Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 35
Occupation: Creative director of Zak + Fox.
Instagram: @zakandfox
Hometown: Los Angeles.
Studio location: New York City.
Describe what you make: We create textiles and wall coverings for the interiors trade. We work with teams all over the world, from artisans and handweavers to commercial manufacturers.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The story we tell is what sets us apart. I think our narrative is the most critical part of our work—the most important thing we’ve “designed”—and allows us to spotlight the product in an almost heroic way.
Describe the problem your work solves: Our work is multifaceted and speaks to many audiences. After seven years of making, we finally have a library that’s large enough to reach many, yet it still has a distinct point of view. The goal of our work is to have something new to say; the issues we try to tackle are in response to an antiquated textile industry. We approach the making of our textiles with a different perspective and we want our products to inspire our clients, not creatively confine them.
Describe the project you are working on now: We’re currently working on our first collection of outdoor fabric—a tremendous challenge to make something innovative and compelling as our tool kit is limited with outdoor-friendly fibers. But we’ll get there. It has been in concept for at least four years and is finally on our calendar.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: Our next collection is due in September and is called “Addendum.” Quite literally, it’s an addition to our current stories—an expansion of our core and favorite in brand-new colorways.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: My dog, Shinji. He’s getting old and doesn’t move as much as he used to, but I like to know that he’s sitting in the chair across from me while I’m in my office.
What you do when you’re not working: Adventure.
Sources of creative envy: Jim Henson.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Anxiety.
Concrete or marble? Can I say wood?
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts, always.
Dark or light? As dark as the night.
