STYLE
Up-Cycled
Eco- Conscious Jewelry From Glenwood to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Zass Design is making its mark. BY RUHAMA WOLLE
(Photo: Amber Robinson)
In our disposable culture, fast-changing trends and cheap manufacturing means we throw things away without a second thought. The result is a waste crisis as plastics clog the ocean and landfill sites expand. Yet an inventive mother-daughter team from North Carolina is changing the rules for style by designing jewelry with a focus on sustainability. Zulay and Stephanie Smith, the founders of Raleigh-based Zass Design, are creating positive stories of transformation and making a real impact. Both graphic designers by trade, Zulay began making earrings from a collection of printed magazine materials while daughter Steph used football tickets from her alma mater, East Carolina University, as the basis for her first originals. And in 2009, with the support of family and friends, the two jumped into the idea with intense optimism—and they haven’t paused since.
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JAN/FEB 2019 | 37