Derived from the swahili word for love, the word ‘Zapenda’ was conceptualized as our founder, Stella Safari, searched for the best way to capture her love for fashion, culture, and community. Zapenda began in Stella’s closet which houses a mixture of styles and fabrics from Congo (DRC) where she was born and America where she grew up. The opportunity became clear once her phone wouldn’t stop ringing from friends wanting her to bring back clothes from a Congo trip and tailors in Congo seeking opportunities to earn an income. She created Zapenda as a platform to reimagine our relationship to clothing, the people who make them and how we choose to wear them.