An interview with JZD founders, Jen and Vero Zeano, about their new capsule collection with SoulCycle for Latinx Heritage Month.
Jen and Vero Zeano, the married duo behind JZD (formerly known as Jen Zeno Designs), launched their fashion and lifestyle brand in 2016 to satisfy a collective need for increased representation in the Latinx community.
Their first order of business? Designing a now-iconic pink shirt that proudly displayed “Latina Power” to show the world that Latinidad is indeed a superpower. It didn’t take long before the shirt became viral, and has even been worn by celebrities like Jessica Alba, America Ferrera, and Jenna Ortega.
Since launching JZD, the founders have reached business milestones most entrepreneurs can only dream of, including a national TV segment, an in-store partnership with Target, and most recently, a coveted collab with SoulCycle in honor of Latinx Heritage Month 2023.
“We knew the joyful personality of the brand would be a hit with our riders and we love Jen and Vero's story of how the brand came to be,” shares Samantha Yeagar, a member of the SoulCycle team that spearheaded the partnership. “Jen and Vero lean heavily into their community of customers for what's next and that is very similar to what we do here at Soul — community is everything.”
Both teams went to work on a capsule collection that puts Latinx pride front and center with their new “Latina Power Club” cropped sweatshirt, cap, biker shorts, and tank top. The result? A thoughtfully blended approach to SoulCycle apparel that celebrates la cultura. All items are available to shop now on ShopJZD.com and SoulCycle.com.
In addition to designing clip-ready gear, the brands are partnering up for Latina Power-themed rides on Oct. 12 and Oct. 14 in Austin, New York City, and Los Angeles to close out Latinx Heritage Month celebration on an endorphin high.
Keep reading to learn more about the married duo behind the Instagram-famous brand, from designing their iconic “Latina Power” t-shirts to how they celebrate the Latinx community today and every day.
Tell us about your partnership with SoulCycle.
Our collaboration with SoulCycle came at the perfect time and we could not be more excited to share it with everyone. We've been on our health journey and partnering with such an incredible company that supported us in creating space for the Latinx community is incredible! We were honored when SoulCycle reached out to us to let us know they wanted to spotlight JZD in this year’s Latinx Heritage Month celebrations. It’s been a true collaboration where they’ve given us total creative freedom to be ourselves and really bring our brand to SoulCycle — from the exclusive merch to upcoming JZD-themed rides in Los Angeles, New York City, and Austin. We decided to bring our iconic Latina Power and jazz it up for this collaboration.
Two of the pieces in this collection pay homage to your iconic “Latina Power” shirts. How does it feel having this phrase displayed for a new audience?
The words “Latina Power” and all the products that we have created since its conception will always be extra special to us because they remind us of the power that they hold for our community. They remind us that we belong, so having these words alongside a company like SoulCycle is very special. Entering new spaces and spreading our message is the reason we continue to pour our hearts into this journey. We are grateful to SoulCycle for opening up their studios to us where our community can feel represented, welcomed, and celebrated.
JZD builds community and celebrates culture every day, not just during Latinx Heritage Month. How do you achieve this through apparel?
For JZD, we pour the celebration of our culture into our pieces every day. The Latinx experience is daily for us and it comes to life in the things we say, how we express ourselves, and beyond. Being able to capture a unique saying, sentiment, and feeling, and putting it on a bag or sweatshirt and seeing our customers say “We love this!”— it’s a reminder that we are onto something.
The response to JZD over the last seven years has honestly been insane and overwhelming in the best way possible. It’s been surreal to see our brand in national retailers, to be invited to the Vice President’s home, to see thousands of people connect with the “Latina Power” t-shirt and see women all over the world, especially celebrities like Jessica Alba, Jenna Ortega, Eva Longoria, and so many more.
What makes you the most proud of being part of this community?
There is so much to love about being Latina — our culture, our food, our work ethic — but we think most of all it is our love for family. We are so proud to be Latina and proud of the sacrifices that our ancestors took so that we can be here today. Our resilience and perseverance is like no other.