Our values
Freedom as our driving force, uniqueness as our richness, high standards as our path.
These three values are the foundations on which the House was built and the pillars of its identity. We share them with our community: they are the source of our success, the guarantee of our longevity, and still essential to building the future of Zadig&Voltaire.
Committed freedom
Freedom is our driving force, our raison d’être and our constant goal.
It shows in the way we think and act, unhindered, and it goes back a long way: to the philosophy of the Enlightenment and to Voltaire, whose modernity remains a constant source of inspiration for us. At 11 avenue d’Iéna in Paris, it is a founding principle, and it drives clothes designed for free expression.
The House identifies with Zadig, the hero of ‘Zadig, or The Book of Fate’: Thierry Gillier brought together the personality of the character and the thinking of his author, the common sense and optimism of the one, the faith in the future of the other. This is our heritage, and it ties us to the world of the arts. Through this prism, we look at the world with curiosity and attention, clear-eyed about the environmental and social issues of our time: this is our way of cultivating empowerment.
Every day, we pass this mindset on to our community. We stand for the freedom to dress as you please, to ‘stand out’ rather than ‘blend in’. In our boutiques, with our Zadig Stylers, this freedom is lived first and foremost as an encounter.
Encouraged uniqueness
Uniqueness is a source of richness, cultivated since Zadig&Voltaire was founded.
It reflects the freedom at the heart of our DNA, and shows in the personalities and cultures that meet here and enrich us. It gives the House a different take on that ‘cool, inimitable Parisienne look’ that shapes its style.
Our style is feminine, masculine and unisex all at once. It dictates no attitude: it invites everyone to forge their own, to break free from the gaze of others and to stay true to themselves. Well-being and self-esteem are its principles, ‘Love Yourself’ its leitmotif, and ‘Girls can do anything’ a conviction the House spreads through its collections, one that should be the norm.
Uniqueness also shows in the paths of the women and men who bring the House to life. It reflects the trust placed in each person and their talents, feeds the pleasure of working together and ensures the creativity and agility of our teams. Almost a philosophy: breaking free from outside pressure.
Shared high standards
High standards begin with the care we take to be professional, with ourselves as with others.
They call for elegance, in our actions as in our communication. We believe that the pursuit of high standards is the path to excellence: the goal is reached when boldness and collective will meet the ambition of a House in perpetual evolution.
They lie behind an effortless luxury. The House rejects the elitist distance of traditional luxury and cultivates a close relationship with its community, between irreverence and elegance, in the spirit of tolerance inherited from the Enlightenment. This look that seems so easy is built seriously: it is the result of very demanding work.
Our mission: to give, through our pieces, as much pleasure in wearing them as we had in bringing them to life. Without denying the complexity of the challenges of our century, the House takes on its share of responsibility with its sustainable development initiative, the VoltAIRe Programme.
Alongside the Fondation des Femmes
Hosted by the Fondation de France, the Fondation des Femmes is the leading organisation in France for women’s freedom and rights, and against the violence they suffer. Thanks to the donations it receives, it provides financial, legal and material support to high-impact non-profit initiatives across France.
To support it, the House drew on its archives: its signature fabrics and textile labels from past collections became more than thirty versions of tote bags. They were made in France by the workshops of the Résilience network, which brings together social inclusion enterprises and disability-inclusive enterprises. A circular economy initiative, with all profits from the sales donated to the Fondation des Femmes.
The Fondation des Femmes is founded.
The tote bags arrive in every Zadig&Voltaire boutique in France.
For International Women’s Day, the initiative extends to several European countries.
Information published by the House in March 2023.