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It would be an understatement to say that Harry Lambert is a Disney super-fan. So when the opportunity arose for the stylist to work with the behemoth on a collaboration with Zara, coined Ah Gee! Wow – his third iteration with the high-street brand – the decision was a no-brainer.
“I remember getting them on tape, watching them over and over again,” he reminisces of watching Snow White, The Lion King and Aladdin during his childhood. “I have a lot of family memories at Disney, of being happy and having fun together,” Lambert explains of visiting the Florida park every other year when he was young – and he has since taken his friends. “The whole project has been like… I still can’t believe this is happening.”
Naturally, he looked to the hero fantastical characters – including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck and Goofy – for inspiration; building out the collection by mood boarding with archive imagery, pulling vintage clothing references and writing notes informed by their recognisable outfits and mannerisms. Lambert focused heavily on the Japanese comic strips in the fledgling stages, which provided an alternative starting point to the widely-distributed character appearances.
To bring the collaboration to life, he spent several days with an illustrator – one of his favourite aspects of the overall process. “There are pieces in the collection that look so distinctly one character, but others that encapsulate the spirit of Disney,” he says. “It was about bringing the essence of Disney into a fashion context.”
The result: rigid jackets that are sculpted onto the body as if they were animated, cutesy puff-ball skirts and minishorts, curvaceous polished shoes, twin-sets and feather boas across the womenswear offering, with scaled-down versions across the kidswear (this collection marked Lambert’s first foray into the category). Direct nods, meanwhile, arrive in the form of fuzzy mouse-ear beanies and graphic tees and knits, emblazoned with character illustrations and slogans – Lambert has already teased a Goofy cap at one of the parks. “Everyone kept asking me where it was from!” he says, smiling.
Joy and happiness are themes that Lambert has explored throughout his career, whether styling celebrities in pithy conversation-starting ensembles (Emma Corrin’s goldfish minidress comes to mind), or stirring a smile with his playful Zara partnerships. This mood permeated on the campaign shoot day, which involved Lambert playing host on a faux gameshow starring the Disney characters, with his family watching on. “That’s the point with all these collections I’ve done – I want have a sense of fun or joy or clothes that you want to wear.”
Ah Gee! Wow: Harry Lambert For Zara X Disney launches on 25 September at Zara.com and selected stores. An exclusive preview of the collection will be available at The Selfridges Corner Shop, London, from 22 September.
