The fashion industry is about to get a whole new look. The
explosion of ecommerce and the impact of the modern-day
influencer has allowed “fast fashion” to flourish at a time
when our planet is calling for dramatic slowdown. Monica
Muriel, EMBA graduate and entrepreneur currently based in
China, is taking the fight into her own hands with Zurita, a
sustainable fashion brand whose principles and processes are
designed for a fairer world.
HULT
Monica, at Zurita you utilize
have milestones for sustainabil-
ity: whether that’s the percent-
age of natural fibers we’ve used
or the amount of waste we’ve
created. Using data we can min-
imize the number of items we
produce and offset our carbon
footprint, all while using fair
materials and paying fair wages.
H
Does your data-driven ap-
natural fiber materials and
re-purpose scraps in your
pieces—is this what it means to
be “sustainable” in fashion?
MONICA MURIEL
We do, but that’s really just the
starting point; for the average
customer, such materials are
easy to see and understand. We
offer services too; for example,
we’ll fix your pieces once a year,
and take them back if you’re
not using them to ensure they
have a proper end of life. But
sustainability is really in our
business model itself.
H
How is it different to the aver-
proach affect how people shop
at Zurita?
MM
We currently have two digital-
ized stores and a central, online
WeChat space. We knew we
needed to be digital, but our
customers like to see and touch
the clothes. Our stores are
unique smart-space concepts—
they’re like LEGO. We can set
them up anywhere in just eight
hours, which allows customers to
browse and touch before mak-
ing their purchase online. The
displays and pricing can all be
managed in real time and made
relevant to the surroundings.
H
What happens once I place my
age fashion brand?
MM
We track everything we do.
Just as we have monthly mile-
stones for sales or followers, we
Monica Muriel
order?
MM
Our customer can decide to re-
ceive the product now, tomor-
row, or in five days’ time,
with discounts for doing so.
Choosing five days means we
can produce that piece just for
the customer. The more we
can do this, the less inventory
we have to carry, the less over-
stock we create, and the fewer
resources we use. The system is
all about circularity.
H
How do you get your message
out there?
MM
CEO & Co-founder
EMBA
Class of 2016
Partner up
Shanghai, China
Collaboration is a key word in modern
business. Find your next business
partner among 8,400+ Hult alumni on
Hult Connect.
@wearezurita
42
Changing Industry
H
Zurita’s models are its custom-
ers—it’s more realistic and in-
clusive, more human. We try to
support different charities in
our community by donating
and participating. We partnered
with Home Sweet Home to
help homeless people learn vo-
cational skills, including sewing.
We’ve built a bit of a reputation
now for collaboration; people
often get in touch to say, hey,
what can we do together?
What’s next for Zurita?
MM
Scaling up! More of our smart
retail spaces, more conscious-
ness, and more change.
Changing Industry
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