Hult Alumni Magazine Hult Alumni Magazine 2020 | Page 44

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 43