ZeeZee Ihe-Okuneye is a trailblazer in sustainable and circular fashion, transforming the industry with her unwavering passion and style. As the visionary founder of Zeclutter!, she is revolutionizing the way we approach our wardrobes. Zeclutter! isn’t just about decluttering—it’s about creating a seamless, stress-free space that aligns with each client’s evolving lifestyle while championing the principles of sustainability.
Leading the charge in Africa’s sustainable fashion movement, ZeeZee is reshaping perceptions and challenging the myths surrounding pre-loved fashion. Her commitment to conscious consumption is evident in her advocacy for decluttering, reselling, repairing, repurposing, and donating.
Through her luxury resale and consignment venture, Zeclutter Store, ZeeZee extends the life cycle of fashion pieces, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG12) and contributing to a healthier planet.
As the founder of The Luxury Resale Emporium, Nigeria’s premier Luxury Resale Platform, ZeeZee Ihe-Okuneye is dedicated to educating and enlightening people about the transformative power of her forever ethos, ‘Resale over Retail.’ ZeeZee remains committed to through her work, foster awareness and drive the growth of the circular fashion economy across Africa, cementing her role as a leading force for sustainable change.
Can you explain the inspiration and concept behind Zeclutter! and The Luxury Resale Emporium and how your business aims to address this niche market?
Zeclutter! was formed with the busy professional in mind, its aim is to reduce the daily stress and amount of time it takes to navigate a cluttered and disorganized closet space. The Luxury Resale Emporium was birthed to enlighten people with ways to extend the lifecycle of pre-owned quality, high-end fashion pieces by exhibiting the 6Rs of circular fashion – Resale, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Rent, Repeat!
Can you share your journey into the sustainable and circular fashion space? What motivated you to focus on this area?
As most things usually begin, with a personal need. As is my usual practice, I declutter and consign my underutilized high-end pieces every quarter and needed a place in Nigeria to get it done. I couldn’t find any that worked at the time – and when I did, discovered that there was a stigma attached to the luxury pre-loved industry in Africa. As one who never lets the crowd dictate my moves, I decided to take up this mantle to show everyone why the resale industry isn’t quite as “gross” as they feel it is.
Can you explain the importance of sustainable fashion and its impact on the environment in Africa and globally? What do you consider as some challenges the fashion industry faces transitioning to circular practices?
The African continent needs to change our consumption habits as the planet can’t keep up with our “hunger” to have a new piece of clothing every day – data gathered by the UN, show the average person buys 60% more clothes and wears them for half as long as they used to. It’s a slippery slope if we do not change our mindsets and become more conscious about the ways we consume fashion, we will no longer have a planet to call home. I remain an undeterred advocate in the space ensuring our future generations do not get terribly impacted by the fashion decisions we make today.
How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your business model? Especially with high-end and non-high-end fashion items? And why do you think the SDG12 is particularly important for the fashion industry?
We only resell pre-loved items (pieces from clients’ closets that may have been used or not). We do not pre-order any new stock from retailers for resale in keeping with the UN SDG12 goal. We re-use a lot of already existing items when we declutter or resell our client’s pieces i.e. (our packaging or work tools). We aggregate our drop-offs by appointment only and pickup only once a week – to save on our carbon emissions. We aren’t fully there yet, but doing our part as best as we know how because every little adjustment counts.
How do you envision the future growth and expansion of your closet declutter and luxury resale business, both domestically and internationally?
When I envision the growth of my business, I see beyond just scaling it across the African continent and beyond and I think more of progress to mean out of every 5 people trying to buy a fashion item, 4 of them think to check in the resale market first before heading to the retail merchants. It sounds like a bit of a stretch but it’s the same trend happening in the global north currently. I’d love to see a world where more ‘functional closets’ exist, and the textile industry is no longer one of the top 5 contributors to global waste. A very important, great sign of success will be experiencing how the circular economy in Africa, creates new economic opportunities for the populace. There is an increasing need of economic empowerment for our citizens and the circular economy presents opportunities for new business ventures to embark on, within our local communities.
As a thought leader, if you could leave your audience with one thought or call to action regarding sustainable fashion, what would it be?
It would be for my audience to have an open mind, learn how to let go of stuff, and feel the true pulse of the consequences our fashion choices have on us and our immediate environment. I’d ask that they decide on what one change they would institute in their lives when it comes to the consumption of fashion. Would it be to buy and accumulate less? Buy quality second-hand goods instead of new? Be more conscious about consumption habits? One change each person makes will make a world of difference.
