Behind The Seams

A FATHER-DAUGHTER STORY 

We are a father-daughter duo ethically crafting underwear, swimwear, yoga wear, and basics
for women in our small family-run factory.
Infused with the spirit of light summer days, healthy living, and outdoor adventure, 
ESSENTIALS FOR ZULA makes stretch basics that are affordable, comfortable and made to last.  

BETWEEN AUSTRIA AND THAILAND 

Raised in a family of garment manufacturers, the Austro-Thai born designer's memories of going to work with her father and seeing firsthand the techniques and artistry of tailoring,
instilled in her a love of craftsmanship from a very young age. Motivated by her father's drive and compassion for garments and her mother's chic and laissez-fair fashion, she became inspired
to merge the two and create ESSENTIALS FOR ZULA. The name ZULA was intentionally chosen for its unfamiliarity. A unique and alien female name, allowing the concept to be crafted from scratch. Modern, minimalist and designing essential pieces that belong in every woman's wardrobe. Since the birth of the online shop in 2015,
it was run entirely out of her single room that functioned as a studio, showroom, office and bedroom.
Today, Delie is based between Vienna and Bangkok, working side-by-side with her father, to carefully produce and bring their slow fashion project to life.

essentials for zula - behind the seams 4CRAFTSMANSHIP

Handmade with love in Thailand. Crafting garments with the highest attention to detail and care. We have an amazingly tight knit team of 6 seamstresses and tailors who are passionate about garments. The average age ranges between 35-40 years old and most of them have been working with Felix for over a decade. There is a balanced mixture of men and women, our cutting team are mostly made up of men (our Tetris masters! More on that later).  

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RADICAL TRANSPARENCY

The garment industry can be real dirty. Low pay, dangerous working conditions and pressure to produce in mass quantities. We recognise the importance of keeping a close eye on the integrity of our supply chain - that's why we proudly make our garments ourselves in our own family-factory and in accordance to internationally recognised standards of International Labour Organisation (ILO) through the UN. Allowing us to be 100% honest to you and take 100% responsible for the welfare of our seamstresses.

 

ZERO-WASTE

Our waste? We try to handle it in a number of ways; just-in-time production and economic marker structures* to name a few. Avoiding large stock and only producing exactly what we need in small batches at a time. To manage this tricky situation, we treat the patterns similar to a Tetris game. The fabrics arrive in rolls and the marker planner* meticulously arranges and squeezes as many marker's on the fabric as possible. This takes time, but is key to reduce excess material scraps. Interestingly, there was a photographer who came in to capture the manufacturing process and was so intrigued by the way the precise and meticulous cutting process, he ended up spending hours capturing just the cutting process. Our packaging? Your orders arrive in eco-friendly rice paper or a natural cotton drawstring bag which is placed in a recyclable paper mailer. We issue digital invoices to reduce paper waste.  Curious to learn more? Feel free to write us. 

essentials for zula - behind the seams 10

BUY IT AND TRY IT. IT'S ON US.

We're confident that you'll love our comfortable garments, but if you don't, we'll happily offer an exchange or a refund within 14 days. Find out more

OUR LOCALLY-SOURCED AND SUSTAINABLE FABRICS

Our fabrics are locally sourced, woven, and dyed in Thailand. We are very selective with the fabrics we work with, consciously choosing sustainable alternatives that are uncompromising of quality at the same time. Our cotton is certified with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). It sets the highest ecological, sustainable, and social requirements for pesticide and insecticide free natural fibres. Our modal is made out of renewable raw material wood. The wood pulp comes from sustainably certified forests. In addition, our garments are dyed using 100% AZO free dyes - certain specified chemicals that could be harmful to the environment and your skin are eliminated from the paint pot, giving our garments that extra stamp of excellence. But, we know that transparency is key and we are not perfect. As a project, we're always reflecting and looking for ways to improve... if you know of any alternatives and suggestions drop us a line

We're so happy that you're here. We look forward to sending out your lovingly handmade garments.

*marker structures is a term used in the garment industry. A marker is a special kind of stencil that illustrates how pattern pieces of one or more garments should be cut from several layers of fabric. The marker planner is the person who arranges the markers