Joining Nicole Phelps on this week’s episode of The Run-Through is the American designer Zac Posen, who at only 44 years old has lived many lifetimes in fashion. He first hit the scene when he was only 20 years old, becoming a darling of New York Fashion Week via collections imbued with retro glamour. That’s why it was surprising when in February last year, Posen was announced as the new Chief Creative Officer at Old Navy and Creative Director at Gap Inc., where he is also launching Gap Studio, a special collection. Though it seems like an unlikely matchup, already it has proven to be an exciting one. There was the special white shirtdress he created for Anne Hathaway last year, which was available for pre-order afterwards and immediately sold out. “I wear a lot of different hats and I try to apply that kind of creativity to building a gown: sculpting, tweaking a white shirt in its simplest form, and turning it inside-out—which Anne did herself,” he reveals. “She turned the dress inside-out, wore it backwards, and it went into production.”
Being open to experimentation is one way in which Posen is leading the 56-year old company into modern times. “[The industry] has changed so much at the highest level; it’s very challenging for designer brands to even make a profit from a business standpoint, on the clothing they make,” he explains. “I really learned, through the challenges and successes and hands-on [experience], the inner workings of a business at small scale and how important that is, how it has to be symbiotic if you’re going to support yourself off of your creativity. It’s a very challenging industry. You are in reaction to the weather and things you can’t control.”
Listen to this week’s conversation to learn more about what Posen’s learned in the industry so far and his vision for the future.
