Zac Posen

Zachary E. Posen (/zæk ˈpoʊzən/; born October 24, 1980) is an American fashion designer.

Zac Posen
Posen at the Metropolitan Opera opening, September 22, 2008
Born
Zachary E. Posen[1]

(1980-10-24) October 24, 1980
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationParsons School of Design
Central Saint Martins
Label(s)
AwardsCFDA: Swarovski's Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear (2004)

Early life

Posen was born and raised in a Jewish family[2] in New York City, residing in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. He is the son of Susan (née Orzack), a corporate lawyer, and Stephen Arnold Posen, an artist.[3][4] He has family roots in Shklow, Belarus, and Żychlin, Poland.[5] His interest in fashion design started early, and as a child he would steal yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue to make ball dresses for dolls.[6]

He attended Saint Ann's School, a private school in Brooklyn and in his sophomore year interned with fashion designer Nicole Miller.[7] As a teen, he also won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award.[8] At age 16 he enrolled in the pre-college program at Parsons The New School for Design.[9] He graduated from Saint Ann's in 1999. For three years, Posen was mentored by curator Richard Martin at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At age 18, he was accepted into the womenswear degree program at London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at the University of the Arts London. In 2001, Posen constructed a gown entirely made from thin leather strips and dressmaker hooks and eyes[10] that was displayed by the Victoria and Albert Museum and featured in their "Curvaceous" exhibition.[11]

Career

In 2000, Posen received a prominent career opportunity after a dress he made for Naomi Campbell changed hands several times among several fashion insiders, including actress Paz de la Huerta.[10] He is famously well-connected and has called Stella Schnabel his muse.[12] Through Interview magazine Editor-in-Chief Ingrid Sischy, Posen met his future publicist and event producer Ed Filipowski of KCD, who offered to represent him for free.[12]

Upon returning to New York in 2001, Posen set up an atelier in his parents' living room, while they gave him a USD$15 allowance.[12] In October of the same year, he was chosen to present a capsule collection as part of GenArt's Fresh Faces in Fashion New York 2001. He received a grant for $20,000.[9] After his first runway show in 2001, Posen was courted by fashion titans Yves Carcelle, president of LVMH Fashion Group; Sidney Toledano, CEO and director of Christian Dior S.A.; and Domenico De Sole, president and CEO of Gucci Group NV.[13] Following the success of this presentation, Posen established his design studio in Laight Street Tribeca.[14]

His awards include the Council of Fashion Designers of America's 2004 Swarovski's Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear.[15] Posen has become a favorite of Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Amanda Seyfried, Andy Dick, Kate Winslet, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Dick Clark, Jennifer Lopez, Mischa Barton, Mr. Kool Aid, Beyoncé Knowles and others.

In 2004, high-end urban fashion brand Sean John made an investment deal with Posen.[16] Ashley Olsen interned with Posen in 2005 while a student at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an undergraduate college within New York University.[17]

In April 2008, Posen's capsule collection created in collaboration with Target, Zac Posen for Target, was released in 75 stores in Australia.[18] A preview of the collection was shown during March's L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

At the 2012 Academy Awards, Glenn Close wore a Posen gown on the red carpet, as did both Reese Witherspoon and Naomi Watts at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.[19] Other notables who have worn Posen creations on red carpets include Uma Thurman at the 2013 Met Ball); Sofia Vergara at the 2014 Golden Globes; Anna Chlumsky at the 2014 Emmy Awards; and Rita Ora at the 2014 AMA Awards.[20]

In October 2016, Delta Air Lines unveiled new uniforms for their employees, which were designed by Posen.

On December 18, 2012, Posen was announced as an official judge on Project Runway starting with season 11, staying on until after season 16.[21] On September 7, 2018, it was announced that Posen would not be returning to Project Runway for a 17th season on Bravo.[22]

In February 2014, Posen partnered with another major retailer, David's Bridal, to create Truly Zac Posen, a line of affordable bridal gowns.[23] The line was Posen's first official bridal collection.[24] Also in 2014, he was named Creative Director for Brooks Brothers, tapped to modernize their signature women's clothing and accessories line.[25] In 2014, he introduced a more casual Pre-Fall 2015 Trunk Show collection.[26]

In recent collaborations, Posen was selected to redesign the uniforms for Delta Air Lines 60,000 employees. As of May 2018, these uniforms are worn by Delta Air Lines staff members, from flight attendants to customer service.[27]

In October 2017, Posen's 288-page cookbook was published by Rodale Books. It is described as having "100 recipes every bit as decadent and inspiring as his designs."[28]

In 2018, Posen designed the blush silk gown Princess Eugenie of York wore for her evening wedding reception.[29]

On November 1, 2019, House of Z and Z Spoke, the fashion brand owners of Posen's company, announced an immediate closure of the label.[30]

See also

References
  1. "Aktuelle Nachrichten". Stuttgarter Zeitung (in German). Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  2. Jewish Virtual Library – Jewish Biographies -Fashion Icons: "Kenneth Cole" retrieved September 7, 2015
  3. "Chappell Confidential: Zac Posen Celebrates The Holidays". Chicago.gopride.com. December 28, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  4. "Deaths ORZACK, EVERETT D." NYTimes.com. May 4, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  5. Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 12, 2021
  6. "Zac Posen". Upscale Living Magazine. September 6, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  7. Spiegel, Richard (January 27, 2002). "Zac to the future". Lucire. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  8. "America's Most Creative Teens Named as National 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Recipients" (Press release). Scholastic Inc.
  9. Tauber, Michelle; Paley, Rebecca (September 15, 2003). "SEW COOL". People. Vol. 60 no. 11. pp. 153–154.
  10. Trebay, Guy (February 12, 2002). "FASHION DIARY; At 21, a Grasp Of Women's Clout". The New York Times. p. 151. (52027):B8
  11. "Dress – Posen, Zac – V&A Search the Collections". February 12, 2020.
  12. Luscombe, Belinda; Nugent, Benjamin (September 30, 2002). "Boy in Vogue". Time. 160 (14): 78. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  13. Trebay, Guy (September 18, 2002). "The Rise and Rise of a Prodigy". The New York Times. 152 (52245): B9. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  14. House of Z (Motion picture). 2017.
  15. CFDA Past Winners
  16. Agins, Teri (April 20, 2004). "Mainstreaming Hip-Hop: Combs's Sean John Sets Move Into Women's High Fashion With Big Stake in Zac Posen". The Wall Street Journal. 243 (77): B1–B3. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  17. "Working Women". People. 63 (11): 83. March 21, 2005.
  18. Zac Posen for Target Australia Fashionising.com, March 13, 2008
  19. "Oscars 2012: Stars arrive". BBC News. February 27, 2012.
  20. "Celebrity Red Carpet Style". usmagazine.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  21. Project Runway. "Facebook Timeline Photo". The rumors are true! Click "Like" to help us welcome featured judge Zac Posen to "Project Runway" Season 11
  22. Swift, Andy (September 7, 2018). "Project Runway Judge Zac Posen Also Leaving — Will You Watch Season 17?". TVLine. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  23. "Zac Posen Unveils Wedding Dress Line for David's Bridal". Huffington Post. February 2, 2014.
  24. "Zac posen fancy suits". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  25. "Zac Posen to serve as a creative director at Brooks Brothers". New York Post. June 29, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  26. "Zac Posen Pre Fall 2015 – Moda Operandi".
  27. "Fashion designer Zac Posen on new collaborations, "creative burnout"". CBS News. February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  28. "Cooking with Zac: Recipes From Rustic to Refined".
  29. Bailey, Alysa (October 13, 2018). "Princess Eugenie Wears Zac Posen for Second Wedding Dress". Elle Magazine.
  30. JTA. "Designer Zac Posen is shutting down his fashion label". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
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