Meet Paula Strabbing! Hi Paula! Where are you from? Hudsonville, MI (hometown of the Bros) How did you find ZOX? My middle child/oldest son Alex was my introduction to Zox. He was in VIP before I was When did you join VIP? I was honored with admission to VIP on March 19, 2012 after submitting an "application" email to Jason (ask him if he still has that email......I can't seem to find it🤦🏻♀️). At the time I was not part of the target market for Zox (initially targeted towards middle/high school & college students) and I believe that VIP was initially intended to be a group for the Bros to communicate with the two selected VIPs in each grade level of the schools the VIP attended. They were going to have two Zox Ambassadors/VIPs per grade per school What’s your favorite thing about being a VIP? There are many things that make being a VIP special. The members of the VIP FB group have added opportunities for direct interaction with the founders/owners of Zox and as VIP, I strive to be a strong positive representative of both the Zox brand and the Zox community. It's an honor to be called a VIP and with that honor comes both benefits and responsibilities. The perks are great and the community is awesome. How do you decide what to collect? In the beginning I essentially played Zox Pokeymon - gotta catch em all - Which was not so hard to do back then because they only released one strap a week at the time (at midnight on Thursdays.......I was glad when they changed it to 9:00 PM eastern time on Thursdays). My collection currently consists of about 700 ish Zox items. Mostly straps/singles/doubles/triples with a few imperials, shirts, strings and a V1 backpack & 1 hoodie (that I just purchased in the last year) oh......and 1 gold bar :) Now in addition to my monthly MP (that I mostly use to share Zox love), I tend to buy items that speak to me or that I feel with speak to someone I know. What do you love about ZOX? One of my favorite things about Zox is the awesome brand community that Zox has built and nurtured. Having been in VIP as long as I have, I've seen lots of growth/change but the foundational values that were set very early on have remained strong and consistent. The importance of Friends & Family, treating others with care and respect, making your world a better place one small word/deed at a time and Zox quickly evolved into the key to positive interactions and affirmations that it is now. What do you look for when choosing your next ZOX? I look for art that speaks to me, colors that speak to me, and a message that speaks to me. Sometimes I get all three in one but for me my Zox need to feel "wearable". If a design doesn't fit my "look" or a message isn't one that speaks to me it's ok. That's one of the great things about Zox. Every Zox isn't for everyone but there's probably at least one Zox for everyone. Which ZOX speaks to you the most? This question is like asking which child I love more. There are many Zox in my collection that speak to me for different reasons. My FWB and Dark Horse are cherished gifts from the Bros, my FlavorSplash is one that's very rarely seen in the Zox fam so it's a fun one, many of my older straps are so well loved and well worn that they're stretched beyond wearability but I still love them. The memories behind many of my treasured straps are the true treasure though. Which ZOX are you planning on getting next? I would love to see a light pink and black colorway of the InnerBeauty triple get made into maybe a single or a double in the future. I'm also looking forward to this 10th anniversary F&F that Jason's been teasing us about. Fun extras: My husband and I took a trip to Germany Summer of 2012. Picture Perfect is one of the straps that was going to be released while we were gone. A couple weeks or so before we left Jason, Brandon & Jordan stopped by the house to drop off some Zox for me to share on our trip. While we were talking I noticed a strap I hadn’t seen yet on Jason’s wrist. It was Picture Perfect. He took it off his wrist and gifted it to me on the spot with strict instructions that it could not appear in pictures until after it was released. So here it is at Dachau. At some point in 2012 I came up with an idea for Black Friday that I called OZ2012 for Operation ZoxDrop 2012. I shared the idea with Jason and together we laid the groundwork for the a Black Friday ZoxDrop pac. It was awesome to see my idea implemented and executed so well by the Bros. Thank you so much for sharing, Paula! Congratulations on being VIP of the Week - your stories are awesome!! We're so glad you're a part of our ZOX fam. Keep an eye out for more of your friends to be featured soon! Be bold, Landri ** Disclaimer: All photos and stories are property of the VIP. Their featured collection in this blog does not mean that what is shown is for sale by the VIP.
