Pages

Saturday 14 September 2013

FRONT ROW| Exclusive Interview with Zaha Hadid




Fashion Scout showcases each season in the historical Freemasons Hall on Great Queen Street. For the final show of day two, Tahir Sultan; architect and designer Zaha Hadid paid a visit to the venue to support the architect turned fashion designer. Well renown for designing icons such as the London 2012 Aquatics Centre; the multiple award winner and founder of Zaha Hadid Architects also has lesser known fashion related projects in her portfolio, such as collaborations with Lacoste and the Brazilian brand Melissa on innovative footwear capsule collections. We spoke to Hadid before the start of the show on the reciprocal influence of and oscillation between the fashion and architectural industries.

What do you think of the building as a location for a fashion show?
I think it's an interesting building but of course, it has certain connotations that are, you know, magic. I mean for the period it's art deco, very ornate, but the whole idea of the temple I think is for me...I'm glad these buildings are being used for these shows.

The environment we live in can inspire the design of garments that we wear on a daily basis, but is it ever the other way round? Is the relationship between fashion and architecture symbiotic?
I think there is a connection, I think with architecture; it's about how you move in space. And I think clothes and garments are how you move within the space of the garment, and how it fits you. The whole structure of a building; they're not the same in any way, pattern making, the structure of shoes and clothes, but there is a connection. I think there is a visual connection as well. I mean I lived in London in the 80s when everything was about costume, you know it wasn't about fashion it was about projecting yourself through the way you dress and the way you look, and I think many people do things for the same reasons. So there are many connections.

What has brought you to the Fashion Scout Tahir Sultan SS14 collection presentation?
I know the designer, I know Tahir Sultan because I knew his parents, I was very close friends with one of his aunts and when he came to London and he went to the AA, The School of Architecture, I knew him then as well and i'm glad he has done this.

Follow us on Twitter @FashionScout #FashionScout
By Madeleine Ayers, contributor. Follow her on Twitter: @MadeleineAyers
Photography by Jamike Latif @JamikeLatif