ZARA MIRKIN X UO

Where do you live?

I live in a place called 224 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's filled with some of the coolest people I have met here.

What do you do?

I am the Fashion Editor of NO Magazine and I freelance style/consult to a bunch of labels and magazines like Stolen Girlfriends Club, Oyster Magazine and heaps more. I also take a lot of photos, all the time.

How did you first get interested in fashion?

My poppie was a fashion illustrator in NYC back in the day. He used to draw for Pierre Cardin and Bloomingdale's. I used to look at his pictures when I was a kid and I suppose they influenced me from a very young age.

How did you become a stylist?

I always wanted to be a designer and "never really" knew what a stylist was. When I was working for Stolen Girlfriends Club as an 18-year-old, Russh Magazine came to New Zealand to shoot with Catherine McNeil. My friend was friends with the fashion editor at the time and suggested I assist them while they were here. So I went away with them around New Zealand for the week shooting and fell in love. A year and a half later NO Magazine was started and they offered me the job as fashion editor, with no experience. I guess my boss saw something in me that no one else had yet.

What do you like most about styling?

My favorite thing about it is having a vision in your head and making it come to life with your dream team of photographer, model, hair and makeup, location and clothes. If you get it right and your shoot inspires others around the world, it's a really beautiful feeling.

What influences your work?

Subcultures, particularly cowboys and westerns. Metalers, I'm obsessed with the metal scene and all the boys with their long greasy hair, piercings and metal T-shirts. Locations are very important in my work, sometimes I will find an incredible weird location and the whole shoot will come from that.
And then all my friends... I have some really special people in my life around me. They are all inspiring and talented in their own way, whether it be the way they make you feel, the way they dress, the photos they take or the songs they sing, they are all a big part of who I am and what my work represents.

Can you describe some of your favorite looks you've ever put together?

It would probably be my Mexican-themed shoot that I did for NO Magazine, shot by Karen Inderbitzen-Waller. I love all things Mexican and I dressed these two young girls in costume like they were Day of the Dead dolls.
Dressing Alice Dellal in a whole bunch of crazy Jeremy Scott was fun too. As for myself, I wear a variety of the same thing everyday, so not super exciting!

Who have you worked for or with?

I work with a bunch of NZ/Australian labels like Stolen Girlfriends Club, Lonely Hearts, Something Else, Adrian Hailwood, Huffer and then some more high-end London based labels like jewelery designer Jessica McCormack and sportswear brand Lucas Hugh. Apart from NO Magazine, I have contributed to Oyster, Surface, Yen, Russh Japan and Foam. I also dress a very talented musician called Ruby Frost.
I have a few photographers that I really make beautiful work with and love collaborating with: Karen Inderbitzen-Waller, Derek Henderson, Rene Vaile, Ben Sullivan, Maya Villager, Sam Montgomery, Natasha Cantwell and Sam Crawford. They are all so talented and have their own style going on, you should check out their work!

Who are some of your favorite models that you have worked with, and why?

Zippora and Jasper Seven, Alice Dellal, Tallulah Morton, Julia Nobis, Emily Baker, Rachel Rutt, Vinnie Woolston and Bambi Northwood-Blythe. They are all just kind beautiful people, inside and out. There is a lot more to some of these people than just a pretty face, they have there own things going on like Julia's guitar playing, Zippy and Jasper's crazy adventures, Vinnie's tattooing, Rachel's knitting, Tallulah's just all together wildness. They all have their own incredible sense of style that emulates my styling and together I feel like we make magic when we work together.

How did your work with Stolen Girlfriends Club come about?

I started working for Stolen Girlfriends Club six years ago when I was 18. I met Marc and Luke at a party and they had just started the label one season ago and were only making T-shirts and jeans at that stage. I was working for them one day a week helping them with production. After a while, as the business grew, I came on full-time doing everything from designing the womenswear to sales, production and packing orders. It was just Marc and I for a few years so between us we did everything and anything. I left designing for them in September 2009 to focus on a freelance career in styling.
Since then I have continued to work very closely with them, styling all their look books, campaigns and Fashion Week shows in New Zealand and Sydney, as well as some consulting. Stolen Girlfriends Club are like family to me, we have grown so much together and completely understand and get each other. And I hope we will still be working together in 20 years time...

Tell us about NO Magazine. What is it and what do you do for them?

NO Magazine is a quarterly publication from New Zealand. It's a pop culture magazine that focuses on fashion, music and film. It's different to most magazines as there are no product pages. It's one story about a person, brand, etc., after another, linked together by six degrees of seperation. We also have really incredible fashion editorials that we shoot around the world with our talented contributors. I am the fashion editor there, which means I concept all the fashion editorial ideas and commission the right team to work on the shoots with me. I then cast models, find locations, source and style all the clothes for it and then we shoot and make magic hopefully. I also have to do things like go see all the new ranges of designers and go see shows at Fashion Week in NZ and Australia, as those countries are our main market.

What "fashion moments" are most memorable to you?

The one that stands out the most would be Stolen Girlfriends Club's first ever fashion week show. It was surreal. Looking back it was a fashion disaster, some models went out barefoot. We all came out at the finale to TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me" playing; I will always think of that when I hear that song. It was the start of something really incredible.
Every show I do is real important and memorable to me. It's so much work of months and months of little sleep and crazy ideas put into 10 fast minutes. It's a very strange thing, and stuff can go wrong so easily.
The other most memorable moment was coming to NY three years ago at 21 and getting to shoot a 22-page spread, plus two covers, of my muse at the time, supermodel Alice Dellal for NO Magazine. That was really fucking cool.

What is New Zealand like?

New Zealand really is as beautiful as everyone thinks it is. It's something I have only realized and appreciated these last few years of growing up and constantly leaving NZ. It's very small not just in size, but in comparison to the rest of the world and what's going on out there. You can drive 20 minutes out of the city and be at the most breathtaking beaches, waterfalls, kitsch small towns, delicious fish 'n' chip shops....

What does being a 'Kiwi' mean to you? Is it offensive if we ask that?

Not at all offensive, I am proud to be a Kiwi. I think Kiwis are really down to earth and hard workers. Our hearts will always belong in New Zealand even though our heads are somewhere else!

What prompted you to move to NY?

I felt like I couldn't grow my career any further there. I already worked for my favorite magazine and labels and was getting bored and needed to get re-inspired and work with people I dreamt about working with. Also my family and some of my best friends in the world all live in New York, so it made sense.

What have been your impressions of NY thus far?

I feel like it's hard, and everyone comes here to succeed in life therefore you gotta really want it, more than anyone else and be cut throat. But on the other hand, I think it is the most magical city in the world, literally anything you want can happen here. It's the city of dreams.

What do you think you'll miss about New Zealand?

I miss the easiness of the lifestyle there. I miss the BBQs in the backyards in summer, I miss driving around town, I miss the laidback attitudes and walking down the road and seeing everyone you know. But you can always come back and visit and nothing would of have changed, which is nice.

What are your five favorite articles of clothing you own?

• 1. My homemade studded Levi's denim jacket with its Dead Moon and Hole patches.
• 2. My Wu-Tang T-shirt I stole from my ex.
• 3. My knitted Harley Davidson sweater my friend Charlotte found me.
• 4. My Harley Davidson buckle boots, I wear them every day.
• 5. All my beautiful rings and jewelry made by my friend Zora at Wunderkammer, I feel naked without them!

What are five things we should know about New Zealand?

• 1. You should try Pineapple Lumps, they are yum and native to us.
• 2. Boy is the best film ever made and was made in NZ, it will pretty much sum it up for you...
• 3. Burt Munro was from here, the World's Fastest Indian.
• 4. We have heaps of sheep!
• 5. We have good bands, The Mint Chicks and The Checks!

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ABOUT A GIRL: LAURA MAY

Introduce yourself!
I'm a born and bred Sydney girl. I live beachside in Bondi. I'm a Piscean dreamer with an addictive personality. I'm also the womenswear designer for Insight.

Why is Insight a good fit for you?
I've grown up by the beach. I am driven by a need to create and I try to live life with purpose and awareness while maintaining a somewhat carefree, relaxed existence. 

What is a typical day like for you at the office?
A day in the office usually involves emails, fittings, research, design, working on concepts for new collections, art, shoots and hanging about. I travel a lot for work and I am often away on inspiration trips or range releases. There's a lot of variety in my role and I'm never in one place for too long, which suits me just fine.

What is the Insight office like?
It's a really big warehouse with a paper-ball-crushed red Mercedes in the drive, a giant golden apple inside and inappropriate classifieds collaged on the walls. The talented and fun individuals there make going to work not feel like you're going to work.

Any cool work secrets you can tell us?
We throw really, really fun parties. That's all I'll say!

Where do you go on inspiration trips?
My ideal lifestyle is one of a nomadic existence. I've spent time living in Paris, London, New York and Bali. I visit LA, Tokyo, Bangkok, Europe and Hong Kong numerous times each year with Insight. Drawn by my love of sun and surf I've been to Tahiti, Fiji, California and the south of France for some major chill time. I hope to visit India at the end of the year. Also, I love nothing more than a summer road trip up the east coast of Australia. Around New Year's each year we pile into our cars and head north to Byron Bay. My friends and I have houses on the coast where we can crash out and have all kinds of adventures.

What is the most important thing you've learned from working for Insight?
Don't sell out. Even when times are tough, stay true to what you believe in. In these fickle times people are looking for something real. 

When did you first become interested in designing?
It started somewhere between wanting to become a dancer, a painter, an actress and a marine biologist.

What was the first thing you designed?
When I was 15-years-old I made a wearable art piece for our year 10 art project—a floor length skirt made from rolls and rolls of lilac tulle, spray-painted and graffitied with faces and words with an accompanying lingerie set. I arranged a photo shoot running down streets at night tearing off the layers. Very dramatic, I know! It was dark and twisted and very reflective of my confused state of being at that time.

What was high school like for you?
My high school was nestled deep in beautiful bushland on the outskirts of Sydney. There were no bells, as it disturbed the wildlife. I would spend entire periods daydreaming out the classroom windows, looking out over the gully. I loved the social aspect of school. I worked hard at subjects I loved (art, drama and English) and flunked those that bored me. In reflection, I wish I'd paid more attention to history and geography and less time flirting with the boys in the back row. According to my mum, as soon as I hit 13-years-old I turned into a nightmare. I was rebellious and always in trouble. My last two years I came into my own, thanks to the mentoring of my wonderfully spirited and eccentric art teacher. I spent every lunch and free period locked in our art room working on projects. She taught me how to channel personal experiences through your art, and gave me confidence in my ability. I have great memories of high school, but was definitely ready for the real world by the time I graduated.

What inspires you when you are designing?
Travel is a major inspiration to me because I'm exposed to art, music, books, film, photographs, people and new experiences. I'm always looking for inspiration in the unexpected and love scouring markets for old textiles, vintage fashion and bric-
a-brac. The collections are a merge of all these things.

Describe the type of girl you design for.
The beauty of Insight is our appeal to a cross-section of girls all over the globe. Girls drawn to the label are usually living, or aspire to live, the lifestyle we pro-
mote. My muses are generally the girls in my life: friends, artists and people I meet on my travels. They are creative, passionate and driven souls, who are following their dreams and having fun. After all, it's all about the journey.

What is your favorite thing to design?
I love working on the more directional fashion pieces where I have the freedom to push the boundaries a little. Denim, because I live, breathe
and wear it every day. Prints, because I am madly obsessed with print,
colour and textiles.

Least favorite?
Least exciting would be the really commercial pieces that you must re-invent season after season. It begins to feel stale, but they gener-
ally pay the bills so it's important I get it right.

What are you working on now?
Designing the Spring 2012/13 collection, concepts and styling for our Autumn 2012 look book, and developing a new personal blog.

What do you like to do on the weekends?
I practice yoga. I check out markets and stock up on my fruit and vegetables at Bondi Farmers Markets. I stroll the streets, hang at the beach, read, party, work on personal projects and chill the hell out—generally in that order.

When was the last time you had too much fun?
I just returned from Bali and that is a lot of fun, all the time.

How would you describe your style?
It's a reflection of my mood each day. 

What was a style phase you went through that now makes you groan?
Hound Dog circa 1997-99. That won't mean anything unless you were a teenage girl in Sydney in the late '90s. Hound Dog was the place to shop and work. Think bright coloured lycra and barely-there bodycon. Perfect attire for the under-18 dance parties. We'd team it back with a chunky heel and shimmery eye shadow. Tragic! I can't believe my parents let me out of the house in some of those outfits! Though, I do recall stuffing the really inappropriate ones into my bag.

Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to be in your
shoes?
Dream big, work hard and do as much work experience as
possible. It will give you invaluable experience, build your
portfolio and give you a taste for the industry.
Being in the fashion industry is much harder work than most
people realize. The long hours and constant deadlines from
season to season can take their toll. So, like anything, you need to really love what you do. Be committed and the rewards will come.

Who are your favorite designers?
Alexander Wang, Phoebe Philo for Céline, Maison Martin Margiela, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Nicolas Ghesquiére for Balenciaga, J.W. Anderson (a young London designer who I feel is destined for great things), Rick Owens for his shoes, ACNE for their denim and local Australian label Bassike for their basics.

What are your five favorite items of clothing? I hate playing favorites, but these pieces are my staples:
1. Balenciaga Biker Boots.
2. Dad's old leather jacket with burgundy suede sleeves—now claimed as my own.
3.  My velvet throw-overs, made from old scarves from Portobello markets
4. My vintage t-shirt collection
5. Purple Anne Demeulemeester hat

Where are your five favorite places in Sydney?
1. The rocks at McKenzies Beach.
2. The Surry Hills on market day.
3. My rooftop at sunset.
4. The Suveran café and organic grocer in Bondi. I eat there every day.
5. My beach house at Fingal Beach. This is a few hours north of Sydney, but it's where I go to escape and I love this place so much. 

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