In France, the Zapa brand is best known for its women's collection, although it has an interesting men's line. During this summer period (and sales, what's more), it seemed to me that an article on this well-positioned brand, with a very good quality leather offering, would prove very useful!
Zapa, casual chic French brand
Zapa is a fairly confidential brand and little known in France... This is even more true if we talk about their men's line which, however, is worth a look. I will therefore present the work of the House to you and then test one of their flagship products: a leather jacket.
Note from Benoit: camo pattern, refined leather design, dress pants: Zapa summarizes the trends of the moment well.
Short history of the Zapa brand
Zapa was founded in 1972 and only distributed women's clothing. In 2006, Arié Benayoun took over the brand and artistic direction, starting a new era for the House. A whole series of changes will follow, notably – and above all – with regard to style.
From now on, the brand designs very contemporary, relaxed collections, but with real touches of elegance. I particularly like the sometimes minimalist simplicity of certain pieces, only equipped with a few details that make the difference.
Even if the expression is quite overused, in my opinion, we can really describe the French brand's style as “casual chic”.
The little denim and leather jacket, the tapered joggers with inserts and the low-top sneakers create a sophisticated look, but one that is completely wearable on a daily basis.
A well-positioned brand
In terms of manufacturing, Zapa stands out for its good quality of raw materials (notably cotton, cashmere and leather) . Sweaters with neoprene inserts, shirts with mini-collars, pleated pants cut from fleece: there are many interesting twists between formal and casual codes.
All in a fairly timeless spirit, therefore relatively impervious to fashion: a great opportunity to acquire pieces that can lastingly bring a little freshness to a classic wardrobe.
Note from Benoit: count between €115 and €175 for a shirt, around €140 for jeans and €400 for a blazer.
Here we are at typical mid-range prices, close to MELINDAGLOSS for example.
And of course, these indicative prices are full prices! But the brand is quite generous in sales, because the ENTIRE collection is on sale at -50% on average.
It was in particular the beautiful quality of the skins that caught my attention: I was really surprised to find such beautiful nappa and suedes in an intermediate price range.
The men's perfecto is, for example, a permanent piece of the Zapa men's wardrobe: asymmetrical closure, turn-down collar and fitted cut characterize this classic which I have already had the opportunity to tell you about. When I tried one a few months ago, the quality of the cut and bending pleasantly surprised me!
Test of the Zapa suede summer jacket (595 euros)
Quality leathers are expensive products to purchase but this is absolutely normal: we do not make a lambskin jacket in the same way as a cotton canvas jacket!
Skins are noble materials, as long as the brand has a minimum sense of a job well done... Which is not the case for a majority of mass distribution brands, even those that call themselves specialists.
Note from Benoit: the shoulders of the jacket are perfect and the linen t-shirt is very nice.
Zapa is very well positioned, with truly excellent skin quality for this price range. The model I chose is a basic: modeled on the spirit of a denim jacket, it is made of suede goat leather.
It is an ideal material to be worked in suede because the goat offers a resistant but thin skin, and therefore very flexible.
Skin quality
As mentioned previously, the leather is of very good quality. From the first contact, the velvety softness of the suede evokes a high-end material: no small grains or rough areas under the finger, a really very regular texture.
In the light, the texture reveals its infinite nuances...
On sight, the quality also shines through, always with a homogeneous appearance and a very fine velvet. But the most beautiful thing is the reflections of light, the unique signature of suede skins. But a photo speaks much more!
Assembly and details
Having beautiful skin is not enough: the assembly of the garment is also essential. The quality is here too: the jacket is really well cut and very comfortable. Some photos will appear duller than others: the changing brightness was not easy to manage!
The armholes are one of the “key” elements to inspect on leather. Here, they are very clean, with very regular and tight seams. Moreover, all the stitches are regular and close together, sometimes with folded seams (double seams); again perfectly regular.
The tailored buttonholes, with the small enlargement at the end, are lined and embroidered on both sides, which reinforces the solidity of the whole when you insert the buttons... Especially since they are quite thick and made of metal.
The work is perfectly well executed there too; They are a little hard at first, but will relax over time.
The flap pockets are very symmetrical and clean, and the square shape of the pocket is suggested by a seam line; which I find quite nice. The zipped pockets are equipped with YKK closures and are extremely simple. Finally, there are several details and finishes that contribute greatly to the overall quality of the product.
The reinforcement strip affixed to the back of the collar allows it to hold well at the base. On a soft material like goatskin, it can be very useful.
The lining is acetate, with the advantage of not creasing and, above all, drying very quickly! Essential in summer, to prevent moisture stored in the fabric from ending up on the leather...
At the waist, there are two small tightening flaps: they are more decorative than anything else, but contribute to the impression of clean, well-finished work.
The exterior pockets, zipped or with flap, all have this leather strip inside, which means that when opened, you cannot see the lining!
And finally, the pockets have finishes that you find on luxury pieces: they are braided and the interior is also lined with leather: a very pleasant and rather refined detail!
The trim on the inside pocket is a very pleasant and rather refined detail!
So that's most of what I can tell you about this Zapa leather, sold for €595. Once again, this is a price far from being disproportionate considering what is being done for this type of product. And what’s more, the in-store teams are really nice!
