ADONIS OF FASHION: Zac posen

By Mengly Taing

I had the opportunity to meet Monsieur Zac Posen for the first time at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) where the raffia dress from his Sargasso Collection is on display as part of the Glamour Exhibit.   With success at such a young age and people already classifying him among the greats of American fashion, I did not expect to meet such a humble and charming young man whose outlook on fashion may change the pencil-thin standard of the modeling industry.

Zac described an early show for the President of Henri Bendel where he featured models of all shapes, colors, and sizes, in his parent's living room. They bought the collection, but the models were beyond them and they focused more on the models than the clothes which defeated the point.   He discovered that the fashion world is not ready for that vision on the catwalk just yet.  

The press often uses the word muse when they describe the inspiration to Zac's clothes, but Zac says he does not have one.   In fact, he finds the word degrading.   He has such an amazing respect for women and it is thanks to his dynamic mother, Susan, who manages the business aspect of his company, Outspoke LLC, and his talented sister, Alexandra, who acts as his designing partner.

Zac remains grounded because his family has always been supportive throughout his youth.   He made many of his early dresses in his parent's basement.   When Zac asked Sean Combs to make a tape for one of his shows and Combs visited his studio in Tribeca. He was blown away by the dedication and support that Zac received from his family and staff of fifteen women and three men, some who had been working pro bono for him for the past two and half years.