S02 Episode 94 | ZANNI, PERFORMANCE FABRIC + DESIGNING TO LAST
In episode 94, Kestrel welcomes Suzanne Lewis, the founder & designer of Zanni to the show. By reinventing the classic little black dress, Zanni uses technical performance fabrics and manufactures in Los Angeles to create what they call, "dresses for whatever." "As much as people made fun of the athleisure trend when it came out, I think what we're seeing is that everyone wants to be comfortable, and people want balance. They don't want to have to have one outfit for each activity of the day - they want to have an outfit that works with them." -Suzanne Lewis, Founder & Designer of Zanni Throughout this episode, Kestrel and Suzanne discuss where performance fabrics fit into the fashion industry today. Suzanne shares what determined her fabric choice for her dresses, and more on what polyamide elastanes are comprised of. Suzanne opens up about the difficulty in finding the best feeling fabric for her dresses, and how while she wants to bring recycled poly options into her pieces down the line, she hasn't found the best fit for her designs yet. For Suzanne, the longevity and usability of a design is her top priority. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Maker's Row, platform Suzanne used to help in her sourcing process Polyamide Elastane, fabric used in Zanni's dresses Reformation's Factory Tours in LA Fashion Tech Forum, event held near LA, October 2017 Island Earth, documentary Kestrel mentions in the intro