About Zebraspider Eco Anti-Fashion

Hi, I'm Janina

Janina - colourful hair and smiling

Who are you?

Do you have your own dark style that is hard to define exactly?

Do you like to dress up in extravagant outfits and also show your style in every day life?

Do you sometimes think about the enviromental impact of your choices?

Do you feel your conscience nagging after you bought another conventional or fast fashion piece?

Do you wish there would be something that combines eco and fair with a unique dark style?

 

Yes to any? Then you're in good company here.

 

I make eco-friendly dark gear that has exclusive designs and feels like a hug.


So, who is the woman behind Zebraspider?

When I was 11 years old, I was stoked about dinosaurs and the science around them. I also did many different kinds of crafting, loved creating things, and my “do-it-yourself” attitude started to develop. So I touched a sewing machine for the first time to make myself a dino plush toy.

 

Aged 15 I came in contact with the punk subculture; I instantly dyed my hair green and started to wear boots all the time. It was a time full of trouble, excitement and revolt, but I felt to have found the “right thing “for me. I started sewing for myself and made a skirt from an old sweater with the help of my seamstress aunt.

 

At the age of 19, I lived in a house full of punks while finishing my last year of school. I managed to have a lot of fun with little money on a lot of parties, concerts and travelling. My sewing was still considered as “uncool”, although I was mainly altering band-shirts or painting them myself. I thought a lot about what “punk” means to me… and came to the clue that I just have to go my way.

 

When I was 26, my way had carried me to Münster, and I enjoyed my student life. I found a lot of good friends, and with some, we formed a group (SPAK) to organize our own punk concerts. I sold pieces of self-made clothing for the first time to my friends and on eBay and came up with the name Zebraspider for my DIY togs.

 

At the age of 32, my little label Zebraspider has become more known, and since then, I spend a lot of my free time sewing. I finally tried screen-printing and love it, because it’s so much fun and opens many new possibilities. About that time, I also started thinking about ecological and social aspects of clothing and what I can do about it.

 

Today, aged 42, I am living in York (UK) and work as a researcher at the university. I can’t imagine to ever stop Zebraspider after more than 15 years now and my blog is still growing for more than eight years and getting more political. I just can’t keep quiet and deedless in this ill world. All printed clothes, bags and patches are already organic and fair, now I’m in the process of switching to organic fabrics for all my designs. I have a lot of plans and ideas, and I’m excited where the future will take me.

 

Janina ~ Zebraspider