Without a doubt, our inspiring city produces some pretty damn impressive people [what with the jaw-dropping landscapes and such, most can’t help but be creatively inspired]. But much to our COLLECTIVE chagrin, our city’s best and brightest often shine a bit too brightly to operate solely on a local level. Some of these folks you’ve seen on the streets, or in the pages of this blog, but others have gone the way of the big fish in a Small Lake City. On the off-chance you haven’t already, meet your next big fish: Zoë Zoberski. You’ve probably seen that pretty face greet you at Eva’s, or she’s helped you pick out some killer threads at The Stockist. Something you may not know: this gal’s an ace clothing designer and most certainly a name to watch for.
Zoë Zoberski is a born ‘n’ bred denizen of Zion. She grew up near Ogden in a pretty and rural area where she attended a Catholic elementary school–uniforms required. This small form of infantile injustice is where we find our first glimpse of Zoë’s true calling. During the one hour ‘drawing period’ allotted the students each week, other kids were taking underwhelming stabs at kitties and rainbows, while Zoë filled her pages with what would be her first design sketches [see: all the dresses she’d rather be wearing than that polyester nightmare]. The wonder years grew into college years, and though Zoë never thought her passion for design would be anything more than a hobby, she was finding it increasingly difficult to decide on a career. In the interest of not wasting time, she enrolled in a design class at SLCC while she “figured out what to major in” at the University of Utah. The crux of Zoë’s story came in her second semester at SLCC, when she was elected to give a go at her first design competition. The event was sponsored by Vitamin Water, and the young designers were bid to create dresses inspired by an assigned flavor of the drink. Zoë’s flavor–the glaringly yellow [and unforgivingly un-chic] ‘Energy’. At the time, she hadn’t sewn much more than pillows, but our girl nailed it and her design won runner up. The people had spoken: It was clear that Zoë had a knack for this design game, and she decided to focus her efforts wholeheartedly on running it.
Since the honorable Vitamin Water accolade, Zoë has been busy wowing damn near everyone with designs that are minimal-yet-strikingly-structured [just like that stunning mug of hers]. A Jane of all trades, she’s taken two full clothing collections from concept and design to sublime actualization all by her own damn self. She’s an Art Meets Fashion vet, and this year won their ‘Emerging Designer’ showcase [due in no small part, we suppose, to an astute finger-on-the-pulse of the high fashion world, some serious dexterity on a Singer, and more than a lick of raw talent]. She’s been featured in several local periodicals [see: just about all of them], and she’s sold a few of her one-of-a-kind pieces in Park City. Says Zoë, “At the core of my designs is a love of juxtapositions–mending two contrasting subjects to create an artistic balance.” Oft times her inspiration comes from “taking topics with extreme contrasts and using them in their most simple forms to obtain an ambiance of symmetry.” Zoë then utilizes textures and fabrics to give her predominantly androgynous silhouettes a bit of weight [both figuratively and physically]. Think: resolutely feminine. See: easy-breezy statement pieces.
Regrettably, SLC, we will have to live sans the raven-haired honey for a spell. The design world has borne witness to Zoë’s stone cold savvy, and she’s been accepted into the world’s number one school for design, Central Saint Martins at the University of Arts London [we’re talking a 10% acceptance rate here]. Many of fashion’s hall of fame have gotten their start here: Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, and Giambattista Valli to name a fabulous few. We’ve no doubt that it won’t be long before the name Zoë carries the same societal weight as Coco or Tom. Get your fix of those blissful brows while you can–this big fish hops the pond in August. For now, you can find her at The Stockist’s new 9th & 9th space in her very own pop-up studio, where she’s available for in-house alterations. If you happen to find a covetable ensemb in the store that doesn’t quite fit right, she’ll hook you up. Then you can say that you know thee Zoë Zoberski, and she tailor-made your humble hem.
