Today, I want to share with you the inspirational story behind the brand, mazi + zo (pronounced mah-zee and zoh). 

The name stems from the Greek language, mazi means together and zoë means life, and the brand prides itself on delivering high-quality, sustainable jewelry at the best possible price.

The brand was initially launched for licensed sorority jewelry, and Lizzy wanted a name that meant something to the audience and also sounded accessible and familiar (so many brands today are a combination of 2 women’s names.). “Life together” reflects sisterhood and also works for the now-expanded collection that includes original designs for everyone.

Their jewelry is handcrafted in the USA, and the brand only works with vendors who are committed to environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing, and fair hiring practices.

mazi + zo was founded in Jan 2019 by Lizzy Klein, to design effortless fine jewelry with personality. Their collection works for both minimalists and “pile it on” types, like Lizzy herself, thanks to thoughtful design and their commitment to providing the highest quality jewelry and making styling more accessible.

Today I am delighted to share Lizzy’s inspirational story behind mazi + zo with you as well as her hopes for the future and her advice for other female entrepreneurs.  

Interview with Lizzy Klein, the story behind mazi + zo

Lizzy Klien

Can you tell me what inspired you to take the leap to launch your jewelry brand, and can you describe your brand to us in a few words? 

I’ve always loved both startups and fashion (both make me feel like my best self and that’s the vibe I hope to share with my customers). I first launched mazi + zo as a high quality licensed sorority jewelry line to unseat the incumbents.

The idea checked some big boxes: under-estimated market, a clearly defined customer, and I’d get to work with shiny things. I quickly learned that our clean, simple designs resonated with an audience who had never pledged sororities, and I’m so glad I listened to them! Since then, we’ve developed a broader collection, and I am thrilled to offer designs for women of all ages. The best part is witnessing my customers develop their own style through the pieces they wear, layer, and love. 

Who are we? mazi + zo creates effortless fine jewelry with personality. Every piece is handmade in NYC from sustainable solid 14k gold or .925 pure sterling silver. 

How much did your childhood upbringing influence your decision to launch mazi + zo, and also impact the values you have for your brand? 

Startup vibes: My parents were founding members of our temple in Columbia, so I had early insight into the rewards of building something from the ground up. So maybe it wasn’t a surprise that when I participated in sorority recruitment at Cornell, I was more excited about the chance to become a charter member of a sorority that was returning to campus than I was about joining an established sorority that had everything figured out already. And again, maybe not a surprise that after working for two years in fashion, I gravitated towards the NYC startup scene! 

Values: I grew up in Columbia, MD, a planned city designed by James Rouse with a focus on community as well as racial and economic diversity. In Columbia, each of the neighborhoods takes its name from art and literature and I grew up in Hobbit’s Glen where all of the street names came from J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy (I grew up on Wood Elves Way and had friends on Willowbottom Drive and Tooks Way!) As a kid, I didn’t necessarily recognize Columbia as a special place but Rouse’s ideals, particularly racial and religious inclusion, definitely influenced my values. 

Can you tell us a little about your career path prior to launching mazi + zo? Did you always know that you wanted to be in the fashion industry? 

I’ve always loved fashion and design. I started my career as a PR intern for Marc Jacobs, and I moved to merchandising at Guess Jeans back when Guess Jeans were the height of casual cool. The fashion biz, however, was a lot less business-like back then. My desire for a different kind of challenge led me to a (way too) early stage e-commerce venture at Time Warner where I learned a ton, most of all that I like getting in at the start and seeing the direct results of my efforts. I’ve worked in startups ever since.

I have 25+ years experience as a team member, founder, investor, and advisor. I’ve steered mostly clear of the fashion industry, but I’ve maintained a serious side habit all along and I’ve had tons of unrealized business ideas drawn from my love for fashion and styling. 

In 2018, as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at a VC fund considering “what’s next?”, I knew I wanted back in on fashion in some way or another. With a design partner, I developed a perfect, premium white tee for busty women (motivation: personal pain point and I love serving an overlooked market.) The challenges of today’s apparel business were a turnoff, though: carbon footprint, fast fashion, body image. So I switched gears (though I’ve got some great designs and branding for that if anyone else wants to take it on!) 

When did you launch your first collection and what was the inspiration behind it? 

In late 2018, scrolling Instagram for inspo, I discovered a ton of style influencers rocking $200 sorority hoodies, sorority water bottles, sorority sunnies (you get the idea,) but not sorority jewelry. I quickly realized why: the major sorority vendors are selling the same stodgy jewelry today that they did when I was in college, and it wasn’t cool then!

New companies have popped up since, but they’re selling trendy cheapo jewelry (like, turn-your-neck-green cheapo.) There are a lot of options, but nothing high-quality and modern enough to match this customers’ style.

This got me thinking: many business people trivialize sorority women (think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, and I’ve often received genuinely surprised “You were in a sorority??”) but we’re actually some of the most successful women in many categories.

Just look at  RBG, Toni Morrison, Sara Blakely, and (ahem) Kamala Harris! (And for the record, Elle was accepted to Harvard Law.) I wondered if I could build a high quality brand that respects today’s smart, stylish sorority women while indulging my love of fashion and design. I decided to go for it in Jan 2019, assembled a team, and we developed a first collection for Kappa Alpha Theta in Spring 2019. 

Can you take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product, and share with us some of your favorite pieces from your first collection?  

New to the jewelry biz, I made two key decisions early on for which I’m grateful every day. First, I hired an award-winning jewelry designer with a talent for elevating simplicity and making everything look cooler than cool. Together we envisioned a versatile, effortless collection that women could wear all day, every day, without sacrificing personality, and we were determined to keep production local in NYC and use sustainable materials wherever possible.

Next, I brought on an experienced NYC jewelry production manager to guide the process and tap the best resources each step of the way. 

The road to market wasn’t as smooth and easy as our vision for the collection, though! After many rounds of design, we produced sample pieces with four jewelry workshops in parallel to find the right fit, and then moved to what’s called lost wax casting to develop real silver samples. This stage involved a bunch of trial-and-error, and for a digital entrepreneur like me, the unavoidable waiting time between iterations was excruciating! In addition to the production work, we sell licensed sorority jewelry, which is a multistep process, for each sorority and each piece of jewelry.

story behind mazi + zo
Kappa Alpha Theta ear climber
Double Star Necklace
story behind mazi + zo
gold star earrings
story behind mazi + zo
Double Star Earrings

Next we needed real-world feedback, so I hosted a study break to show off the samples during 2019 final exams at the Kappa Alpha Theta house at Columbia University. When every single attendee purchased a necklace or earrings (pre-ordered, technically), I felt confident we’d developed both an aesthetic and pricing strategy that worked for today’s sorority women. My favorite piece from that group is the Kappa Alpha Theta ear climber, but our best sellers (still) from that group are our Double Star Necklace and gold star earrings (the little white tee of jewelry!)

story behind mazi + zo
aviator sunglasses necklace
kite threader earring
story behind mazi + zo
Saturn charm necklace
Silver Hashtag earring

But now that we’ve expanded the collection to include designs for everyone, my current faves are the aviator sunglasses necklace (we’ve got wayfarers and fashionista frames, too!), kite threader earring, and this quirky Saturn charm necklace that makes me smile every time I wear it! Customers are going for our new Initial Necklaces and Zodiac Signs. And I’m always wearing a curated earful of our delicate stud earrings.

Do you think we will eventually change the way we buy and invest in more well-made pieces as opposed to so much fast fashion?

I really hope so! I completely understand that buying high-quality items is out of reach for some customers, and I don’t judge. But back when we could all go out a lot more, I used to see a lot of young women buying inexpensive trendy items every month or every weekend, and they’re ultimately spending a lot more money on items that wear out or go out of style.

I love fashion as much as anyone, but I prefer to invest with a “cost-per-wear” mindset and I don’t buy anything for one-night use. High quality items look better for longer and I might even spend less than fast fashionistas in the long run (I’ve got a cashmere sweater that I’ve worn regularly for at least 10 years and it still looks new! Don’t waste your money on cheap cashmere… the short fibers pill on the first wear.)

If you’re looking to buy quality, Instagram commerce is a danger zone as it’s wildly effective at triggering impulse purchases and “you get what you pay for” doesn’t apply: effective marketers can slap an item on an influencer and price it at $50 or $250 regardless of their production practices, so it’s worth researching a company and finding credible reviews rather than trusting their claims. 

Where do you sell your pieces? Are you able to purchase them from somewhere other than your website?

Currently, we sell directly to customers on our own site, mazi + zo , and social media. I’d love to see our designs in stores someday, but now isn’t an ideal time for most brands to lean in on physical retail.

What kind of woman is a “mazi + zo” customer?

She’s someone who cares about quality (see above!), original design, and sustainability. Our pieces are deceptively simple and they work alone, in combination (“layer like a player!”) and easily mix with your existing collection. We have customers as young as eight (check out our lightning bolt charm necklace on a nascent style star!) and I know some of the Mother’s Day purchases went to grandmas!

How do you want women to feel when they are wearing one of your pieces?

Confident in their personal style. Women tell me that they like the “neck messes” and “ear stacks” they see on some instagram accounts, but are intimidated and don’t know how to mix and still match. We solve that with consistent designs that work together in whatever combo you dream up.

Can you tell me a bit more about your current collection? What was the inspiration behind it?  

A few of the Vacation Vibes collection

Our two newest groups are our Zodiac sign necklaces and our Vacation Vibes collection. Everything horoscope is in the zeitgeist right now and we saw an opportunity to apply our clean aesthetic to the symbols. And I think we’re all jonesing for vacation right now, so we designed a group to help us hang on until it’s safe to travel again! 

What is your favorite piece and why?

story behind mazi + zo
Silver Vote Necklace (also available in gold)

In 2020, we partnered with When We All Vote on our VOTE necklace and raised a bunch of money for a cause I care about, so that was a highlight.

story behind mazi + zo
double star necklace;

Personally, I’m nearly always wearing our signature double star necklace; it was one of our original designs and it epitomizes our wildly talented designer’s ability to reinvent an existing idea. And it always works with the other charm necklaces I layer on.

What has been the biggest challenge/ hurdle you have faced so far?

We’re in it! The pandemic has presented so many challenges to my business: my workshop was shut down 3x, I was quarantined with COVID-19, I’ve had no access to models, gold prices skyrocketed, online marketing is insanely crowded, and in-person selling opportunities were all canceled.

The 2020 holiday selling season was tough, but I’m grateful that I’ve got resources to manage through these challenges and I can’t complain when other people are facing much greater obstacles. Surviving 2020 reflects adaptability and grit, which will serve us going forward.

What has been your biggest milestone / achievement so far?

Every sale feels like an achievement and validation of our vision. Thanks to COVID-19, we’re not as far along as I predicted when I launched the business, but we’re still here and nothing makes me happier than seeing happy customers post our pieces on social media!

What are your aspirations for the future? Where would you like to see your brand 5 years from now and are there any imminent plans for the company that you’d like to share?

I have a vision for a brand of jewelry that celebrates and inspires all types of achievement. Recently, a woman I know posted in a private facebook group about her disappointment that no one in her family acknowledged a huge professional win (a million dollar grant!) while everyone rushed to congratulate and lavish gifts upon a cousin with a new baby.

To be clear, my friend wasn’t begrudging the new mom, rather calling out the disparity as the grant was as important in her life as the baby in her cousin’s. My favorite comment response (from a mom, btw) was “Literally billions of people have had kids and been married. What you have done is far more significant and deserves all the celebration.” 

Of course I want people to come to mazi + zo for the usual gift-giving moments like birthdays and holidays (and babies!) but I’d be even more excited to establish new traditions that celebrate less-recognized achievements that are just as meaningful to some women, like making VP, buying a house, volunteering in the community, or (ahem) launching a new business. I want to be the go-to jewelry brand for amazing women, celebrating any path (or paths!) they choose.

What words of advice do you have for any young designers trying to get started in the fashion industry?

I’m not an expert in the fashion industry (or the jewelry industry, really!) so I surround myself with people who know their stuff. And I ask a lot of questions so someday I will be an expert. Someone once told me “you can learn something from everyone” and I try to apply that to every conversation I have, even at the dog park! 

I noticed that you are also the founder of LK (ad)Ventures which helps early-stage entrepreneurs move from “idea” to “in business”. Could you tell us a little more about this aspect of your life and how you work with aspiring entrepreneurs at this time? 

This covers a bunch of activities including serving as a mentor at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, volunteering with Defy Ventures, formal advisory roles at other startups, and ad hoc conversations with aspiring entrepreneurs. I’ve gained so much from the NYC startup scene and enjoy passing on any learnings I can, especially to underdog entrepreneurs.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today? 

A deal! If you’d like to shop mazi + zo, please use the code “VELVET20” for 20% off your purchase over $50!

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Lizzy about the Inspiring Story behind mazi + zo , and join me next Monday for the next feature in the Inspiring Women Series. , when I will be sharing a selection of female owned businesses with you in honour of “International Women’s Day”.