Zoe Karssen launches new label Gaïa Gaïa
Back in 2010, Zoe Karssen launched a brand that would spark a thousand witty slogan T-shirts. The eponymous designer was living in the Netherlands with her husband Quince when the slouchy T-shirt that she was wearing caught the eye of a stylist, who asked if she could use it in a forthcoming magazine shoot. The piece, which featured a quote that Karssen had drawn on with a marker pen, elicited a huge response. Upon the advice of her husband, Karssen decided to launch a dedicated label, with T-shirts as its USP. Within only a few years, the brand had attracted a wide celebrity following, including Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Moss.
A decade later, Karssen is ready for a new venture. Her eponymous label is still alive, but she herself has jumped ship to launch a new brand, with a more elevated, conscious approach to style. Named Gaïa Gaïa after the greek goddess and earth mother, the emphasis is still everyday, casual classics, but a more luxe appeal.
"After 10 magical years of running the Zoe Karssen brand, the time felt right to close that book and start something fresh and cool again," Karssen tells out. "We set out to take our best learnings and create a new concept, re-thinking a more conscious way to design and manufacture the products that we love and at the same time improve the business model, so the brand is more proficient and less wasteful."
Each piece will be made in limited runs to reduce waste and the designer has worked hard to find ethical garment factories where the labourers are treated and paid fairly. By 2021, she aims to use 100 per cent sustainable fabrics.
"Gaïa Gaïa is a much more refined, high-end brand than anything I've worked on before," says Karssen. "There's a strong focus on quality and unique graphical vision. The approach to market is also different - for us, it's quality over quantity. We aim to partner with a selection of some of the best stores globally, but we don't want to expand too widely to ensure that our product remains unique in the market."
The brand is inspired by art, pop culture and women with a strong sense of style, including Diana, the Princess of Wales (you can definitely imagine the late princess wearing some of the low-key pieces while off-duty). The debut collection features a range of T-shirts, matching sweatpants and sweatshirts and graphic printed baseball caps, easy pieces to add a nonchalant edge to an outfit.
"The brand aesthetic is casual and feminine but not without an air of masculinity," muses the designer. "Gaïa Gaïa offers laidback luxury essentials for the modern woman."
The label was due to launch in spring this year, but was delayed due to the outbreak of corornavirus. Karssen was forced to change tact based on the shift in consumer shopping habits, but she refused to be deterred by current circumstances.
"We're very open to pivoting and adapting the brand in this very new landscape," she says. "In the end, we decided to just go for it and get started. Here's to feeling the fear, and doing it anyway."
In need of some at-home inspiration? Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for skincare and self-care, the latest cultural hits to read and download, and the little luxuries that make staying in so much more satisfying.
You Might Also Like
