This collection is sold
primarily online, employing a direct-to-consumer model. Additionally, the
brand offers custom options for a more discerning customer. Sass shares,
“They have a line of Suzani coats, which are those fabulous fur-trimmed,
Afghan coats. They are reminiscent of the Beatles and the iconic Sergeant
Peppers embroidered fur trimmed coat. Those vintage Suzani embroideries are
made to order. You’re able to customize them a little bit, in terms of
choice of fur, color, type of embroidery, et cetera.”
When asked how more mainstream brands can learn from Zazi Vintage, Sass
confides. “I think there’s an awful lot to do with intention and
motivation. Jeanne, the founder of the brand, is honestly one of the most
committed people I’ve ever met in terms of ethics and how she works. And
it’s all to do with her passion for textiles and for storytelling.” She
emphasizes, “Jeanne tells people’s stories through the weaving, through the
threads of embroidery. And so, I think her values and motivation are
incredible.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe, Sass shares that Jeanne reached
out to her artisans and asked them directly what they needed to survive the
lockdown and how to cover costs due to cancelled orders from other brands.
But she didn’t stop there. As Sass describes it, “she went back to the
other brands that were working with her artisans, and said, look, this is
what they need to survive, to keep a roof over their head, to keep food on
the table. How do we collectively work out a plan to ensure that they can
survive through this?”
Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape Backpacks
Sass describes Jeanne’s approach at Zazi Vintage as human-centric,
layered with an understanding of the complex fashion supply chain and how
it unduly affects suppliers who are at the mercy of brands.
Each month Sass Brown, an expert in ethical fashion, sustainability
and craftsmanship, shares a fashion brand that approaches business
differently and innovatively or operates outside of the main fashion
systems and capitals. Sass is the former Dean of Art and Design at the
Fashion Institute of Technology and the founding Dean at Dubai Institute of
Design and Innovation.