A Sprayername 2014, A Brandname 2021
About
ZAË is my former sprayer name, which I found in 2014. I associate many fond memories with the name and the three letters have stuck with me ever since. Around the same time, I started painting textiles by hand – initially for friends who were part of a hip-hop crew. This creative passion quickly became more than just a hobby.
In February 2021, I finally founded my own brand: ZAË. A label that expresses my love for textile design. With a clear commitment to sustainability, slow production and creative collaboration. The designs are created from a mix of influences – inspired by urban cultures, travelling, animals, people and nature.
Influenced by travelling places, shaped by encounters and friendships, ZAË designs clothes for our urban life. The connection between city and nature is not lost through our endeavours to produce everything in a socially and ecologically responsible way. Our principles stand for multiculturalism, passion, awareness and the expression of creativity.
ZAË stands for:
Multiculturalism. Passion. Awareness. Creative expression.
The Trench
Other factors that play an important role are the material and the story behind the trench coat. I adore finding a trench coat and imagining what it went through after its production. Where was it produced? In which year? In which shop did it hang afterwards and who of all people wore it? So many questions to which there are usually not all the answers and most of them can only be guessed at. Sometimes I find clues with the help of labels or forgotten objects in the jacket pockets of the trench coats – which point to the former owner. Old coins or yellowed business cards hint at the jacket’s previous life.
Craftman
ship
ZAË is also about seeing the craftsmanship in each individual piece. Each trench coat is first found before it is personalised, usually in a second-hand shop. It is then cleaned and repaired if necessary.
