Zac Posen

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Zac Posen
Zac Posen at Met Opera.jpg
Posen at the Metropolitan Opera opening, September 22, 2008
Born Zachary E. Posen[1]
(1980-10-24) October 24, 1980 (age 32)
New York City
Nationality American
Education Parson's School of Design and Central Saint Martin
Occupation Fashion designer
Partner(s) Christopher Niquet (2008–present)
Awards CFDA: Swarovski's Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear (2004)
Labels Zac Posen

Zachary E. "Zac" Posen (pron.: /zæk ˈpoʊzən/; born 24 October 1980) is an American fashion designer.

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Early life [edit]

Posen was born in New York City, and raised in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. He is the son of Susan (née Orzack), a corporate lawyer, and Stephen Posen, an artist.[2][3] 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. He attended Saint Ann's School, a private school in Brooklyn, and in his sophomore year interned with fashion designer Nicole Miller.[4] At age 16 he enrolled in the pre-college program at Parsons The New School for Design.[5] 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 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[6] that was displayed by the Victoria and Albert Museum and featured in their "Curvaceous" exhibition.

Career [edit]

In 2000, Posen received a big break after a dress he made for Naomi Campbell changed hands several times among several fashion insiders, including actress Paz de la Huerta.[6] He is famously well-connected and has called Lola's sister, Stella Schnabel, his muse.[7] 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.[7]

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.[7] 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 USD$20,000.[5] After his first runway show in 2001, Posen was courted by fashion titans Yves Carcelle (President of LVMH Fashion Group), Sidney Toledano (Chief Executive Officer and Director of Christian Dior S.A.), and Domenico De Sole (President and Chief Executive Officer of Gucci Group NV.)[8] Following the success of this presentation, Posen established his design studio in Tribeca. Zac Posen continues to receive awards and accolades, most notably the Council of Fashion Designers of America's 2004 Swarovski's Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear.[9] Posen’s strong, feminine aesthetic has become a favorite of style leaders including Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Amanda Seyfried, Kate Winslet, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Mischa Barton, Beyoncé Knowles, and many more.

In 2004, high-end urban fashion brand Sean John made an investment deal with Posen.[10] Ashley Olsen interned with Posen in 2005 while a student at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an undergraduate college within New York University.[11]

In April 2008, Posen's capsule collection created in collaboration with Target, Zac Posen for Target, was released in 75 stores in Australia.[12] A preview of the collection was shown during March's L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival as one of the fashion week's headline catwalks.

At the 2012 Academy Awards, Glenn Close wore a Zac Posen gown on the red carpet.[13]

On December 18, 2012, Zac was announced as official judge of Project Runway Season 11 which started on January 24, 2013 on Lifetime Television.[14]

Personal life [edit]

Posen lives in the neighborhood of SoHo with his boyfriend Christopher Niquet and their three dogs. Posen is Jewish, and in April 2012, Shalom Life ranked him Number 9 on its list of “the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish men in the world."[15]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/
  2. ^ http://chicago.gopride.com/entertainment/column/index.cfm/col/918
  3. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/04/classified/paid-notice-deaths-orzack-everett-d.html
  4. ^ Spiegel, Richard (27 January 2002). "Zac to the future.". Lucire. Retrieved 2007-01-08. 
  5. ^ a b Tauber, Michelle; Paley, Rebecca (2003-09-15). SEW COOL 60 (11). People. pp. 153–154. 
  6. ^ a b Trebay, Guy (2002-02-12). "FASHION DIARY; At 21, a Grasp Of Women's Clout". The New York Times. p. 151. "(52027):B8" 
  7. ^ a b c Luscombe, Belinda; Nugent, Benjamin (2002-09-30), "BOY IN VOGUE". Time. 160 (14):78
  8. ^ Trebay, Guy (2002-09-18), "The Rise And Rise Of a Prodigy". The New York Times. 152 (52245):B9
  9. ^ CFDA Past Winners
  10. ^ Agins, Teri (2004-04-20), "Mainstreaming Hip-Hop". The Wall Street Journal. 243 (77):B1-B3
  11. ^ No byline (2005-03-21), "Working Women". People. 63 (11):83
  12. ^ Zac Posen for Target Australia Fashionising.com, 13 March 2008
  13. ^ "Oscars 2012: Stars arrive". BBC News. 2012-02-27. 
  14. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151370310621202&set=a.175609916201.148047.104812021201&type=1&theater.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Ashley Baylen (April 20, 2012). "Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men (10–1)". Shalom Life. Retrieved 2013-04-22. 

External links [edit]

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