ZeeZee is a prominent advocate for sustainable and circular fashion, passionately demonstrating that style and eco-consciousness can co-exist harmoniously. In a ground-breaking initiative, she founded Zeclutter, a closet decluttering and luxury resale firm dedicated to helping clients create functional, stress-free wardrobe spaces by re-organizing and shedding items that no longer align with their lifestyles.

As a thought leader in Africa’s sustainable and circular fashion landscape, ZeeZee is committed to changing perceptions and dispelling myths surrounding pre-loved fashion. She champions conscious consumption practices, encouraging individuals to declutter, resell, repair, repurpose, and donate, thereby fostering a culture of sustainability.

Her luxury resale and consignment enterprise, Zeclutter Store, plays a vital role in protecting the planet by extending the lifecycle of existing fashion pieces, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG12. Through this initiative, she emphasizes the importance of rethinking consumption patterns and embracing sustainable alternatives.

In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavours, ZeeZee is the convener of Nigeria’s pioneering Luxury Resale Platform, The Luxury Resale Emporium. This platform hosts events aimed at educating the public and raising awareness about the benefits of her core philosophy: “Resale over Retail.” Through her work, ZeeZee is making significant strides in promoting the growth of the circular fashion economy in Africa, inspiring a new generation to embrace sustainable fashion practices.

Can you tell us about your journey into the world of sustainable and circular fashion? What inspired you to become an advocate for these practices?
A very early realization that part of the stress and low-esteem women faced stemmed from their cluttered closets – filled with items, though valuable, that no longer held much value in their lives. Zeclutter! was born to help extend the lifecycle of these items and bring value to its clients.

You’ve mentioned the importance of changing perceptions around pre-loved fashion. What common myths do you encounter, and how do you address them?
A huge part of the work I do is changing consumer behavior and keeping up appearances is the biggest challenge I encounter with my work. People feel reselling or buying second-hand fashion items (luxury or non-luxury) will give people the impression that they have fallen on hard times. I say to them, people will talk regardless, so best to do what works best for you and within reason.

Could you explain the role of Zeclutter Store in extending the lifecycle of fashion pieces and how it aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12?
Fashion creates 97 million tons of waste, annually. The items we declutter from closets everywhere (which are mostly in great shape), find new homes, thereby reducing the need for people to buy new fashion items and in turn, reducing the fashion industry’s carbon footprint. It sounds like a small part but multiplied by the number of people who buy globally, it will make a huge difference.

As a thought leader in Africa’s fashion landscape what challenges have you faced in promoting sustainable practices, and how have you overcome them?
I’ve faced everything from dealing with the stigma surrounding buying second-hand fashion pieces to many believing this business won’t materialize too much, to the looks I get when I ask people to repair or repurpose their fashion items instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. I overcome them by remaining focused on my path as I understand people’s fears drive them to criticize and I just don’t let that energy in.

In what ways do you believe consumers can make more responsible fashion choices? How do you see the future of sustainable fashion evolving in Africa and on a global scale in the next 5-10 years?
Consumers need to begin to understand that a lot of the stress or lack of change has come from doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If you keep buying and never declutter the older ones, your closet WILL stretch to all the rooms in your house. If you buy instead of dealing with the emotions behind the reason to always acquire, you will end up spending money on things that don’t ever see the light of day in your repertoire.
Globally, sustainable fashion is eminent in the fashion industry. In Africa, I see with the very volatile changes to living conditions, people will make more expedient decisions on how to engage with fashion.

Can you share more about The Luxury Resale Emporium and the event it hosts?
What are your goals for this event? The goal of The Luxury Resale Emporium is to educate people on the best ways to Reuse, Resell, Rent, Repair, Repurpose their fashion items. We resell pre-loved luxury fashion goods from closets all over Africa, to stave off the need our people have to buy new all the time and end up with low-quality fashion items that won’t stand the test of time. We demonstrate that you can be very stylish by acquiring well-made fashion pieces that have already been manufactured.

What upcoming events can we look forward to with The Luxury Resale Emporium?
The Luxury Resale Emporium is back this year on Dec 7th and 8th. We will be showcasing at the Fashion Souk in VI from 10am to 7pm on both days. Prior to these event dates, we encourage consumers to engage with us to get a better understanding of what we do and our offerings. We would love to see you there! For more information kindly follow @zeclutter on Instagram