The eco-minded entrepreneur shares how she avoids impulse buys, what clothes she would never wear, and how she scored a vintage Sex and the City dress
For those of us who are still figuring out the sustainable fashion thing, Susannah Jaffer is a leading light.
The Britain-born, Singapore-based entrepreneur is the mind behind Zerrin, a retail and media platform that is devoted to ethical and eco-conscious fashion. Zerrin doesn’t merely offer beautiful clothes, jewellery and beauty products that you can feel good about, but it opens you up to a whole new way of shopping that comes at little to no cost to the planet.
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Unsurprisingly, Jaffer possesses the discipline that you would expect of someone who could singlehandedly helm such a business, and that translates into her shopping choices as well; no trends or fast fashion brands for her, thank you very much. Instead, she lives by Vivienne Westwood’s wise words: “Choose well, buy less, make it last.”
Below, Jaffer tells us exactly how she does all of the three and lets us in on some of her favourite pieces from her wardrobe.
Please introduce yourself.
I’m a former fashion editor turned e-commerce and media entrepreneur. I’m passionate about helping both sides of the industry—citizens and brands—create and consume more consciously. I’m also a photographer, pianist and massive dog lover. I call both Singapore and London home.
What was the fashion landscape like when you started Zerrin? What did you want to change?
Four years ago when we launched, I’d say the Singapore fashion landscape was quite fragmented. There always has been a local designer scene, and there have been varied initiatives that have tried (and failed) to support and incubate their growth. There was also very little discourse around sustainability in fashion and what that constituted. From my view, I aspired to create more connections between different stakeholders within the industry—brands, consumers, suppliers—as I felt that was what was missing and an inhibitor to sustainability and social impact.
While Zerrin is known as a retail marketplace curating independent, sustainable designers, it’s actually just one part of what we do. At its heart, Zerrin is a growth engine for brands and SMEs to help them scale in various ways.
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