Ada Zanditon

Surreal fashion that could save the world

While it may be easy to spot the next big thing in the fashion business, it’s always a bit tricky to find young designers willing to take a more environmentally-conscious approach. Remarkably, London-based Ada Zanditon seems to have achieved this feat with her one-year-old brand that is now standing out on the list of ethical labels to keep an eye on.

With a style inspired by the shapes of ’70s furniture, Zanditon has taken the London fashion scene by storm. Her highly praised graduate collection of black shapes contras-ting with draped, jewel-toned fabric, won her a first class degree in womenswear design from the London College of Fashion. She then went on to work with Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen and Jonathan Saunders, and took note of their dramatic black silhouettes and bold colors.

Looking at the Red Sox and the Patriots (Zanditon’s favor-ite American sports teams), the young designer established a look based on physical contrasts that she now translates into her eponymous brand. Rodchenko costumes influenced her use of bold splashes of primary colors, while furniture and interior designers Eero Aarnio and Verner Panton’s straight lines are recognized in her well-cut shapes, with an overall final result of flamboyant contrasting dimensions.

“I am always inspired by the same set of things,” Zanditon says. “With each collection, I explore a new concept, but these elements are the foundation of my aesthetics.” Her Spring 2010 collection, presented at London Fashion Week’s Vaux-hall Fashion Scout, was inspired by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum’s book A World Without Bees. “After reading the book, I decided I wanted to construct the collection in the same way that bees construct their colony to bring aware-ness to the current issue of colony collapse and its impact on the world,” she says. While inspiration might come from designers, architects, and natural phenomena, Zanditon further investigates these concepts not only by using natural and organic fabrics, but also through innovative waste reducing and energy-conscious solutions. “I am inspired by using the principles of Biomimicry as a starting point of my design process.”

Of course, there is still the element of celebrity notoriety, and Zanditon’s work has already found its way to the likes of Dita Von Teese and Lois Winstone. The designer has also become a favorite of the indie music scene, dressing Bishi, Robots in Disguise, The Puppini Sisters’ Stephanie O’Brien, and Patrick Wolf.

Using nature as a mentor for her aesthetic, she has manag-ed to create a unique style and considerable buzz among the fashion cognoscenti. One can only hope her enthusiasm takes her far, saving the world with one deconstructed, draped dress at a time.

– Rosa Maria Bertoli

THE SPRING ISSUE

Facebook
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
Email