Brand Highlight: ZII Ropa

a slow fashion, Mexican made label

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a guide to mindful purchasing that centered around what I like to call our fashion hierarchy of needs. Ever since, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a series centered around brands who I believe to be sustainability conscious. In today’s article, I’m focusing on a brand that is making efforts to create clothing that will last for years, get better with wear and ultimately withstand the test of time. 

Sustainability certainly doesn’t stop at how clothes are made — it also includes how the people who make the clothing are treated — i.e their pay and the working conditions they make the clothing in. It can also encompass the materials they source, how often they release new products, their supply chain, etc. The list goes on.

If you have recommendations on brands you’d like to hear about, drop them below! I’d love to discover new brands to support.

About ZII Ropa

If you’ve read my last few newsletters, you’ve probably seen me mention ZII Ropa. It was one of the must visits on my list during our Mexico City trip. Between landing, grabbing a snack, a matcha and hotel check in — we decided to immediately walk over on our first day. 

The shop is located off of Tabasco and Frontera in Roma Norte. We visited in June, so naturally the store was filled with linen and cotton items for summer. All their items are handmade in small batches in a building a few blocks away from the store. They carry a variety of women’s, men’s and accessories. From time to time, they also feature brands via a pop-up in their store. Most recently, they had ceramics from Shun Yoshino for sale. 

They mainly focus on creating designs centered around natural fabrics (linen, cotton, wool, etc) because they are biodegradable. Additionally, all of their clothing is made in Mexico City by a women owned and operated factory that provides fair labor and working conditions. You can learn more about the ZII Ropa brand here.

What I Tried On

We were short on time, so I picked out five items to prioritize during my try on: a front tie, long sleeve shirt, a double pocket, sleeveless shirt, a linen dress, a raw silk tank and a pair of denim pants.

I started by trying on the long sleeve shirt that had ties in the front. I had seen similar-ish shirts (as seen here and here) to this style so I was curious to try it on. It was soft to the touch and it laid beautifully. I loved how long the strings were after tying them into a knot and to top it all off, the color of this top was just beautiful. It was a brick like color that would look great year round. In terms of fit, I found it ran small for the look I was trying to achieve. Even sizing up, the sleeve length was shorter than I had anticipated. I would suggest sizing up 1 to 2 sizes depending on your desired fit. 

Also comes in black, white, and beige.

Next up was Lena, a sleeveless button down shirt with a double pocket. I liked this more than I had anticipated. I loved the front pockets and that it could have been worn sans bra due to the double lining from the pockets. This piece was also soft to the touch and draped beautifully but ultimately, I felt it was longer than I wanted. It would have been hard to resist if it was cropped straight across and the pockets were a bit higher. I decided to pass on this one since it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I still think about her though! I found the fit to be true to size. 

Next up was this front tie, button down dress. This was such a fun dress to wear and while it’s meant to be tied, you could wear it untied if you didn’t mind exposing your legs a bit more. Something to consider - it was a tinge see through in the back since it was not double lined. I think this would make a chic beach cover up. 

My husband tried on a pair of trousers and a button down shirt. He knew he was buying the pants immediately since he didn’t have anything similar and loved the fit. He also loved the button down shirt, but told himself he had just bought a linen button down the week prior and didn’t need another. Fast forward a few hours and he couldn’t stop thinking about it, so we ended up returning before they closed that same day to buy it. It’s a fresh take on a traditional button down with hidden pockets. I’m glad he ended up getting it because I was obviously hoping to steal it from his closet on occasion. Both pieces would come in handy for the hot summer that was brewing. 

My husband found these pieces to fit true to size.

What I Bought

I continued with trying the tank and pants. I had my eye on the dark olive green pants (also available in ecru here). They were sadly sold out of my size so I tried on the sage color fully expecting to pass on them. As soon as I put them on, I was sold. 

The fit was perfect and the inseam also hit at the right length. As I was admiring them in the mirror, the sales associate mentioned they were partially dyed with avocado leaves which I thought was really cool. They ultimately made me feel like a cool girl with a colored pant.  After a few twirls in the mirror, I knew they would be coming home with me. It also reminded me of how I would wear colored pants in elementary school. I used to wear full on monochromatic outfits because I loved them so much. Think head to toe in shades of green one day, shades of purple the next, pink, etc.

Next, I slipped on the tank with the pants and was once again immediately sold. I had never tried on raw silk before. I loved the slightly “distressed” feel of the top. The straps also drew me in — you could let them hang or tie it in the back. It was a cool take on a traditional tank I hadn’t seen before. The length was perfect when pairing with my new pants and existing jeans I own. I found it to fit true to size. A major plus for me was that I could wear it without a bra and it was not see through. There was also room if you wanted to wear it with a strapless bra! 

Curious how I styled it? Click here!

Final Thoughts

Next time, I hope to try on the Aku top as it’s something I find myself looking up frequently. They are currently having an archive sale until September 2nd where you can find lots of pieces from past seasons at discounted prices. 

I highly recommend stopping into their store if you find yourself in Mexico City. It is well curated and features a decent selection of their clothing that you can find online. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful with their recommendations. If you can’t stop in the store, you can shop directly from their website or via Garmentory. Shopping online can be intimidating, especially when we’re so accustomed to getting quick free shipping and returns. I’d go with Garmentory if you’re feeling uncertain since they offer free shipping and returns (within the US!) on orders over $100 (excluding sales items). 

All items mentioned are linked here.

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Should I make this into a series? I love seeing try on’s alongside fit notes and “real” bodies — aka not perfectly posed models. Let me know if you’re into it too and if there is a brand you’d like me to highlight! 

xx Ofelia

Disclaimer: some links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small percentage from a sale. As always, anything that is linked are things I either own or recommend.