Meet Some of Our Vendors
Whether we're in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda or Senegal, we're proud to work with some incredible women to source our fabrics.
Relationship building is a key part of our sourcing process (and also the most rewarding)! Over the years and many hundreds of prints, we've learned a lot about how to select fabrics. We truly have these women to thank for sharing their knowledge and trust, and in doing so, creating such a mutually supportive experience. Here's a bit about our process and our vendors!
What's the sourcing process like? The style and origin of the prints that we find varies tremendously from country to country depending on the local aesthetic and supply chain, which makes it really fun sourcing in new markets. Wherever we go, we make sure to spend the first day walking around, taking it all in, earmarking some prints that we love, and chatting with the vendors. New fabrics arrive in these markets daily, and so we'll usually try and spend at least few days on each trip to make sure that we see as much as we possibly can before we make our final decisions.
What are we looking for in a print? Several considerations come into play when deciding which fabrics to select. The first threshold is design, after which there may be certain disqualifying factors. In terms of design, we try and think about each and every one of you and what you'll love. We then consider how much fabric in each print we'll be able to source. No matter how much we may love a print, if we can't buy enough fabric to make a full size spread, we'll usually have to pass. The final and most important consideration is the quality of the fabric, since even if we love something and can get a sufficient quantity of it, we need to be 100% sure that you'll be able to enjoy your dress for years to come. This final consideration is where trust and respect come into play, and why it's so important that we have women in our corner who will make sure that what we're buying is truly "top-shelf":)
Would you share contact information for these women? ABSOLUTELY! For those of you who are looking to buy fabrics, email us at heyzuri@shopzuri.com and we'll be proud to send contact information for our favorite vendors--we believe in spreading the love (and the business)!
Meet some of our vendors!
We're in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, about once a month, and each time we go it's SUCH a pleasure to visit Rehema. Not only does she have the best snacks, but she knows what we'll love before we even see it. (For all our hypnosis lovers out there, we've got Rehema to thank!)
Meet Letivia! She's had her shop here for three years, and she is our SOURCE for these very special and classic Nigerian wax print designs that are bold and perfect and extremely difficult to find elsewhere. For those of you who loved Shell Yeah, now you know who made it happen!! Let's give a big shout out to the boss. (PS yes she is wearing the Twinsies fabric and yes it was fabulous in red:)
Meet Scholar! She opened her own shop last year after working with her brother for several years, and we couldn't be more excited for her! We've been hanging out in the market with her since we started our business, and she's always a warm, hilarious, joyous presence (with a fab selection of geometric prints )!
Meet Darusi! Originally from Mwanza, Tanzania, she has five children (not to mention a spectacular sense of color!!) Remember the purple Rubik's cube and Suspend Disbelief? All her! Thank you, Darusi!
