Zac Posen
Zachary E. Posen | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 24, 1980 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Known for | Womenswear design, Creative director at Brooks Brothers and Gap Inc. |
Zachary E. Posen (born October 24, 1980) is a prominent American fashion designer.
Early life
Posen grew up in a Jewish household in the SoHo district of New York City. His parents are Susan (née Orzack), a corporate attorney, and Stephen Arnold Posen, an artist, with ancestral ties to Belarus and Poland. His fascination with fashion emerged early on; as a youngster, he fashioned ball gowns for dolls using yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue.
He attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn and completed an internship with designer Nicole Miller during his sophomore year. Awarded a Scholastic Art and Writing Award during his teenage years, Posen participated in Parsons The New School for Design's pre-college program at age 16 and graduated from Saint Ann's in 1999. He received mentorship from Richard Martin at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art before gaining admission to the womenswear course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
In 2001, Posen designed a dress composed entirely of leather strips fastened with dressmaker hooks and eyes, which was featured in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s "Curvaceous" exhibition.
Early beginnings
Posen attracted considerable attention in 2000 when a dress he created for Naomi Campbell circulated among fashion insiders, including actress Paz de la Huerta. Well-connected within the industry, he regards Stella Schnabel as his muse. Through Ingrid Sischy, Editor-in-Chief of Interview magazine, Posen was introduced to publicist Ed Filipowski of KCD, who agreed to represent him without charge.
Zac Posen, 2001–2019
After returning to New York in 2001, Posen launched an atelier from his parents' living room on a modest $15 budget. In October of that year, he debuted a capsule collection at GenArt's Fresh Faces in Fashion New York 2001, earning a $20,000 grant. His initial runway presentation garnered interest from industry leaders such as Yves Carcelle of LVMH, Sidney Toledano of Christian Dior, and Domenico De Sole of Gucci Group. Following this breakthrough, he established his design studio in Tribeca.
Posen became a preferred designer among celebrities including Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Amanda Seyfried, Kate Winslet, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé Knowles.
In 2004, the fashion company Sean John invested in his label. The following year, Ashley Olsen interned with him while attending New York University.
April 2008 saw Posen launch a capsule collection with Target, distributed across 75 stores in Australia. This line was previewed at the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
His designs were showcased on major award show red carpets: Glenn Close at the 2012 Academy Awards; Reese Witherspoon and Naomi Watts at the 2013 Golden Globes; Uma Thurman at the 2013 Met Ball; Sofia Vergara at the 2014 Golden Globes; Anna Chlumsky at the 2014 Emmys; and Rita Ora at the 2014 AMA Awards.
In February 2014, Posen collaborated with retailer David's Bridal to introduce Truly Zac Posen, an accessible bridal gown collection marking his first official venture into bridal wear. That same year, he unveiled a more relaxed Pre-Fall 2015 Trunk Show collection.
In 2018, Posen was commissioned to redesign uniforms for the 60,000 employees of Delta Air Lines. However, by 2020, Delta discontinued the Purple Passport uniform line after flight attendants reported skin irritation issues.
He designed the blush silk gown worn by Princess Eugenie of York for her evening wedding reception in 2018.
On November 1, 2019, House of Z and Z Spoke announced the immediate shutdown of Posen's fashion label. This closure followed Barneys New York’s bankruptcy earlier that year—a significant client for his brand. Soon after, Centric Brands reportedly purchased the Zac Posen trademark at auction.
Brooks Brothers, 2014–2020
Posen took on the role of Creative Director at Brooks Brothers in 2014, tasked with updating the women's apparel and accessory collections. He extended his tenure in 2017, continuing to shape the brand's distinctive aesthetic.
Gap, 2024–present
In February 2024, Posen was named creative director of Gap and chief creative officer at Old Navy, marking a strategic initiative to rejuvenate these prominent labels. He is the first top-level creative executive at Gap Inc. since Patrick Robinson left in 2011.
Other activities
Between seasons 11 and 16, Posen was a judge on Project Runway, stepping down prior to season 17 in 2018.
Rodale released Posen's cookbook in October 2017, a 288-page volume featuring 100 recipes that mirror his design philosophy.
In 2021, he introduced a line of unisex wedding bands, broadening his range into the fine jewelry market.
Recognition
Posen earned the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear in 2004.
Personal life
Openly gay, Posen announced his engagement in 2023 to Harrison Ball, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.