Earthwalkers
Zebra Club Gives Environmental Retail Its Edge
By Caroline Li
3/21/2011

Shopping in downtown Seattle, you’ll find the usual department and high end designer stores in the shopping district, but walk a few blocks outside of the downtown core and you’ll find some of Seattle’s shopping gems.

On First Avenue, on your way to Pike Place Market, you may pass by the trendy, Northwest favorite, Zebra Club. They also have a store in Bellevue, WA, Vancouver, BC, and in Berlin, Germany. The company has been around since 1985 and was first to introduce the concept of environmental retail.

But Zebra Club isn’t your typical environmental retail store, it’s full of trendy pieces and fashion jeans you wear to impress, not go hiking in. The store carries popular urban brands such as Obey, Gstarl, and Stussy. Before fashion trade shows, Zebra Club was the first retail store to put brands side by side in one store. They called it their “fashion lab” concept, and invited merchandisers to create their own floor plans for their brands in the store. They were also encouraged to bring experimental products to test in the Zebra Club laboratory.

Zebra Club was also the first fashion retail store to put an espresso cart right outside of their store. The burger joint in the back and the DJ spinning records also appealed to its customers.

Whether it is fashion, environment, or marketing, they’ve been able to attract consumers of all ages and continue their role as fashion innovators.

This spring they launched a limited edition sweatshirt of the world’s first garment to incorporate the revolutionary Nude™ technology by PerfectDry™. The technology enables natural fabrics to have waterproof qualities and to be super stain resistant without losing any of its most prized characteristics of breathability and soft hand.

To celebrate their 25 Year Anniversary, Zebra Club is offering an exclusive sweatshirt, which comes in two different styles. Made in the US, the retail price is $85. It’s available this month at the Seattle and Bellevue Zebra Club retail stores and online. With only a limited amount made, each piece was hand marked with a number.

“The idea for PerfectDry™ grew out of a simple desire to retain the benefits of synthetic fibers in a natural fiber product. Similar to your own skin, PerfectDry™ technology offers waterproof qualities, yet remains breathable and is stain resistant,” says CEO of PerfectDry™ Richard Edwards.

Because garments that have been treated with PerfectDry™ don’t absorb any liquid, they are super stain resistant, antibacterial and remain odor free. Consumers will end up having to wash treated garments less frequently, and it will significantly reduce drying time. PerfectDry™ also reduces carbon footprints as it requires fewer washes and less detergent. Using natural fabrics as opposed to synthetic materials is a more sustainable practice.

“This technology can make a huge impact on the entire apparel industry- it’s a game changer,” said Zebra Club store manager Tommy de Vera.

 

Original Article
http://earthwalkersmag.com/stories/shop/548-zebra-club-gives-environmental-retail-its-edge

 

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Apparel Magazine
Zebra Club Launches PerfectDry Sweatshirt
By Jessica Binns
3/3/2011

Zebra Club Launches PerfectDry Sweatshirt

 

Fashion clothing store Zebra Club announced the creation of a limited edition sweatshirt, which is the world’s first “natural skin fabric” and incorporates the revolutionary PerfectDry technology. The technology enables natural fabrics, for the first time ever, to have waterproof qualities and to be super stain resistant without losing any of its most prized characteristics of breathability and soft hand.

Zebra Club is celebrating its 25-year-anniversary by offering an exclusive sweatshirt. The sweatshirt, coming in two different styles, will be available to purchase March 4, 2011 at the Seattle and Bellevue Zebra Club retail stores, as well as online. With only a limited amount made, each piece was hand marked with a number. PerfectDry chose to collaborate with Zebra Club on this special project because of the store’s legacy in providing the latest fashion designs and setting the stage for unique fashion trends.

“The idea for PerfectDry grew out of a simple desire to retain the benefits of synthetic fibers in a natural fiber product. Similar to your own skin, PerfectDry technology offers waterproof qualities, yet remains breathable and is stain resistant,” says CEO of PerfectDry Richard Edwards.

Because garments that have been treated with PerfectDry don’t absorb any liquid, they are super stain resistant, antibacterial and remain odor free. Consumers will end up having to wash treated garments less frequently, and it will significantly reduce drying time. PerfectDry also reduces carbon footprints as it requires fewer washes and less detergent. Using natural fabrics as opposed to synthetic materials is a more sustainable practice.

“This technology is truly amazing. Any kind of liquid or sweat does not absorb into these sweatshirts. I can see our Zebra Club customers being very receptive to the many benefits of PerfectDry. This technology can make a huge impact on the entire apparel industry- it’s a game changer. Zebra Club is honored to be chosen as the first store to provide PerfectDry technology,” says Zebra Club store manager Tommy de Vera.

The Zebra Club 25-year-anniversary sweatshirts will sell for $85 each, with colors ranging from black and heather to rust. This product was made in the U.S. To see PerfectDry capabilities, visit www.youtube.com/user/zebraclubstores.

 

Original Article
http://apparel.edgl.com/news/Zebra-Club-Launches-PerfectDry-Sweatshirt71055