Zubi bags are 100% Instagram material – maybe even more literally than one can imagine at first glance. The beautiful, hip bags are crafted from quality textiles printed with their creators’ photography.
The brand Zubi was created in 2012 by two Spanish sisters. They use their travels as inspiration, and their travel photographs as prints for their functional bags and accessories.
Who made my Zubi?
I’ve written about Fashion Revolution’s Who Made My Clothes? campaign before. The traceability of the clothing we wear, from the sourcing of materials to the manufacturing, is more and more important for consumers each day. Spain is no different from other developed countries: consumers are more sensitive to the origin of their garments but, at the same time, said origin keeps being very difficult to track, and therefore it’s complicated to ensure that ethical practices are followed throughout the production and distribution chain. Let’s not forget that Inditex, with its shadows and lights, is the local success story many entrepreneurs aspire to recreate.
But some companies are making sure they make things differently. I had seen some influencers wearing the printed Zubi bags, but I wasn’t aware of their origin and their production process until I came across this article on Spanish magazine S-Moda.
The Zubi bags are printed in Madrid, where the brand has its headquarters, and sewn together by three female artisans from a small village in a small city not far from there. The Zubizarreta sisters, owners of the company, oversee the whole production and distribution process, from the printing to the logistics. They sell mostly online, but have distributors in many countries around the world and their own retail space in Madrid.
If you want to know more about Spain’s responsible fashion…
Zubi is not alone: both Moda Sostenible (sustainable fashion) Barcelona and Asociación de Moda Sostenible de Madrid, the two biggest local entities working on the country’s promotion of ethical and sustainable fashion, list brands and retailers that help consumers shop more responsibly. Online platforms like Move to Slow or Verde Moscú work as retailers and directories for fashion lovers looking to contribute to create a better world.