In light of escalating synergies between fashion and art, staging high-style spectacles at galleries is a natural fit. Dramatic artistry was definitely evident when Los Angeles-based designer Zaid Affas made his runway debut this fall at the Art Gallery of Ontario as part of a fundraiser for Princess Margaret Hospital. Presented by Toronto retailer Lisa Corbo of George C Boutique, Affas's bold, minimalist designs dazzled the audience. With his emphasis on sophisticated fabrications and theatrical silhouettes, it was hard to believe that it was only the third collection for the designer. Born in Kuwait and raised in London, Affas studied at Central St. Martins and worked for labels such as Ralph Lauren and BCBG Max Azria before launching his own line last year. Though he's shown his collections in Paris before, this Toronto show marked his first runway presentation. I talked with Affas about his determination to not get caught up in fashion's hype, how it feels to be named one to watch, and what modern luxury is really all about.
You started out with a great passion for architecture – your dad is an architect and you once wanted to be an architect. What was it that made you decide to dress women instead?
I still love architecture, but actually it was my father's advice not to do architecture because it's such a difficult subject to do, which is true. It takes many years in university, and financially, it's not very rewarding compared to other forms of art. It's also very difficult to have your own business, and I think I always wanted to do my own work. So I went to Saint Martin's to find out, and started doing painting and sculpture and studied fine art. But we did different projects, like theatre design, costume, photography, and I did fashion projects. And for some reason, I connected with fashion in art school, because it is more fun. It's still an art form but it makes people feel good when they dress well. And maybe that sounds simple or cheesy, but I do think there's a certain direct satisfaction that one can derive through fashion.
People are saying you're the one to watch in fashion. How daunting is that for you?
It's exciting. It honestly feels good. I don't think any creative person would find that daunting. I hope not. I think the pressure of doing the collections physically and to be able to produce is daunting. But I hope I can keep doing it and doing things that people find interesting and new.
You say you're adamant about trying to keep things manageable, like only staging collections twice a year. But do you feel that there's a lot of resistance to that? Don't you have to scramble to keep up with the competition?
No, not at all, especially because I'm doing something that's very high end, so the stores that are buying it don't mind. Actually, that's what they want. For example, (Birmingham, Miss. luxury retailer) Linda Dresner bought the collection this season, which I'm very excited about, and when she first saw it she asked, "So how many collections do you do a year?" I told her only two: spring/summer and fall/ winter. Her answer was "Thank you, thank you so much! You don't need to do any more. You're doing enough beautiful things and that's a good way to start!"
So even the retailers are sick of trying to keep up with it all?
Well, it's also hard on them – all this travelling, all this buying, all these new labels…
Who's demanding this driving pace?
Human beings have such a short attention span compared to 30, 40 years ago. It's that people get bored, so especially now with Instagram, people need to produce collections just to keep interest, so they keep more collections coming out. They feel people are going to get bored and they need the new imagery, the new runway, the new look book. I sincerely believe that's part of what's happened.
Luxury in fashion today is a term that's been so bandied about and abused. Does it mean anything to you?
It does to me, and I know exactly what you mean. In fashion, people use the word luxury loosely. It's easy just to tag onto a sentence. But I know the other designers and brands who truly are about luxury. But if I'm going to really give someone luxury or have a pricing that is luxury, it really has to be luxury. You can't justify price that's not justified by the item.
But what is that luxury, then?
The material, the feel, how you feel in it and how you look in it. The cut, and the longevity of it are important too. I think if you're going to spend a lot of money, you should be able to wear something. And even though many people don't wear things a lot, they like to pass them on. I design also a lot of the collection based on a women buying and wearing it a lot and then putting it in her wardrobe and her daughter pulling it out 10, 15 years later to wear it. And it's still an interesting piece, yet classic enough that it still stands up. That's what I'm really trying to develop with each piece – that it's conceptual but classic. Not too obvious, or too "this season." A woman shouldn't look like she's an art piece. She should look beautiful, intelligent and interesting.
Maybe it's the architect in you coming out, because you want clothes that have a certain kind of permanence to them.
Definitely.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Jeanne Beker