Zuss, (rhymes with us) is the name of Netherlands-based design team, sisters Krijnie and Christa de Leeuw van Weenen. These two teamed up in 1997 to create wearable art created from recycled rubber.

The name of their company is based on the Dutch word for sister, “zus”, and to them, Zuss stands for sisterhood. “We believe women or sisters should work together in this world instead of being competitors and since we did this in our recycling adventure and offer this waste a second life in the spotlights and bringing it back into the world, we thought Zuss was a nice name and we trusted it would sound cool in many languages around the world.”

Neither sister has formal art school training; their designs came about in a very intuitive manner. After many travels, careers, marriages and children, they came together to create. “Sometimes you will find a sticker on our designs; we see them as scars and we believe that scars are stories and worthwhile to remember, just like in our lives. Special effects are provided by the valves which we involve in our artwork sometimes. In strategic places...”

Recycling rubber from inner tubes is their tribute to Mother Nature and how she always evolves. Their philosophies stem from the Wiccan way and the strength of women, both throughout history and within their group, The Witches of Herderewich. Among their beliefs is that nature’s ecology is very flexible and sensitive to every change.

Every Zuss piece is a one of a kind, original artwork, just as nature’s designs are unique. “Even when we try to make a copy, the tubes just won’t let us! Because every tube, a piece of waste, is different. They may be the same when they’re new, but every tube-life follows different ways, just as our life, isn’t it?”

Each design is hand crafted – no machinery is involved. The sisters relate more to sculpturing than sewing the variety of fashions, from hats and belts to skirts and coats. There are many pieces which can be worn by either gender, depending on one’s taste and size. Their clientele is quite diverse; the majority of their sales are from the United States, but they have also got a following from Japan, Turkey, South America and India. “We also receive many emails from all over the world from students and artists and others who thank us for the education and inspiration. That’s worth a lot to us.”

We thank you too, for your inspiring images. These gorgeous designs are evocative of the modern primitive, where the world of technology co-exists harmoniously with the natural. Feast your eyes on the rubber creations of Zuss at www.zuss.com