When two American expats, Sandra Zhao and Ashleigh Miller were living in Nairobi, Kenya they met and bonded over a dress that Sandra had designed and wore to a wedding. They decided to go into business together focusing on comfort key to their line of dresses.
The seemingly simple dress is collared, falls to the knee and is loose airy feeling and comes with sleeves/no sleeve options. The idea they wanted their brand sustainable fashion brand Zuri to be based on was that women could solve the issue of ‘what do I wear/pack’ in one versatile garment that commits to their ethos of being both ‘modern and bold’.
Launched in 2016, they have built a network of loyal customers (including Hillary Clinton no less) that flock to their new drops of different pattern designs. The fabrics and patterns are made using a wax-printing technique called kitenge and are sourced from Tanzania, Congo, and Nigeria.
They are now bringing their designs to Paris with a pop-up in the Marias district. As they update their print offerings every week or so, having a physical space to showcase their designs is really important to both Sandra and Ashleigh as they expand their brand into Europe. Appear Here is making this easier than ever as their pop-up will be on the same street as some of the fashion capitals most desirable shops.
