Jeanne Zizi Margot de Kroon or known as Jeanne De Kroon is the founder of Zizi Vintage, a luxury fashion label committed to ethical and sustainable practices in the fashion industry. The design is beautiful and its commitment to give back to women makes these clothes not just clothes. One of her interesting works is the typical Suzani coat made in Afghanistan from upcycled shearlings and embroidered carpets.
De Kroon works with artisans throughout Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and India, but her latest project brought her back to Afghanistan for a special collaboration with the UN-Ethical Fashion Initiative.
EFI has several sustainable initiatives in Afghanistan in collaboration with its social enterprise partner, Zarif Design, a “slow production” company in Kabul founded by Zolaykha Sherzad. This company employs 52 local craftsmen to make clothes using traditional fabrics, embroidery, and natural dyes. By doing so, she keeps the craft alive and provides safe employment and fair trade.
Sherzad then executed De Kroon’s dream. “Zarif’s mission is to bring peace to Afghanistan by celebrating its cultural heritage and beauty, so we are truly in harmony,” De Kroon said. Eighty percent of the material comes from deadstock, and the rest is cut in Uzbekistan from pure silk. The collection can be purchased on the Zazi website and 5 percent of the total sales will be donated to the “saffron mission” that helps farmers in Afghanistan change their poppy fields that damage the environment to low-impact saffron plants.
The Goal of Jeanne de Kroon on Establishing Zazi Vintage
One of de Kroon’s goals is to promote the beauty of Afghan crafts, not only for their own customers but also for other designers and brands. Kroon said that “There are so much beauty and so many extraordinary women who will enjoy working with international brands. ”
De Kroon also understands that the actual range of these projects goes beyond beautiful clothing and crafts. “Fashion is an attractive market because we have so many opportunities to catalyze change,”
This is a trillion-dollar industry that supplies 300 million workers every year, and 80 percent of them are women. But they only have about 10 percent of the industry’s wealth. There needs to be a way to ensure that everyone in the supply chain is a real member and has a real voice. In other words, sustainability is a feminist problem.
Jeanne de Kroon raised the Income of Women Workers
In fact, before De Kroon began her dialogue in 2015, she worked for an NGO in India and was told that if she really wanted to make a difference for women, she would have to be involved in the fashion industry. “These women are true fashion stars. It is they who spent eight months embroidering our coats and helping to find vintage materials,” she explained. “I truly believe that in terms of sustainability, it doesn’t matter if you use organic cotton or sustainable fiber. In the end, it’s about our relationship with clothes. ”
For her, the future of sustainability is about having a personal relationship with your clothes. Brands can really underline that by telling stories behind them. That can include crafts and culture. Don’t you like to wear a dress that makes you feel as good as your appearance? Now you can wear clothes from Jeanne de Kroon with the Zazi Vintage collection.
