— Innovation

Research. Collaboration. Future-focused design.

Innovation at ZALAZ is not a department — it is a way of working. We prototype, research and collaborate with partners across industry, craft and technology to design products and systems that are locally relevant, quietly ambitious and built to last.

— In development

Sustainable PPE, designed for Zambian mining.

Personal protective equipment is one of the most consumed — and most disposed — categories in African industry. We're designing a next generation of PPE for Zambian mining environments: safer for the worker, more comfortable in the heat, longer-lasting on the body and gentler on the land it leaves behind.

  • Human-centred fit & comfort
  • Climate-appropriate materials
  • Repairability & long service life
  • Locally sourced & manufactured
  • Circular end-of-life pathways
  • Field research with mining teams

We are actively speaking with mining operators, occupational health leads and manufacturing partners. If this work intersects with yours, please get in touch.

— In parallel

Next-generation workplace products.

We're developing a small, considered line of workplace products designed around wellness, focus and the way African offices actually operate — informed by our workplace-strategy practice and prototyped inside our own studio.

  • Acoustic and focus tools
  • Ergonomic accessories
  • Wellness-first furniture details
  • Adaptive, modular systems

— How we approach innovation

Research, collaboration and long-view design.

Research

We start in the field — with the people who use the product, in the conditions they use it.

Collaboration

We work openly with industry partners, universities, craftspeople and manufacturers.

Long-view design

We favour products that repair, adapt and last — designed to leave a lighter footprint.

Collaborate with us on the next generation of African-made products.

Start a collaboration →