Zadig and Voltaire: The Business of Cool.

The Zadig and Voltaire philosophy

Zadig and Voltaire had me at hello. We met in Paris a handful of years ago, the brand 
and I, on a small, unexpectedly chic street.  The shop's name grabbed my attention, 
but the ad campaign printed on a stack of postcards inside claimed my loyalty. 

Theirry Gillier, son of Lacoste co-founder Andre Gillier, with the collaboration of his 
wife Amelie, brought Zadig and Voltaire into being in 1997. The label's debut collection
introduced the cashmere pullovers, leather jackets, and rocker inspired denim that 
would become Zadig and Voltaire's staples, while simultaneously giving life to a whole 
new genre of fashion: urban luxury. 

While Zadig and Voltaire has made a name for itself as a laid-back, rebel inspired, 
high-end ready to wear brand, the company, like its namesake Zadig, or the Book of Fate, 
by Voltaire, isn't limited to a single genre. Voltaire, a leading Enlightenment thinker, 
used the philosophical novel Zadig to approach religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, 
as well as political and social activism, while Gillier has used his fashion brand Zadig and 
Voltaire as an avenue to music and contemporary art. Gillier does not, however, cite this 
parallel as the reason behind naming his brand after a philosopher and his fictional 
character. Rather, Gillier describes Zadig as "charismatic, modern, and courageous," 
everything that the Zadig and Voltaire girl would be. Everything that Emma Wasson is. 

New York scenester Erin Wasson is not just the face of the new Zadig and Voltaire 
campaign, but a collaborator in the design of the Summer 2011 collection. Between 
the tattoos, the effortlessly cool vibe, and the skull ridden clothes she designed, I'm
totally on board with the Wasson and Zadig team. In fact, I'm totally on board with 
everything Zadig and Voltaire. 

I've always been a fan of Zadig and Voltaire's ad campaigns, and I particularly love 
the limited edition skull T campaign featuring Wasson. You can check it out below, 
with several other little goodies that only add to my belief that when it comes to cool 
you can't beat Zadig and Voltaire. I mean, who else has an in-house record label? 

Check out the Zadig and Voltaire website for more!