RIYADH: Local and international visitors attended renowned fashion designer Zac Posen’s live masterclass on dress draping techniques, the intricacies of the fashion industry and the process of starting a luxury brand in Diriyah’s Jax district in Riyadh.
The two-hour masterclass also touched on the practical side of design. As he began to dress a mannequin in vibrant red fabric, using only scissors and pins, starting his technique from the neck, Posen answered questions from the audience.
“It’s all about purpose… Even if (a dress) is about exaggeration or glamour, to me, no matter how big it is, it has to be wearable,” she said.
“You can always keep going into a piece. Sometimes time runs out, and that’s the answer… There’s that moment when, suddenly, you know it’s ready. you will feel it
I think my journey and purpose is really to show everyone else that they can express themselves through their creativity.
zac posen
Known for creating iconic red carpet looks for A-list celebrities, Posen is the son of American painter Stephen Posen, so art runs in the family.
Her journey began when Posen found her calling in fashion behind the scenes during numerous hours at the high school costume shop.
“I think my journey and purpose is really to show everyone else that they can express themselves through their creativity,” she said during the masterclass.
Surrounded by British models on the New York fashion scene in 1996, such as Karen Elson, Erin O’Connor and Jade Parfitt, Posen described it as a formative period.
“There was a new breath of air in fashion. I think the craft of fashion, especially in France and in Europe, was at a very high point and creativity, expression and a new romantic movement had become fashionable,” said the designer.
Interning at the Costume Institute at age 16, the “life-changing” experience was the first time she truly understood the intricacies of clothing design on a deeper level and its historical significance.
“I grew up in a house where art is not about decoration. Art is about experience. Art is not about monetary value, it is about expression, experience, emotion and storytelling. But I started to understand that and to embrace it,” she said.
After spending the summer at Parsons New School for Design and within the bustling vibrancy of New York’s Garment District, she began to develop her own style of design, experimenting with making eveningwear for her friends.
Fully immersed in the city’s expressive underground drag queen culture in the late 1990s, he traveled to London to attend Central Saint Martins Art School, which was a challenging but impressionable time for the designer.
“With the high competition, you couldn’t leave your clothes or anything you’re working on (at) a table. It would disappear, it would be chopped, in the trash. You had to lock it up or take it home,” she said.
It was during his early days in London that Posen met Italian actress and style icon Anita Pallenberg, who took him under her wing and gave him the opportunity to model in a campaign with John Malkovich for designer Bella Freud.
Two years into fashion school, Posen’s buzz began around her designs and she established a client base in London.
One of his designs had caught the eye of prominent model Naomi Campbell, who was determined to meet the designer, after seeing a dress Posen’s friend was wearing on the Eurostar.
“She was incredibly kind and loving and wanted me to make her clothes, she gave me money to buy fabric. We took her measurements… I started making her clothes and the buzz was building and then (a) writer from the New York Times called and said, “I want to write an article about seeing this dress, and about you, and the journey of this dress.” “.
“I knew it could go either way, and I thought the opportunity is not an extended visitor, let’s try this,” he said.
The interview paid off, garnering the attention of Barney’s, Fashion TV and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which now displays a multitude of her designs as part of its permanent collection.
He was then lured back to New York, where he started his workshop in his parents’ living room, investing his $10,000 savings in the brand.
She then went on to produce a capsule collection for GenArt as part of their “Fresh Faces in Fashion New York 2001” show.
He is known for his feminine designs that highlight the architecture of the body in a way that reflects the fluidity and smoothness of movement.
Posen said one of her biggest moments was when actress Natalie Portman wore one of her designs at the “Star Wars: Episode I” premiere after her first fashion show.
As the tragic events of 9/11 engulfed the residents of New York City, he felt his hometown needed him in difficult times.
“Creativity, expression is what he will bring back to the city. he needs it. I felt very strongly (that) I wasn’t going to go back to London, that it wasn’t going to happen, this resilient force that I needed to be there,” she said.
Other highlights of his career as a designer include dressing prominent figures and actresses such as Princess Eugenie of York, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes.
“Being a creator is not necessarily going to be the easiest path, but it can be a very rewarding role. You can make people feel very beautiful and empowered and happy and really bring joy. And sometimes those moments can add to a cultural narrative,” he said.
In the age of media and digital evolution, the designer believes that fashion is now evolving faster than ever and can become a tool to cross cultural borders.
Source: news.google.com