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Well fashion is a great historical marker. I mean you can really see what’s happening in history, and the ideals of the time through fashion. I mean it’s like painting or music, or when you listen to Baroque music and you see the art influence in it. I mean I think we’re living in a time right now of incredible . . . where artists have to be cultural receive dishes, and you have to filter all the ______. There’s many references. I mean I was born in 1980, so I am from the MTV generation where every other video was a different story, a different reference. And then pop art too at the same time; and through commercial art and imagery. There’s a lot of different references. So it’s really about . . . We’re at the moment of personal desire and personal identity. Everybody needs their own identity. So for me it’s about creating things that are timeless. It could be from the past, the present and the future.

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Food, friends, creating a dialogue with . . . creating a dialogue and inspiring – a word I hate – the masses.

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I really have an incredible admiration for designer Madeline Vionet. And then it goes to Crystal Balenciaga. Yves St. Laurent created modern fashion – the idea of what a collection should feel like about haute couture versus ready to wear; and the formula of what a fashion show should look like and being in touch with the culture – brining street clothing into high fashion.

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Through exploration, and isolation, and not having fear.

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A question I ask myself every day. You know I think there will always be the place where fashion as clothing. But I think that fashion, and design, and brands, and designers are gonna move beyond just building clothing. I mean I think it will be about sort of whole cults of the way a person lives. I mean I’m interested, when I’m creating, a visceral luxury brand, and interacting from the food people eat to beyond the sheets and the building they live in. It’s about creating a whole world that is a whole look that is about the well being of a person and their values.

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You know for me, it’s an incredibly exciting movement. I mean there’s always been great designers creating clothing at more accessible price points. For me I have questions of manufacturing, and I bring in . . . I question an ethical issue. I believe in quality and luxury. So in that instinct, you can’t achieve high quality and luxury in a lower price point. You can create a look, and an idea, and something that is temporary, and has . . . And I think it’s incredible. I mean it’s a wonderful thing for design at lower price points. I don’t like the word “mass” because I think it’s too general. So I don’t really use that. This word “masstige” in fashion is a big word. But you know, the idea of design for less is an incredible idea and will be really . . . will change fashion.

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No. Not really. I mean it’s growing in respect. I mean there’s artistry in it. I mean there’s moments when it becomes an art form, but it’s still on the body, and there is a part to it that has – even in the most far out gowns that you’ve made – a utilitarianism to it. It’s in the present nature of it, whether it can be abstract or not, you’re still talking about it in relation on the body. When you move off the body, then it will reach the level of respect. Forming a brand in itself can be an art form, and is a respected art, I believe. And it becomes a part of culture. It’s sort of . . . It’s . . . Besides the craft and the artistry of it, it goes . . . It’s not . . . I don’t consider it a fine art.

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Anatomy, architecture, femininity, flirtation, humor.

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I’m able to be . . . to create large vision of a collection at the moment. And then within that, I’m able to build every detail and texture, and create new kinds of construction and form, and really be able to put new looks and new shapes into the environment. The variables in fashion between fabrication, between make, between volume and shape can . . . you can create form and ideas that haven’t been there before. I don’t . . . There’s so many references in fashion. And for me it’s very interesting in having one’s own point of view and being non-referential. There’s fashion. You know fine arts painting, they don’t have that same kind of exact schedule of creation, shipping, and production. And then just sort of my own creative struggle of creating within an understood formula within that commercial means – within consistency. Having restraint is a great struggle of mine. Finding, you know, balance – reality versus “surreality” – of creating is always a struggle. It’s only been five years. I think becoming more aware of the fashion world. I never read magazines growing up. I really only studied historical fashion. I studied at the Costume Institute and went to design school. But when I started, it was a much stronger pop sensibility to the collection I made. They were much sharper in angle. They had a great sort of deconstructed freedom to them.

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Well you never know. You constantly question your talent at it. You just sort of have to persevere. Being an artist and a creator, you’re constantly questioning your purpose and reasoning for creating. There’s different parts to the joy of designing. There’s the part of a completion and the realization of an idea that’s very gratifying. It’s the improv of creating it. There’s the mistakes, which are incredibly joyful and exciting, and often lead to the best work. And there’s the experience of seeing a woman and how she feels in a piece of clothing.

Having restraint is a great struggle of mine. Finding, you know, balance – reality versus “surreality” – of creating is always a struggle. Each one has their own struggle for different reasons, whether it’s the editing process, or that you don’t reach the idea that you want to finally reach. We did a collection called “Trinity”. And it went from this section of all white, and this idea of the rarity of the color white, and all the symbolism of all the virginal symbolism, the luxury symbolism of it. And it was quite architectural – white on white. And it went from these shapes in white, which were quite sculptural, into what I call “tribal-like” collections. Sort of this idea of these urban nomads. And then it went into you working within this African theme – this idea of creating more sort of abstracted shapes. These inflatable sort of black, ebony, and floating shapes, and sort of reaching that kind of strength of women was really hard. And continuously within the industry of fashion, trying to empower women is a constant struggle and battle with any collection. It’s much easier to have that connection with the customer and have that experience. But to communicate that artistically in a non-phony way is a great challenge. I think it would be very easy to do a collection about power women, but not in a masculine way. It doesn’t mean a big shoulder . . . that women dressing as men, you know . . . And so that’s, you know . . . It’s a constant, constant striving place. Everybody in our culture has an obsession with new. And so for me, the next step that I think I’ve added is to create validity and to create a test of time.

My creative process is really exploring ideas that I’m interested in at the time. And then intensive research, which can become literal research or abstract in terms of just form, or texture and shape. And then I build on a woman three dimensionally with fabric, and form, and textures, and sewing techniques that I build in my studio. And then I work with my team on sort of building that up into a collection. I treat it in acts in a very theatrical way in terms of the sequence of our collection and our show, and where it starts and where it begins, or does it go in reverse or backwards. It’s like cooking a meal. It’s so varied. I often find my inspiration through play.

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I think probably admiring the binding on a blue baby blanket . . . on a fleece blanket with a blue trim with the little sort of grided stitch on the edge was sort of my first experience with fashion. Well it was like a visceral sensuality. It was protection. It was my baby blanket. So it’s that . . . it’s that form of protection and expression, and drape and movement. My father also was painting photo realist paintings with fabric. So the idea of drape and something that sort of becomes 2-D from 3-D was sort of a big influence in growing up.

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Where I was born shaped me to be exposed to a veritable amount of different circumstances; different types of creation; interaction with people on the street; and many different cultural influences.

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Who am I? What can I be? And what can I do?

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I think we need to do like . . . figure out a way to communicate generosity and sharing cross-cultural ideas through different mediums. I think it’s about communication. We’re living in the time . . . We’re going to be remembered for the time of communication, and that’s our moment now. So it’s all about being different forms of communication, and how that can evolve, and how people can connect to each other and then also have a separation of, you know, a screen between you.

Anything we can. I believe people should be . . . should be helping the environment in any way one can, educating our children, and preserving and passing on . . . passing on history.

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It’s you know . . . People are very short time on this planet where we live in a country that’s in a transition state within the orb and the globe of its place and power through manufacturing, through natural resources. And so when something is in a loss of power, you know, it’s how you transition gracefully.

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The environment is a huge issue that I think we all can do our part in solving the disarray that ________ turned around in the world is really terrifying. And you know, and very selfishly and very self-involved in our own . . . in the U.S.A just sort of what the fads are, and escapism. It’s really fascinating what people use to . . . what people find humorous; what people find . . . what things people use to distract themselves from sort of the chaotic times. Our world is in . . . the state of our world is now . . . I mean I don’t believe that . . . I don’t believe that we’re living in a time necessarily that has more conflicts than ancient past history. There are many cultures and civilizations changing; but I think that because the world has gotten so small and communication is so fast, that it creates everything at a much larger scale. The world is in communication at all moments all around where it’s an orb around an orb, the communication. It’s not point-to-point.

I think the largest challenge, you know, ahead will definitely be to see how every person individually in this time of individual style can affect the environment and remember that they have their own voice – that every voice matters.

I think challenges of the U.S. are, you know, first off, you know I think the greatest challenge of the U.S. right now is creating . . . is having their eyes open and creating dialogue with the rest of the orb. And then looking within its own land and figuring out a system, you know, that supports growth in a healthy way for its people. And evolution doesn’t, you know . . . Things don’t have to be new. They just have to evolve and grow. And then preservation of its own country and own culture. You know _____ a very short-lived country. And it was a different form before . . . And so you know I think it’s very important for people to listen to each other in the country.

Well I think, you know, international relations are, you know . . . are an enormous issue right now. I think the environment has to be a huge issue. The United States through economics is a huge, you know, powerful force and a huge contributor to pollution. I believe that, you know . . . I think those are really the two largest issues for me. And how people . . . I think it’s really important for clarity and brevity. And speaking . . . And being very straightforward. It’s very frustrating to believe in a system that is so convoluted and trying to be manipulative without using really visceral song and dance.

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Zachary E. Posen.

Where I was born shaped me to be exposed to a veritable amount of different circumstances; different types of creation; interaction with people on the street; and many different cultural influences.

My main influences for me were my father, Steven Posen, who is a painter and artist and painted in my house where I grew up in Soho; and probably Jim Henson, Walt Disney, Julie Taymor. My mom was a continuous, continual champion, and was incredibly passionate about my academic travels.

I think probably admiring the binding on a blue baby blanket . . . on a fleece blanket with a blue trim with the little sort of grided stitch on the edge was sort of my first experience with fashion. And then through play and through dress up with my sister Alexandra.

Well it was like a visceral sensuality. It was protection. It was my baby blanket. So it’s that . . . it’s that form of protection and expression, and drape and movement. My father also was painting photo realist paintings with fabric. So the idea of drape and something that sort of becomes 2-D from 3-D was sort of a big influence in growing up. And then just seeing people on the street in New York.

I think playing with clay, and with dolls, and theater. And then having incredible women around me all the time who were sort of strong, powerful, intelligent women. And sort of understanding the role of fashion – how it makes you feel; how it empowers you; how it can transform you or elevate you to have an experience that you did not previously think you could have.

I made a tie skirt with my sister. I think that began the beginning of repetition, and pleating, and using drape and pleating as symbols of power.

I thought that I’d either be baking, singing or creating theater

To interact with people, and to be able to explore these different kind of female archetypes and characters.

Well you never know. You constantly question your talent at it. You just sort of have to persevere. Being an artist and a creator, you’re constantly questioning your purpose and reasoning for creating.

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Travel, which is probably . . . Travel came from agriculture and economics through war. You know, through economics. Economics have played a big part in how our worlds have changed. Health, the environment has continuously changed. Exploration is constantly changing. Security.


Major forces? Well I think sexuality is a huge . . . Sexuality, and power, and different symbolisms of that have really changed where we are in fashion. Women’s relation to man; women and men and dressing are constantly at play, whether, you know, it’s about putting women on a pedestal . . . or on a pedestal.

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My personal philosophy . . . I don’t have a motto, but I always . . . I always . . . I always dream. I always take risks. I try to keep my eyes open.

They can be very subtle. It can be in how we construct something or, you know, in business deals that we . . . that we’ve made or, you know, just moving in with my boyfriend. You know, it’s . . . they all affect each other. Not really any particular _____. I decided to move to London when I was 17 and just go to school there instead of sort of furthering an academic education. It’s keeping . . . That keeping your eyes opening and listening to others, and having a dialogue with others. And then that’s . . . That’s my motto. And the risk I take is . . . It can expose you to a lot that can distract or affect you. I’m a very open, sensitive person. But also you have to have that conversation and then go into isolation, take that and filter it, and then go back to being a sponge.

No. I don’t dismiss religion or faith, you know. I’m still alive on this planet, and I think that in its truest forms, you know, in some way or other I’ve lived by a sort of mix of many religions. You know I always believe in bettering who I can be and striving to a higher place from there on my time on the planet. So in some ways, I don’t know if that will affect any possibility of an afterlife in any way; but I think that’s pretty similar to foundations of Christianity, and Judaism, and you know, and Buddhism. I don’t have one God that I . . . that I look up to.

Recorded on: 7/31/07