Zazi

Zazi's family of majestic artisans –mostly female - is growing and they proudly co-create with different NGOs, artisanal communities, and the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative all around the world. Zazi aims to help artisan workers empower and lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty and create new opportunities

The colourful world of Zazi started in 2017 from a student bedroom apartment of its founder Jeanne De Kroon in Berlin. With love for the artisanal craft, nature, and a wish to weave the stories of women behind the cloth, Jeanne started with 3 dresses and 2 coats. Little did she know the community would grow into a global network of artisans and women storytellers. Zazi keeps its familiar approach with a strong team in Amsterdam and abroad

Zazi believes that there is connected wisdom woven through these ancestral practices relating to the needle, thread, and the colours and healing properties of plants. The brand aims to empower women by helping them tell their stories and preserve their craft

Each Zazi co-creation is imbued with the authentic richness of the cultures behind every material, pattern, and craft. The brand wants to help preserve traditional craft and cultural heritage, using age-old techniques to carefully create each of their pieces

In Afghanistan, Zazi works with an atelier with a commitment to women’s empowerment, artisanal craftsmanship, and cultural heritage. The atelier brings together over 25 tailors and 100 home-based female embroiderers and partners with the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. They also work with The Saheli Women’s collective, an arts and fashion studio where 40 women bring beautiful designs to life in a small village in Rajasthan, India.The Saheli Women centre focuses on community building through creativity and facilitating women’s economic and social independence. Additionally they work with IkatUz, a social enterprise in Margilan Uzbekistan.The atelier brings together 5 masters, 9 artisans, and over 50 Ikat weavers and partners with the Ethical Fashion Initiative

Zazi wants to be transparent about the many costs that are both unseen and seen in their small business. For each of their products, you can see a complete price breakdown including the cost of their materials, artisan’s work, shipping, customs, design fees, marketing fees, bags and packaging, payment fees, country tax, and "Zazi working costs" which is their markup. Any profits leftover are directly invested into a new community so they can slowly grow the company, step by step