Zid Zid Kids

How does Morocco figure into your designs?

Julie: Marrakech itself is an inspiration, seeing what the Berbers have drawn, some of the graphics they use, the way that they design their houses. And traditions of the Moroccan artisans go back centuries. People know how to work with their hands very well, and there's something about a contemporary artist meeting age-old craft traditions. We wanted to marry the two and not necessarily make a typical Moroccan product, but bring something that was unique and had a new voice. Moulay: Also, Morocco is a large source of recycled material coming out of Europe. We purchase and re-use a lot of high-end cotton flannel, for example, that we find in the Marrakech area. All our goods are filled with recycled cotton, so whenever we have a chance to do things that respect and show appreciation for the environment, we do.

Some people say that it's not a good idea to buy something very nice for a child because they're just going to grow out of it. How would you counter that?

Moulay: We like to think we make products that can be passed on from one generation to another. So the issue is not about making something disposable that a kid is going to grow out of, but making a product that is family-oriented that can last many, many years. Julie: Many of our products have a storytelling quality, so it's a way not only for the child to play, but also for the parents to connect to the child. The toys are a little bit reminiscent of something my generation grew up with. So, there's a sense of a continuation from one generation to the next.

Would you be so kind as to introduce yourselves?

Julie: I'm Julie Klear, I'm an American. I'm a cofounder of Zid Zid Kids, as well as the creative director of the company, and I'm married to this gentleman next to me. Moulay: I am Moulay Essakalli, born in Morocco, having lived about 17 years in America before going back with my wife to launch Zid Zid Kids. We work and live in Marrakech, Morocco.

What does Zid Zid mean?

Moulay: Zid Zid means 'Let's go, let's go, kids,' in Moroccan.

What made you start Zid Zid Kids?

Moulay: Essentially to answer our own needs after the birth of our daughter, Nora, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We realized that the offerings were very limited.

Can you tell us more about the inspirations behind your sophisticated designs?

Julie: I think that the reason that the designs are so sophisticated is because we want to integrate our own sensibility as adults into the world of a child. Colors don't need to be so traditional, the pink and the blue. Kids respond really well to a variety of colors. As a painter, I needed to give as many colors to children, especially rich ones. Moulay: We simply don't believe in talking down to children. If you limit the palette of colors, for us, it’s a way to limit their visual vocabulary and there's no reason to do that.

What does green mean to you?

Julie: Green for me means giving the best to our children, and making sure that they're educated about being a part of a world and not just about their own individual person. We try to make that larger sense of the world a part of the product. Also, we've made the commitment to live and work in Marrakech simply to be close to our very small production team. They're an extension of our family, and we hope to promote that message. It's really important for people to know what it means to have a product that you've purchased, where it comes from, and who the actual people behind it are. Moulay: Having been raised in a country that takes its resources very, very seriously, I feel that green is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle based on values that I feel responsible to pass on to my children. Our kids, at the age of two or three, know that running water as you brush your teeth is not necessary and is a waste. We also do a number of things in the way we run our business that is just part of our daily lives. For example, we use recycled boxes to ship our goods. Ancestral traditions are very green, from the cutting of the leather—nothing gets wasted—to the organic dyes to doing it all handmade.

What is your eco-sin?

Julie: In Marrakech, plastic bags are so plentiful and I wish that they would just stop producing them. Every time I purchase just one tiny yogurt, they give me a plastic bag to put it in. I try to give it back and they consider it an insult. In the countryside, they're all stuck in the trees, in the brush and you just can't get rid of them. Moulay: My eco-sin is my inability to start a recycling program in Morocco, as there are none. I wish I had the resources and the energy to launch it. But every time we have to deal with the trash, it's not easy to take.