Everyone knows when you turn a year old things change. You’re no longer a baby. You have to start walking, feeding yourself, even potty training is mere months away. Which is a similar analogy that can be used for everything in life. Even for say, just off the top of my head, an e-commerce site like Zady turning 1.
I know… you can’t believe it can you?! Zady is a year old now, AND have their own collection now! Honestly, I’m super excited about it. I secretly am obsessed with this brand, and the women who run it. They are such great examples of people doing good for the world, by promoting others – which you rarely ever see anymore. So for their one year anniversary, we talked, Zady… DUH!
It’s your first year anniversary, how does it feel?
Maxine: We’re thrilled! (and maybe a little tired?) It’s amazing to sit back for a moment and see how far the Slow-Fashion Movement has come in this past year. Knowing where our clothing comes from is no longer just a fringe concept, it is now becoming a very mainstream conversation. That’s an enormous change, it took the food movement a decade to do what has happened in the clothing industry this past year. All of us at Zady are honored to be a part of it.
How did you celebrate?
Maxine: We all went out for tacos and sangria at Cafe el President, a great little neighborhood joint.
You launched your Zady collection, where did this idea originate?
Maxine: Our mission is to get to know the origins behind our clothing. By serving as curators, we have made an important first step in showing where a product comes from. By creating our own product, however, we can take that transparency to its core. By doing this we’re creating a new standard for ethics and the environment. When textile dyeing is responsible for a full 20% of global water pollution, when carcinogenic dyes are still standard in our clothing, and when shadow factories are still the norm, we quickly see how important it is to create a new standard from the ground up. That’s why we’re starting from the farm, right through to final production.
What’s the inspiration behind this line?
Maxine: We’re looking to create essential pieces. Every woman has those pieces in her closet that she returns to time and time again. Those pieces feel good, fit well, look good, and go with everything. We’re rolling out our line slowly so that we can do all of that and find those partners: the farmers, washers, dye houses and factories that maintain the very best standards. We also want to collaborate on design with our growing community. It’s an entirely different way of approaching design and production than has ever been done before.
How often will we see pieces, or new collections rolling out?
Soraya: It will happen organically, we don’t want to make any promises.
Do you have any Zady Collection specific themed collaborations in store?
Soraya: We have a lot of ideas, but nothing to reveal quite yet!
Can we still purchase curated brands outside of Zady on Zady.com?
Soraya: Of course! Curating great product with transparent origins is still central to Zady. We’re excited to expand on these collections and continue to discover great talent from around the world.
Is there a brick and mortar in the near future?
Soraya: We started with a pop-up shop at LaGuardia and have appeared this summer in Brooklyn and the Hampton’s. We always enjoy meeting people in real life and having the opportunity for our community to touch and feel the pieces. We will certainly continue with the experiences in the future.
