While researching her undergraduate honors thesis titled, “Fashion in China: From the Qing to Today,” Ziran founder Kelly Wang Shanahan discovered xiang yun sha silk. Completely enraptured, she vowed to use the silk “someday” when she started her clothing line. Kelly went on and received degrees in Chinese Studies, Fashion Design, and a MBA in Entrepreneurship. She was awarded the Loyola Marymount University MBA Entrepreneurship Student of the Year in 2016. Six years after discovering the silk she was ready. In March 2016 Ziran was born.
Ziran Manifesto:
Disillusioned with fashion’s copycat mentality, lack of purpose, and disregard for the environment, we created Ziran for smart, strong badass women. Women who eschew outside influence and embrace themselves as they are. Women who value high-quality, exclusive clothing that isn’t just beautiful but has a story to tell.
At Ziran we are champions of “slow” fashion. This is a growing movement that favors thoughtful, socially responsible fashion and rejects thoughtless, fast fashion that primarily cares about profit margins. Slow fashion means quality and longevity. Pieces are treasured, not used and thrown away. We champion slow fashion through our use of xiang yun sha silk. Literally translated as “perfumed cloud clothing,” the silk is anti-microbial, wrinkle-resistant, and skin-nourishing. Xiang yun sha is an all-natural, sustainable textile made in one small town in southern China, only four months out of the year. Learn more about xiang yun sha here. Chinese products are generally viewed as cheap and poorly made, but xiang yun sha repudiates this belief. It is luxurious, supple, buttery, and unlike any other silk.Though this silk originated over five hundred years ago, it has remained a hidden treasure to the outside world. Until now! Ziran is the first company to use xiang yun sha in the United States. Seriously, the first.
At Ziran we ride between ancient tradition and modern responsibility. At the core of our cause is xiang yun sha silk. The silk is the vehicle we use to preserve culture, express creativity, stand up for what we believe in, and change the world. Some big ideas for a little company. Yet it’s these types of big ideas that are fueling a new generation of Entrepreneurs, who see business as a way to make the world a better place. Not just a means to make money.
We vow to always remain transparent and accountable in our actions, support xiang yun sha manufacturers and their city, provide beautiful clothing, and stay true to the meaning of Ziran: natural, spontaneous, and free. We will prove that women do care about where their clothes come from, and that a socially responsible business model can be successful.
Visit http://www.theziran.com/about/ for more information.
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