“Will it.  Believe it.  Do it. Now.”,  Zack Lo 

Noblivity Spotlights Emerging Designer Zack Lo

Company/Designer Name:  Zack Lo Shoes / Zack Lo

How did you get started? I have a Fine Arts and Graphic Design background, but have always had a passion for shoes.  About five years ago, I started designing with a friend of mine in London, whose family owned a shoe manufacturing business in Taiwan.  At the same time, I learned the craft of handmade shoes.  The Voodoo Circus is my first collection.

What inspires your designs? I am inspired by vintage styles and by past luxuries–and the lasting imprint they make, but at the same time I have a deep attraction for what seems new.  I am equally attracted to Old Hollywood Glamour as much as by Japanese anime.  For me, I am inspired by what I perceive as beautiful, and that is always a visceral reaction.  So I design what makes me feel happy and connected to world around me.

How would you describe your design style, design signatures and who is your targeted customer?  I think that my designs are extroverted, but yet reflect elegance and sophistication. My design style at the moment is really about mixed mediums–combing many different colors, textures and materials in ways that seem dynamic and feminine to me.  I design shoes that I hope are viewed as fashion in the truest sense, and not just accessories to apparel. I design for a woman who has no fear in expressing who she is–a woman who makes deliberate fashion choices that speak about who she is, rather than follow obvious trends.

What designers inspire you? Elbaz for Lanvin.  Also, I saw recently the Iris Apfel exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, “Rare Bird of Fashion,” from her personal collection.  Genius and theatrical style unfettered by any convention!

What obstacles did you have to overcome?  Shyness, especially in public speaking.  I much prefer to express myself in my work and in my art.

How did you overcome them? I am still in the process of resolving! And I try to smile a lot.

What has been your greatest moment on your journey so far? I am really most happy when thinking about future creations–about growing personally as a designer and staying true to my vision.  Rather than think about what I have done, I want to always consider what I will yet do. And of course, I get inspired by women asking me what my next collection will look like.

What has been the biggest change in your designs so far?  Listening to what women want and the endless ways they think about fashion.  I learned that many women want choices that reflect how and what they feel–one day a princess, the next day a president. I have started to design with this in mind–that is why each shoe in my collection has an individual personality–like characters in a play.

If money were no object what would you do right now?  Catch up on my sleep!  And then I would seek out more opportunities to collaborate on projects with all types of other designers–I really enjoy the energy and community of creating this way.

What are the best and worst things about being a designer? The best is being fully engaged in a project from vision to creation to production.  And of course feeling elated when people respond well to my work.  This creates value for me–the sharing of happiness and expression.  The worst I think, is making compromises along the way that affect the end result in a challenging way. 

Describe your typical day? I generally go to sleep late–since I prefer to do my design work at night, when the energy and excitement of the day is still reverberating in the city.  I typically answer emails and return calls in the morning, have lunch with associates or meet socially with friends in the afternoon, and then get to work when most people are finishing their day.

What’s your philosophy of life? “Will it.  Believe it.  Do it. Now.”

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? That is a really difficult question, since I feel like I am still at the beginning.  I would like to answer this again in twenty years, and I hope that will be able to do so without any regrets.

When will you know you have made it?  When I never stop to think to about what I have achieved!  I want to be looking forward and having wonderful people always around me looking ahead in the same direction.