International Women’s Day signifies the deep history and battles women have overcome to be in the many roles they possess today. March 8 recognises a fundamental change in our cultural, political and socioeconomic landscape that allows women freedom & influence.
We took the opportunity to chat to friends of the brand & female inspirations that have made an impact on our journey. As a female owned & operated brand, March 8 is a monumental symbol of societies evolution and growth, our ambition and resilience.
Tiffany Cooper, Nikkou Store
Tiffany Cooper, once an employee at Zulu & Zephyr, is now the owner, Nikkou. We spoke with Tiffany about what being a woman means to her.
"I feel my most feminine when I am fresh faced at home. After work I slip into fresh linen sheets and put on my guilty pleasure tv series that I am binging at the time. This is often accompanied by a margarita and face mask. I have learnt to admire the power in myself. I recently turned 30 and in doing so have become unapologetically autonomous. I can not express how important lifting up women in my life is. For me this means random notes of love and encouragement to my best girls that surround me. I love to remind them of the life they have built for themselves and how proud they should be for it."
Tiff wears the Aftersun Shirt
Tiff wears the Aftersun Shirt
Dynamic duo & female powerhouse, Pip & Sophie are the founders & directors of Worn for Good, a business promoting a circular economy & encouraging a creative solution to minimise waste in the industry. As a brand we have been fortunate to work alongside of Pip & Sophie, the pair have inspired our own sustainability movements internally as well as across the industry. We asked Pip & Sophie to unravel what being a woman is to them and they're inspirational figures.
Pip Best, Founder of Worn for Good.
I feel most feminine when I listen to Beyonce. I admire women who stand for something, have come to know themselves, and are completely unapologetic about who they are. I think the obvious ones are Michelle Obama and Jacinda Ardern, a little closer to home would be Turia Pitt and Shirley Coleen Smith. It's well known that across the world, as women gain rights, their families and societies prosper. Women have this incredible power to change their communities, we just need to give them the chance to do so.
Sophie Palmer, Worn For Good
I don’t think I’ve ever felt more in my feminine than the days leading up to and following the birth of our daughter. And when I’m rocking her to sleep at night, it’s such a special, nurturing feeling. At the moment, being new to the gig, I have a newfound respect and admiration for all Mums. Motherhood so far feels to be of the most rewarding, challenging, beautiful, messy, chaotic, roles, and one I don't think I fully appreciated until recently. (And Dads of course, they’re pretty cool too). The rise and importance of the sisterhood is real! Although I think it’s not just about women lifting up women (of course this is so important, and is one of our main goals and values in the work we do through WFG) but also about men supporting women. In a recent article on the gender pay gap - I read a statistic that reported no headway has been made in closing the gender wage gap between 2018-2019, with the average full time working woman still earning just $0.82 for every dollar earned by men. This is of course just one small example, but shows that collectively we have a long way to go in empowering, supporting and uplifting women, in our own backyard and around the world.
Candice Rose O'rouke is one half of the driving team behind Zulu & Zephyr. Director & mother she multitasks two pivotal and influential roles, never missing a beat. We sat down with our Director and asked her to reflect on the incredible journey, she & sister Karla, had paved for themselves.
"In recent years, I have been reflecting on our contribution to the industry and how it will shape not only my future, but my daughters. I must say, I wasn't always this conscious of our message. IWD allows me the space to understand how myself and my peers are doing to enforce change and set a new standard for the next generation. I am proud of Zulu & Zephyr for our recent plight to diversify and include more women in our world and choose lower impact materials across all of our business processes to leave a better planet for our girls and boys."
Zimmy wears the Sunlit Blazer