LFW party season started with a Bang! when two almighty labels and a superb publication pulled together to celebrate D SNEAKER at EASTBLOC – London –
IN COLLABORATION WITH VICEUK
SIX STYLES – THREE STRIPES – FOR SUCCESSFUL LEAVING
TOP CHOICE FORUM MID DIESEL TXT
MID CHOICE STAN SMITH 80’S DIESEL
Following on from the post dedicated to the Leathers the final installment of “A story to tell” is based around all the other “ingredients” which contribute to make each ZANACCO product a unique blend of artisanship, luxury, innovation and sustainability.
Vegetable Tanned Leathers and Water Based Glues are applied across the whole production, Wooden Nails are used on the construction of the “Lavorazione Goodyear” for the more classic styles.
However more specific and innovative materials are used to manufacture the more casual part of our collection, the sneakers. For the production of the insole, ZANACCO use a remarkable material, made of 50% Natural Latex and 50% Coco Fibres.
This resilient material based on natural cocos fibre is curled by means of a spinning process followed by steaming. The fibres are bonded with 100% natural latex to form a sheet. Due to the natural fibre this product has excellent properties such as good ventilation, temperature and humidity control, and most importantly no harmful chemicals and no solvents are used in the process.
Inspired by the need of innovation for environmental protection, we have substituted the traditional petroleum based plasticizers with bio-degradable oils to produce the soles of our casual shoes. Therefore reducing the violating effect which man-made products often have on nature.
Furthermore, to ensure each product complies to our manufacturing guidelines, we only use nickel free eyelets and zippers for the shoes and nickel free metal on all other elements used for the accessories. Each item is carefully designed to guarantee its functionality and respect towards the environment and for this reason we have chosen organic cotton lining for the document cases and travel bags.
Our commitment to luxury and sustainability goes beyond the product itself, it stretches throughout the collection and beyond, and it influences every aspect of our business. It is omnipresent, therefore dictating the choice we make when designing also the packaging or the marketing material.
Be it a shoe, a belt or a travel bag, each item in the collection comes with its own protective bag, in which the inside is softer than the outside, offering extra protection to the leather. The protective bags are made of 100% organic cotton, the strings are manufactured using waxed cotton and water-based inks are used for our branding.
The packaging is made with 100% recycled paper which is also used to produce all the marketing material.
When we decided to start “A story to tell”, our aim was to offer you an insight to the story behind our brand, the heritage that shaped our present and will continue shaping or future.
We wanted to give you the opportunity to learn about our project by sharing our ethos, the information on the materials we use, the processes that shape are collections and most importantly the reasons why we do things the way we do.
End.
What makes ZANACCO unique, are the materials we use and the processes applied to the “ingredients”, which are carefully selected for our collections. Although all materials are indispensable, leather is by far the single most important material in the manufacturing process.
All the leathers used at ZANACCO are vegetable tanned and they are handled with the utmost care throughout each individual process from the Italian masters of San Miniato. The leathers pass from one artisan to another across 10 different departments and can be processed up to 17 times before they meet with the shoe makers in Vigevano.
Vegetable tanning is an artisan tradition that the tanneries associated to the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium have handed down from father to son for over 200 years, using both antique recipes and state-of-the-art technology.
A remarkable process based on the use of natural tannins extracted from chestnut or Argentinean quebracho trees, on modern technologies and machineries and, mainly, on the slow passing of time. Nearly forty days are actually needed to transform raw hides into unique vegetable-tanned leathers.
Among the various tanning methods, the vegetable tanning is still nowadays the most classical, the most traditional, the most recognisable, the only one able to give leather unique characteristics, the most natural and the most environmental-friendly.
Vegetable-tanned leather productive cycle is strictly monitored to ensure a low impact on the environment. No animal is killed for its skin.
Being tanned with natural tannins, a vegetable-tanned product can be easily recycled at the end of its life, thanks to its chemical-biological characteristics. Many of the substances used during the tanning process are recovered, recycled and reused in different fields. Salt used for preservation and storage of raw hides arriving to the tannery is recycled and reused as de-icer on the streets.
Hair removed from raw hides is transformed into agricultural fertilizer whilst sludge produced by the depuration plants is reused in the construction field to make bricks. Vegetable-tanned leather, recognizable from its trademark, does not contain any toxic substances such as azo-dyes, nickel, PCP or chrome VI and is highly tolerable for those who suffer from metal related allergies.
Amongst all the leather we use the most extraordinary is the vegetable tanned camel leather we have introduced to our Spring Summer 2011 collections.
The camel skins come from the Middle East – Gulf Region – known as Camelus Dromedarius. They are regularly farmed for their meat or used as working animals, their by-product leathers are then utilized in other industries such as leather goods and footwear.
Due to the climate and the surrounding environment, their skins bring all signs of their lives, making each individual cut unique. It is extremely important to understand this characteristic as the final products are of rare beauty and exceptional quality.
to be continued…
ZANACCO is built around the two main assertions of being a “Truly made in Italy” product and also a “Sustainable Luxury” brand.
Jasmine Zanacco always believed that bringing together luxury and sustainability was a real possibility. Although surrounded by skepticism she worked incredibly hard to prove it is possible to combine the most skilled artisans and the newest technology to deliver luxury products which are as beautiful as they are respectful of the environment and the community around which they are manufactured.
On one hand, over the years, the relevance of “Made In” has been scrutinized and at times devalued. On the other hand, the relevance of “Sustainability”, in the luxury sector and beyond, has gathered momentum and won recognitions across the whole industry.
ZANACCO products are all made using vegetable tanned leathers, water based glue, bio-degradable oils, coco-fiber insole, nickel free metals, wooden nails. We use recycled paper for our packaging and ensure that every material is meticulously checked and approved before use.
In Jasmine’s views, in order to achieve the company’s goals of delivering outstanding products, products that can bridge artisanship, sophistication and sustainability, it is imperative to maintain all aspects of the sourcing and manufacturing process in Italy.
This is the reasons why “Made In” has a fundamental value in our organization. “Truly Made in Italy” is not simply embossed on our shoes or printed on our company logo, it is embodied in our company culture, is a constant reminder of the why we do things the way we do it.
It was with this approach that ZANACCO researched and selected all of its suppliers in Italy, found is prime leather manufacturer in San Miniato, a Tuscan village situated between Florence and Pisa, and located its manufacturing base in Vigevano.
to be continued…
The lives of the Zanacco’s family and the city of Vigevano have been intertwined for many generations. Giulio Zanacco, Jasmine Zanacco’s father, has been working in the footwear industry for over 40 years as CEO of a multinational footwear company. It is this intimate and close knit connection with the industry that led Jasmine to launch her eponymous brand, ZANACCO.
Although officially retired from duty, Signor Zanacco has been mentoring Jasmine, the creative force behind the ZANACCO brand, following her progress closely, inspiring her work, refining her skills and strengthening her drive. Signor Zanacco is the true inspiration behind Jasmine’s work.
ZANACCO’s creations are all manufactured in Vigevano, a beautiful rinascimental city, located 45 minutes drive from one of the fashion capitals of the world, Milano.
Vigevano’s contribution to the footwear industry goes as far back as the middle of the nineteen century. Conceived at artisan level, the footwear manufacturing of Vigevano, quickly developed within half a century into one of the strongest Italian industrial outputs. Exported all over the world, throughout the years, some of the most established and recognizable global luxury brands have, at one stage, manufactured their collections in or around the city of Vigevano.
Vigevano’s greatest industrial drive, as for almost the whole of Italy, coincided with the economic boom of the sixties. Italy was, once again, establishing itself around the world as the country of artisanship, luxury and elegance.
The sharp rise in internal demand and the exponential growth of exported goods won the city of Vigevano the title of “Calzolaio d’Italia” or “Shoemaker of Italy”.
As a testimony of the sheer quality that the Vigevano district continue to deliver, global brands like Ermenegildo Zegna, Bottega Veneta, Lanvin, Louboutin, Manolo Blanik to name a few, ensure their finest collections are all manufactured in the area.
Jasmine Zanacco has traveled all over the world and lived in some of the most exciting cities across the globe. Nevertheless, Jasmine decided to build her future where her earliest memories lay and everything begun just over thirty years ago. ZANACCO’s legacy with the city of Vigevano is now set to continue for years to come.
to be continued…
ZANACCO is a new company which has been built on time-honored foundations. Footwear and leather goods have always been part of Jasmine Zanacco’s life, Owner and Creative Director. The places where we come from have a lot of history and many tales to be told.
We will be celebrating our first year anniversary next month and, although not only for this reason, we have decided to tell our story to our followers, fans, friends and friends to be.
Because we are proud of who we are, of what we achieved and thrilled of where we are heading to, over the next couple of months we will be talking about our roots, we will be describing our recipes, listing our ingredients, explaining how we have been able to achieve what many thought was impossible to dream.
We will not, I am afraid, disclose the best kept secret of our creations. We will however narrate the story so that the reader will be able to understand our origins, what motivates us, learn about our manufacturing process, the material we use and hopefully appreciate even more our products.
We hope you will enjoy this reading.
to be continued…
As we couldn’t close the year without paying tributes to some of our most loved bloggers and supporters, we have picked some of the best for you…
We hope you will enjoy their reading as much as we did!
xx
We would like to add another chapter to our 2010 PRESS season by presenting to our readers, followers and fans, ARSsutoria #364.
For more than four decades, the Ars Sutoria School, has educated and forged some of the most well known artisans in the industry of shoe-making, accessories and leather goods around the world.
Over the years, ARSsutoriaMagazine, has been keeping up to date the professionals and followers of the industry, by presenting new trends, innovations and the emerging new talents.
At the end of our first PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO last summer, we were asked to tell our story to the ARSsutoria team.
At ZANACCO we are immensely proud to have been featured by ARSsutoriaMagazine.
In particular, we would like to thank for her support, Stefania Sancini – Editor – at ARSsutoria.
xx
Love it or shove it…
LOVE IT of course!
In particular, we would like to thank for her support, Emma Archard – Editor – at Add Lib Magazine.
xx
Following on our latest story, today we wanted to pay tribute to one of the most established and recognizable men’s lifestyle publication of our times, Esquire.
Esquire appeared in the US, for the first time, in October 1933. Founded and edited by David A. Smart and Arnold Gingrich. It later transformed itself into a more refined periodical with an emphasis on men’s fashion and contributions by Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
As part of its international expansion, Esquire landed on the UK newsstands for the first time in 1991.
Described as “A lifestyle magazine for ‘Men who mean business’, Esquire is the only men’s lifestyle magazine to reflect the values and entertainment needs of British men with a sharper attitude…” Featured below sneakers by Zanacco.
“…Esquire delivers an entertaining, sophisticated & witty read, balancing interviews, thought provoking writing and quality photography in a stylish, accessible package.”
At ZANACCO we are immensely proud to have been featured by Esquire.
In particular, we would like to thank for their support, Gareth Scourfield – Fashion Editor – and Mansel Fletcher – Style Editor – at Esquire Magazine.
As always let us know what you think by sharing your feedback with us.
xx
