Made In…

Hands reworking an ecru and black jacquard-knit jumper with a needle. Title: Made In…

Design in Paris

Zadig&Voltaire was founded in 1997 in Paris, and since then all the brand’s collections have been designed in our offices in the heart of the French capital. No sketch or silhouette, not even a print, has been conceived or drawn anywhere but in Zadig&Voltaire’s nerve centre.

Stylists, pattern makers and workshop heads work hand in hand there, under the guidance of the artistic direction, to create the pieces that have made, are making and will go on to make the House’s success.

Discover our know-how

Lapel of a charcoal-grey wool tailored jacket with fine stripes.

01 / 06

Europe

Bulgaria | Ukraine | Romania | Portugal | Italy

Tailored pieces

Specialised know-how

Zadig&Voltaire develops its tailored pieces and its coats in Eastern Europe and Portugal. These countries, geographically very close to us, are still home to a large industry and considerable know-how in tailored pieces, valuable to Zadig&Voltaire. Tailored pieces means suits, coats and all the pieces that require a good fit and particularly careful finishes. These pieces are also delivered hanging, on hangers, by lorry: this way their quality is preserved, with no crushed shoulder pads or damaged embroidery.

Blazer jackets

Know-how from Ukraine

For many years, 90% of Zadig&Voltaire’s women’s tailored jackets have been produced in Ukraine, for the country’s high level of know-how in quality tailored pieces. Since the start of the war, the factories, located near the Polish border, have continued to produce, and have done so safely so far. In the current context, we are in regular contact with them to make sure their working conditions are good. We support these women and men by ensuring constant production, aware that it is essential for them, individually and for their country, to keep producing their wealth.

Know-how in constant development

Our factories in Portugal make our cotton poplin shirts and our men’s flannel shirts. We also develop tailoring there, for men and women alike, as well as some coat styles. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified, these factories are renowned for the excellence of their finishes and their pattern-making know-how. With our partner manufacturers in Portugal, we are also developing certified organic jersey, for T-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as all our ‘photo print’ pieces.

Knitwear

We produce between 5 and 10% of our knitwear in Italy. There we develop the season’s most complex pieces, such as those for the fashion show, which call for a great deal of exchange with the manufacturer. Geographical proximity makes discussions and visits easier. The Italian factory we work with also specialises in recycled cotton and is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified.

Ecru sheepskin with tight curls.

02 / 06

Turkey

Shearling

Highly sought-after know-how

For several seasons, Zadig&Voltaire has been developing luxurious shearling pieces, and it is in Turkey, the crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa, that we found the highest-quality partner manufacturer: it can not only treat the skins with the right know-how, but also adorn them with the most beautiful embroidery. Like all the leathers used by Zadig&Voltaire, the shearling comes only from LWG (Leather Working Group) certified tanneries, a certification awarded for their environmental performance.

Back pocket of faded blue jeans, copper topstitching.

03 / 06

Tunisia

Jeans factories with eco-responsible know-how

In Tunisia, more than 10 years ago, we found two factories that have developed their know-how to limit their water consumption, by installing a recycling system and using non-polluting laser washing. By creating a division in these factories dedicated to developing jeans, for their assembly, washing and dyeing, we have been able to limit pollution, first from transport between factories, since they are next to each other, but also by obtaining GOTS certification.

Chunky ecru cable knit.

04 / 06

Madagascar / Mauritius

Knitwear

Our partners in Madagascar and Mauritius were chosen for their traditional know-how in hand embroidery: flat embroidery, beaded embroidery and crochet. Zadig&Voltaire has used these techniques since its beginnings, adapting them to its vision of knitwear. Thanks to the producers’ dexterity and know-how, we can entrust them with highly detailed designs. On these two islands, we have also developed our GCS-certified virgin cashmere knits and our RWS-certified merino knits. For merino wool and virgin cashmere, Zadig&Voltaire works almost exclusively with partners certified RWS and Good Cashmere Standard respectively. For several seasons, we have also made ‘summer knit’ in Madagascar and ‘pointelle knit’ in Mauritius.

Camel suede, topstitched seams.

05 / 06

India

Leather

An Indian speciality

13% of the world’s leather production comes from India, which is also home to 20% of the world’s cattle farming. It is there that Zadig&Voltaire sources its leather, from local suppliers of hides that come exclusively from the food industry, and only from tanneries that are LWG (Leather Working Group) certified for their environmental performance. Indian tanneries have traditional know-how. It is with our local factory, a long-standing partner, that we designed crinkled leather, a unique leather developed by Zadig&Voltaire. An extremely supple leather that has undergone no polluting treatment and is crinkled by hand over several days before being cut and assembled.

Cotton voile

Specific know-how

India is the world’s second-largest cotton producer after China and the world’s leading producer of organic cotton, the type Zadig&Voltaire mostly uses. Traditionally, the fineness of Indian weaving makes its cotton voile far more delicate, as it does its embroidery, examples of traditional know-how. With our long-standing partner, we chose a composition of 73% cotton and 27% viscose, to ensure the voile’s strength without losing the delicacy of the material, and so obtain embroidered blouses and dresses with an incomparable finish.

Fluid black fabric woven with a ZV monogram pattern.

06 / 06

China

Often disparaged, ‘Made in China’ is now far from the clichés that circulated in the 20th century. The country has developed its traditional know-how and acquired new skills to become a leading garment maker. As the world’s leading producer of silk, viscose and cotton, China has the infrastructure needed to work these raw materials. Its very wide-ranging technical know-how is undeniable, as is its recognised expertise in a crucial stage of production: assembly. At the cutting edge of innovation, our partners based in China contribute to more sustainable collections, notably by producing viscose from sustainably managed forests and developing more and more products in organic cotton.

Silk

Specifically Chinese know-how

Sourced in China, the silk used by Zadig&Voltaire is spun close to where it is produced, to preserve its quality. Silk is very sensitive to changes in temperature: this proximity is essential to obtaining a high-quality fabric. We have worked for a long time with the same factory, whose technical skills we value highly. We have a relationship of trust with our factories, which we consider partners.

Military cotton

Chinese manufacturers have real know-how in working materials

They know how to wash cotton to give it the finish Zadig&Voltaire is looking for. The brand buys ‘real’ military cotton canvas, which our partner factories then soften. These factories develop highly innovative, eco-friendly know-how.

Outerwear

Technical fabrics mastered by China

Waterproof, water-repellent and windproof fabrics are perfectly mastered by our partner factories. They develop them themselves and are at the cutting edge of these technologies.

Specialists in printing on viscose

Zadig&Voltaire’s viscose garments are mostly printed. The prints are all developed by the House’s graphic designers, in its Paris design offices. To respect the design and colours of the original print, it is necessary to work with partners with recognised know-how in printing. Made from fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests, the viscose used by Zadig&Voltaire is printed by our partner factories, whose know-how is inimitable and with whom we have worked for many years.

Knitwear

Around 40% of our knitwear is produced in China, including virgin cashmere, which comes from Inner Mongolia and is GCS (Good Cashmere Standard) certified, and merino, which is RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) certified. For merino wool and virgin cashmere, Zadig&Voltaire works almost exclusively with partners certified RWS and Good Cashmere Standard respectively. Our manufacturers master techniques such as embroidery, intarsia and feathers, know-how exclusive to the brand.

Assembly

Know-how all its own

Product development is much simpler in China, as its factories have perfectly mastered assembly, that is, the techniques needed to assemble and finish garments, especially large pieces such as outerwear.