Leave NYFW for Paris? Zac Posen Did That in 2010 and They Made a Movie About It—Rent House of Z Now

Zac Posen Fall 2016
Zac Posen takes a bow at his Fall 2016 show.Photo: Indigital.tv

The news that Joseph Altuzarra and Thom Browne have joined Proenza Schouler and Rodarte in swapping their New York shows for Paris was the talk of the industry this summer. Some are worried what the departures say about the state of New York fashion—is this a crisis or simply part of the cyclical nature of the business? Others insist the world is flat and where a designer puts on a show makes no difference.

Zac Posen is in a better position to weigh in on that subject than most. The 36-year-old designer did his own year abroad back in 2010–11. The two seasons he showed in the City of Light are chronicled in the Sandy Chronopoulos–directed documentary House of Z, a rise, fall, and reemergence story that is available to rent exclusively on Vogue’s website starting today.

I appear briefly in the film, and I attended the premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April alongside the designer and his family. “Watching yourself on camera is just hard,” Posen recalls of that experience. No, he didn’t have final cut, but he may have the last laugh. The eccentric showmanship critiqued by my fellow talking heads in House of Z is the very thing that has made him a star on Project Runway (six seasons and counting) and has subsequently led to gigs with Brooks Brothers and Delta Airlines, as well as his first cookbook, Cooking With Zac, out in October.

Last month, as Posen and his creative director and life partner, Christopher Niquet, were putting the finishing touches on his Spring 2018 collection (which he’s presenting not in New York but in Dallas at a see-now-order-tomorrow runway show at Neiman Marcus’s annual Crystal Charity Ball), the designer and I sat down in his 54th Street office to discuss the making of the film, its reception, and the been-there-done-that position of watching his peers shake up their own businesses as he did almost a decade ago.

The film, what’s happening in the fashion industry. It’s very meta, isn’t it?My sister said the same thing. I feel like a lot of what’s happening in the industry today is something I experienced eight years ago, which the film captures. There are definitely lessons there: about taking your time, taking creative risk, understanding the reality of what it takes to make something exist, and redefining success. Success is a form of being able to be creative, of being able to collaborate. If you’re comfortable within that, you can come to a form of happiness. It’s not an easy road; it never will be. And knowing why you enter into an industry. It’s not about facilitating an elevated lifestyle; your work and the process of making is your lifestyle.

Tell me about people’s responses.For my own Zac Posen company team, they were invigorated and kind of pumped to throw themselves into the work we do with even more conviction and drive. For a lot of people it’s been inspiring. It’s not my movie, but it’s what I like to get out of a film. I like films that probe emotional questions and inspire you to get creative and get writing, get draping, painting, cooking, whatever that thing is where you have that kind of output. I’ve had feedback from young designers who found it informative in terms of their being able to relate to early stages in their careers. When I was starting out at 21, the dialogue with the generation above me wasn’t there. There were no people open to dialogue as mentors, unfortunately.

People who know you from Project Runway might not know this side of your story. Were you anxious that they’d see you at a weak moment?No, I wish more people in pop culture showed a level of vulnerability. I think right now in culture we have a lot of false deities. In part it’s because of the untouchable myth. We’re in a time when showing a human journey is more important than ever. Because otherwise anyone on their own journey, when something unsuccessful hits them, they won’t know how to deal with it.

What do you hope the movie will do for you and your business? Will it be good for your business?Will it be good for my business? TBD. I think today authenticity is essential for brands. That’s my answer to that. Authenticity from a person and product is absolutely essential. For me the film that Sandy made is very authentic, very real—a true story. . . . As a film lover—I’d like to work in movies at some point in my career, nothing around the corner—I wasn’t interested in a puff piece or an advertorial.

Going back to the meta-ness of this experience, do you have a comment on the exit of those four key brands?Every designer needs to go through their own journey. It’s an enormous opportunity for some new creators and designers to be loud and be heard and be original. That’s the best part of this. For a lot of people it felt like a slap in the face when I left, [even though] it wasn’t meant as that. I don’t think the designers who are leaving mean it that way, but I understand why people in the industry feel that way. You don’t bite the hand that fed you and raised you. It’s interesting that it’s happening now—you could say it’s because of the political atmosphere. We’re living in uncertain times. So in some ways I say go and take the risk, but in others I think it’s important to support where your business is.

You’re taking your Spring collection to Dallas . . .I’m taking the majority of the collection and doing a show for charity for consumers in Dallas. They’ll be the first people to see it on a runway. I thought it felt right: direct to order by consumer. That experience happens in my studio, as well. A customer can always come here [to the atelier]. I don’t have stores; that customer experience of being here in-house is something that we offer. We’re seeing more and more of that. It’s become a big component. The things that defined luxury and created the beautiful mystique that all of us live under are coming back. Authenticity of experience, standards of quality, and personalization. That’s interesting. For me, with the skill set I’ve learned over the years, we’re able to offer that.

Rent House of Z exclusively here.