Designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen Celebrates Witchy Women
Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen has been thinking about medieval times a lot lately. And not just because of the techno-feudalism that has taken over our world. For her fall 2025 show, she collaborated with artist Vasaris Balzekas on surreal armored plates, which served as a foil to her delicate corseted gowns. Whalen had always been averse to the motif, but, she says, 'We're living in a time now that is incredibly violent, and we're being exposed to a lot of brutality. I thought it would be a striking thing to explore visually and not shy away from commenting on the time we're living through, which is quite dark.' Held at Performance Space New York in the East Village, the candlelit show ended dramatically, with the designer herself snuffing out each flame.
The Middle Ages are not the only historical period the Brooklyn-based designer has dug into in her work: Over the short history of her label, everything from Victorian petticoats and corseting to 17th-century panniers has made an appearance. She is fascinated by the different forms of body modification we have seen over the centuries, and the conundrum of how to reference them in contemporary dress.
Whalen didn't always see a place for herself in fashion. Growing up in Massachusetts, she was immersed in the 'unschooling' movement, which encourages students to freely pursue their own interests. At 12, she learned to sew from a local women's sewing circle. She remembers thinking, 'I have no idea how I'm going to bridge this hippie side of me, literally climbing trees barefoot,' with the fashion industry. When she began working for the art-influenced label Eckhaus Latta, it clicked into place that she didn't need to negate that side of herself to succeed.
Whalen went on to found her own label, and makes her ethereal creations from deadstock fabric, upcycled bedsheets, and found linens, among other materials. She's drawn to these sources not just because they are sustainable, but because they bring her back to an older, craft-based tradition where people held onto items for generations. 'The way I think we can create this sustainable-future proposal is not through the materiality of things, but through our emotional relationship with these pieces,' she says. 'I think that is the only way that we're going to get people to consume less.'
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