Designer Interview: Sanaa Hyder from ZH Collection

So tell us a little bit more about yourself. What is your unique story?

Having lived in several countries, I was exposed at an early age to an incredible mixture of things: art galleries, stinky cheeses, the summers of Italy, growing cherries in Tehran, making daisy-chains in my front yard in a London suburb, going for jeep rides in the desert dunes – and making igloos when the snow exceeded 2 feet. The art I make for ZH Collection is a reflection of the youth I delight in and which nourishes and reminds the grown-up me to be curious and excited about each day and to never actually ‘grow up’. My desire has always been to connect my exploratory spirit with my need for creativity. Living in five countries, I’ve had many diverse cultural experiences that have informed both my business and artistic sides.

I have a business degree from Babson College and studied Fashion at Parsons The New School for Design. Previous to starting ZH Collection, I designed and co-founded Zehra Hyder, a high-end dress line, and ZH Collection Apparel, a contemporary dress and jacket line. Besides my work as founder and artist of ZH Collection, I also work on creative projects mixing writing and illustration. My art experiences include working with paint, canvas, wooden sculptures, photography, ceramics and indoor installations. At Babson, I was a curator of several art shows and won an art award for my outdoor sculptures and also received ‘the most creative contribution’ prize upon graduation. I also support health and charitable causes. I’m an active committee member of Junior Suicide Prevention International. I currently live in Scarsdale, New York.

What are you trying to achieve with ZH Collection? Tell us more about what inspires your pieces.

My goal is to share a slice of magic with my customers – something from a more innocent time. I want to remind you that youth is an attitude and that it’s the little things that make it all worthwhile. On my way to adulthood, my travels also exposed me to a lot of poverty and pain. As such, I cannot work without considering the effect I can have (however small) on causes that are meaningful to me. They say happiness is belonging to a bigger cause. Be assured that the art I bring you is informed by these deep-seated values. I hope that my prints make you smile. That’s the entire mission of ZH Collection.

The original source of the idea for the company goes back to the core of my childhood: the imagination and the whimsy. In fact, this business concept seemed like the most natural and organic next step in life because the brand is the ultimate culmination of my experiences, my love for art and my entrepreneurial spirit.

Through my passion for mixing art and commerce, I created ZH Collection to add beauty, joy, and inspiration to people’s lives with my youthful and fun products.

Who do you envision wearing your pieces?

The ZH Collection customer is an educated, savvy, independent woman who is confident about herself and curious about the world around her.

She does not define herself by the brands she purchases. She appreciates ZH Collection’s ability to appeal to her sense of humor, her connections with childhood (a sense of youth and well-being), a desire to be unique, and, of course, an appreciation for longevity and function.

We all know that breaking into the industry as an emerging designer is no easy feat. What have been your greatest challenges as a designer? How did you overcome them?

During the course of my start-up, there have been many major obstacles and I could quote a lot of them here. However, I believe that there really is one ultimate obstacle that I face each day: overcoming personal barriers. My business has faced a variety of typical woes:  financial, shipping delays, production..(to name a few). Throughout these difficulties I noticed that it is only through personal persistence and commitment to my idea that I can solve these business challenges.

Could you describe a little bit your process? How do you go from inspiration to finished piece?

Making ZH Collection accessories is a little bit like going on a quest: it starts off with a deep commitment to sharing a deeply felt joy with the rest of the world and culminates in the challenge of how to communicate such a simple message through fashion accessories!

The process for making ZH Collection bags starts in New York with the patterns for the bags. I will work on a sketch and the sketch will evolve into a drawing, then a print and finally into a pattern. At that point I will play around with colors, pattern layout and shapes. This part itself can sometimes take several months to get ‘just right’. Often, prints are a work-in-progress and I like to think of them as living, breathing entities which can have a life of their own.

I then consider bag shapes. The concept at the core of ZH Collection is to create simple, functional bags that are usable and useful in everyday life: travel, work, weekend, evenings and so on. I design shapes with utility and comfort in mind. The bags are then manufactured in India.

What is your favorite piece you’ve created and why?

The message I try to convey through my pieces is quite simple: that personal accessories should be functional, helpful and incredibly special in some regard.

My favorite ZH Collection pieces are the bag “collections”: the groupings of the Travel Bag, a Notebook Handbag and a Reversible City Tote. These are a great value and they offer a fun, unified carrying solution for a variety of activities. These little collections also make great gifts for the upcoming holiday season: people are travelling, taking weekend breaks or going away to visit friends and family. The bags are ideal for the airplane, bus or car and make very usable gifts. I’ve never met one customer who didn’t use the bags over and over – especially for travel!

I find that each bag is useful in its own way for some essential activity – whether it’s running an errand or packing files for a meeting, I find I need them all.

Are there any other Boticca designers that you like?

It’s difficult to choose a favorite Boticca designer because Boticca is by nature an intelligent and thoughtful collective of unique designers. In general, I admire the designers who bring a message, fun – or both – to their collections. I like Vanessa Boulton’s handbags for their colourful interiors and a great label. I also really like belts and as such am drawn to Poupee Couture for its delightful belts but also its message about social norms. In terms of jewelry, I enjoy looking at the bold and inspiring pieces by designers such as Jade Mellor and Selda Okutan: there is an equal amount of minimalism and bold enthusiasm in the pieces which speaks to me.

So what’s next for you?

ZH Collection just had a great event in New York City on October 1^st at the National Arts Club to showcase and sell samples of the latest collection. I like to have events once or twice a year for friends and customers in order to share the fun, artistic nature of the brand.

Since my new collection just arrived, I’m excited about showing off the line and on the business end, I’m looking to grow my team.

I’m also considering new bag shapes (as always!) such as backpacks, clutches, and more travel accessories. I’m in the process of researching, testing and imagining the next bag collection and how it can be even better!

Sanaa’s ZH Collection on Boticca is available here.