It’s Disruptive Week on BTR, and here on Sew & Tell I got to speak with the co-founder of a new online retail platform that’s disrupting the fashion mainstream. Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi created Zady as a shopping resource that enables its customers to make purchases with confidence and conscience. Zady is a one-stop shop for elegantly presented, impeccably curated, thoroughly vetted selections of sustainable style, and at just over a year old, the site has already become synonymous with truly fashionable slow fashion. On today’s show, you’ll hear from Maxine about the high school friendship that started it all, their newly launched in-house Zady label, the shift in consumer perspective that’s growing and what it means for the future of manufacturing and retail, some of her own favorite spring fashions, and more.

Plus, I’ve got a playlist full of great new indie hits, including tracks from S. Carey, Liverpool-based trio All We Are, and ethereal pop singer-songwriter Emmy the Great. So tune in and turn it up – we’re all about stylish disruption this week on BreakThru Radio!

Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi, co-founders of Zady

Selections from Zady
(Photos courtesy of Zady)

Sample Zady Product Page

The creation of the .01 Sweater

Wool Source – Imperial Stock Ranch in Maupin, OR
(Photos by Oliver Jevremov)

Dyeing – G.J. Littlewood and Sons in Philadelphia, PA
(Photos by Richard Beaven)

Cut & Sew – Ball of Cotton in Commerce, CA
(Photos by Oliver Jevremov)

For more Zady…
– Find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram. And if you have thoughts, questions, or suggestions, send them to contact@zady.com – the team welcomes your input!
– Read a recent article in the New York Times on brand authenticity, featuring Zady.
– Zady offers more than just elegantly appointed, ethically produced fashion – they also have a House & Home section, which includes a few pieces from The Bootstrap Project, the non-profit craft enterprise that Maxine founded.

Odds & Ends
– Wanna see S. Carey perform his beautiful, layered, lush choral pieces in the intimate comfort of a living room? Who doesn’t!! Grab the few remaining tickets while you can…
– I made these for dinner this week. And I will be making them again (and again and again…) I discovered them through one of my mainstay food blogs, Dinner: A Love Story.
– SCAD is opening a gorgeous new tribute exhibit of Oscar de la Renta.
– At last! NY is getting its very own, separate Menswear Fashion Week! #longtimecoming
– A beautiful line of ethical lingerie, handmade in the UK – they have the perfect, pretty-but-sexy stuff for Valentine’s!
– I want to go to there.

Twerps
(Photo by Benjamin Lichtenstein)
March 15 – Rough Trade NYC – Brooklyn, NY
March 14 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
March 15 – DC9 Nightclub – Washington, D.C.
March 16 – The Pinhook – Durham, NC
March 17 – The Earl – East Atlanta, GA
March 18 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA
March 19 – 22 – SXSW – Austin, TX
March 24 – Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
March 25 – 27 – Treefort Music Fest – Boise, ID
March 28 & 29 – Burgerama @ The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
March 30 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
April 2 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
April 4 – Sunset Tavern – Seattle, WA
April 7 – The Aquarium – Fargo, ND
April 8 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
April 10 – The Bishop – Bloomington, IN
April 11 – The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
May 14 – 16 – The Great Escape – Brighton, United Kingdom
May 28 – 30 – Primavera Sound Festival – Barcelona, Spain

All We Are
(Photo by Jon Bergman)
Feb 12 – La Vapeur – Dijon, France
Feb 13 – Festival Generic – Besancon, France
Feb 14 – Generiq Mulhouse – Mulhouse, France
Feb 16 – Badaboum – Paris, France
Feb 25 – Prinzenbar – Hamburg, Germany
Feb 26 – Prince Charles – Berlin, Germany
Feb 27 – Studio 672 @ Stadtgarten – Cologne, Germany
Feb 28 – Strom – Munich, Germany
March 3 – Rockhal @ Esch Sur Alzette – Luxembourg
March 5 – AB Club – Brussels, Belgium
March 6 – Paradiso Kleine Zaal – Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 9 – The Deaf Institute – Manchester, United Kingdom
March 10 – The Green Door Store – Brighton, United Kingdom
March 11 – Corsica Studios – London, United Kingdom
March 13 – Cyprus Avenue – Cork, Ireland
March 14 – The Workman’s Club – Dublin, Ireland
March 17 – Broadcast – Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 16 – Hallenbad @ Kultur Am Schachtweg – Wolfsburg, Germany

Mikal Cronin
(Photo by Denee Petracek)
April 22 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
April 24 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
April 25 – The Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
May 1 – Eagle Rock Center for the Arts – Los Angeles, CA
May 5 – The Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
May 28 & 29 – Primavera Sound Festival – Barcelona, Spain
May 30 – This Is Not A Love Song @ Paloma – Nimes, France
May 31 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France
June 1 – 100 Club – London, United Kingdom
June 2 – Botanique Rotonde – Brussels, Belgium
June 8 – Lido – Berlin, Germany
June 9 – Gebäude 9 – Cologne, Germany
June 10 – Bitterzoet – Amsterdam, Netherlands