In this episode, part of our monthly brand feature series, we learn about Zazi Vintage, an ethically based fashion company with headquarters in Amsterdam.

Joshua Williams: Each month on News Bytes, we feature a fashion brand that approaches business differently and innovatively or operates outside of the main fashion systems and capitals. I'm with Sass Brown, an expert in ethical fashion, sustainability and craftsmanship. She 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.

Sass, thank you so much for being with us today. 

Sass Brown: Happy to be here. 

Joshua Williams: And so, who are you featuring this month? 

Sass Brown: Zazi Vintage, founded by Jeanne de Kroon in Amsterdam and they work across Uzbekistan, India, and Afghanistan. 

Joshua Williams: Tell us a little bit about what makes Zazi Vintage so unique. 

Sass Brown: They work with heritage textiles and artisan-based textiles that have been produced along the traditional Silk Route. So, they work with Uzbekistan ikat. They work with Kashmiri embroidery and with Suzani embroideries. 

Joshua Williams: Wow. So, are they fully customizing each piece or do they have a line that they sell direct to the consumer? 

Sass Brown: They have the small ready-to-wear line of contemporary fashion pieces, separates and predominantly dresses. But then they have a line of Suzani coats, which are those fabulous fur-trimmed, Afghan coats. If you think of Sergeant Peppers from the Beatles; that sort of iconic  embroidered uor trimmed coat. And so, those are all covered in Suzani, vintage Suzani embroideries. Those are made to order. And you're able to customize them a little bit, in terms of choice of fur, color, type of embroidery, et cetera.

Joshua Williams: Sass, what do you think that other more mainstream brands can learn from Zazi Vintage? 

Sass Brown: I think there's an awful lot to do with intention and motivation. Honestly, Jeanne is the founder of the brand, is 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 fo storytelling, and the people whose story she tells through the weaving, through the story threads of embroidery. And so, I think her values and our motivation are incredible. 

I think an example of that is when Covid hit, she reached out to her artissans and asked them what they needed to survive during this difficult time during lockdown, when people were canceling orders. She's not the only person that works with them. So, 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? 

Joshua Williams: Such a human-centric touch. 

How can listeners learn more about Zazi Vintage?

Sass Brown:  Well, they sell direct to consumer only. So, you have to access them through their website, which is zazivintage.com. So, it's pretty straightforward. They also have a really lovely Instagram feed, which is also @ZaziVintage. So, it's very easy to find them. 

Joshua Williams: All right, Sass. Thank you so much. We'll see you in a month for your next feature.

Sass Brown: Look forward to it.