We were lucky to catch up with Liza Fleming recently and have shared our conversation below.

Liza, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Being a Latina in Corporate America inspired z•aa dress up studio’s business model which was developed to celebrate women at any stage of their life. I wanted to be professionally dressed while having fun and being true to myself while at work. In other words, I did not want to be confined to a suit when there are so many fun options out there to be appropriately and professionally dressed while at work.

Our concept is focused around the overall customer experience. We want to foster a safe environment where everyone feels comfortable to express their true selves while exploring new ways to push the envelope. z•aa is based on the fundamental thought that boldness comes in all forms; it can be found in simple and complex statements so we encourage everyone to be unapologetically themselves.

By ‘focusing on the experience’ we mean that we think about every detail that will make it easier for our customers and will tailor to their needs. That is… from the way we curate our collections to transition between work and play without sacrificing style or fashion, to accommodating to their schedule with appointments outside the studio’s business hours, to providing shopping and styling assistance, to doing same-day delivery, ‘valet shopping’, and more. During the week, our business hours are through 7:00 pm making it easier for those who work at an office.

We have a passion for helping women style themselves; we want their look to always match their confidence and spirit. What you wears is an expression of how you feel, what’s been on your mind, and who you are at your core. We want you to find your authentic self and have the confidence to show it. Love how you look and feel when at work and play. Seamlessly transition between them without changing and getting lots of compliments. That’s z•aa.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I always had a passion for fashion. I see fashion as an expression of who we are and that doesn’t change when we’re at work. So I wanted to create a concept that would address women’s needs throughout all stages of their lives personally and professionally speaking, which we refer to as ‘work or play’.

That passion and the idea of pursuing a dream got me to this industry. The time was right to take a leap of faith. I jumped at it and here we are 4 years later. I’m happy with what we’ve built, but most importantly, happy of being able to build community… to connect and support many strong women, grow with them, and enable a space where they can impact each one another as well.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Thinking about resilience, Covid is the first thing that comes to mind. My business was not even 2 years old when the pandemic hit all of us. As everyone knows, it was a scary, uncertain time. And I sell statement outfits and elevated essential… can you imagine?

In my opinion, resilience is dictated by discipline… by having the ability to stay focused, work harder and be open to pivot while still staying through to your vision. If anything, Covid taught me and proved that.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For over 20 years, I’ve been a marketing professional. After almost a decade in telecommunications at the time, I lost my job when Frontier Communications acquired Verizon’s wireline business in Florida, Texas, and California. While this felt like a negative occurrence in my career, it turned out to be one of the biggest blessings because I had the courage to turn this experience into what’s my business today. At the moment, I was looking for another job to start shaping what eventually would’ve been my business. It was just like an epiphany… I got up one day and decided to go for it. Here I am today 4 years later leaving my dream and back in the telecommunications world. Yes, I went back to Frontier Communications during Covid as a Sr. Marketing Manager and couldn’t be happier with this decision. I’m living the best of both worlds.

Contact Info:

• Website: zaastyle.com
• Instagram: @zaadressupstudio
• Facebook: @zaadressupstudio
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lizafleming/

Image Credits
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