Interview: Anna Yinan Zhou show dark and romantic is still powerful

After a strong start on Project Runway Season 19, Anna Yinan Zhou allowed the distractions of the competition to muddle her voice. Even though her competitive presence might have faded. Her true designer’s aesthetic is always front and center. For Anna, the future is full of possibilities.

Recently, Culturess spoke to Anna Yinan Zhou after her final Project Runway Season 19 episode. While that episode featured some Real Housewives cast members, the client-influenced task seemed to bring out different opinions in the workroom. Although there was not the spirited banter like a Real Housewives reunion show, managing the client’s personality was part of the challenge.

Looking at Anna’s look for Gina, the situation was more about the judges’ perspective and the guidelines for the reunion show than the particular look on the runway. In some ways, Anna appeased her client and pushed the design vision, but some people were not ready for that approach.

When asked about that look, Anna shared “To be honest, I didn’t struggle with designing for Gina. I was able to blend my couture and edgy vision with Gina’s preference. She told me that she felt elevated in that look and I think she was gorgeous indeed. I admit my look probably is not a typical reunion look from the past, and I respect the critique from the judges. But who knows it’s not the future trend for the housewives. In my opinion, blending a designer’s unique aesthetic with a client’s wants is supposed to be creative and fashion-forward. Otherwise, why do we need a designer’s work?”

The role of the designer as an artist is a topic that needs to be explored more often. While this one situation might not have appeased the judges, other client collaborations were successful.

For Anna, she believes, “The experience will not impact my design or my brand at all, It will only benefit for my future works. Also, I believe my aesthetic suited for both broader client and a single individual. And I think understand my client very well, just like the Olympic look I did for Tara.”

That balance between understanding a client yet not losing the designer’s insight is key to any successful brand. One of Anna’s strengths is that she is technically strong.

When asked about the importance of technique and execution, Anna shared, “I believe that the technique skill supports a designer’s idea. Looking into the most successful designers such as: Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, etc. They are super skilled and they have a high level understanding of the construction. Only with strong technical skill, can these great designers transfer their creativity into reality.”

That ability to bring the design off the page and onto the runway is key. Even if fashion is art, there is a moment when everyone stops to look at the person in a memorable look.

Looking through Anna’s designs on Project Runway Season 19, she seemed to capture a woman’s strength. Although some looks were mostly black, Anna isn’t just focused on monochromatic fashion.

Anna said, “I believe each color has its unique power and every woman has their powerful color. I use black a lot, it’s because it comes out naturally from my aesthetics, dark romantic. I know how to play with dark colors and still make the scheme vivid. So, it can make a powerful statement for my runway in my case.”

While Anna is looking to make a splash in the fashion world, the Project Runway Season 19 experience had its many ups and downs. As many viewers will remember, Anna was impacted by an unfortunate bus accident. In some ways, that moment in time seemed to be a turning point in the competition.

When asked about that incident, Anna spoke candidly. “I do feel the incident changed my success on the show at some point because it happened too close to my friend, Octavio’s leave. Two things happened in one week, which didn’t give me enough time to process. It distracted me too much from the competition.”

Although distractions can be difficult, this season’s group of designers seem to be willing to support each other. While Anna had bonded with Octavio, she believes that the closeness had both positives and negatives.

Specifically, Anna shared, “I think a good bond between the designers has double edges. A friendship gives support and brings confidence to the designer in the competition. I also think a good friendship is priceless. On the other hand, it also takes away the designer’s attention from the competition.”

Still, Anna believes that personal life experiences and future events will impact her future designs. As seen at the end of her elimination episode, one big change is coming into her life. Anna is expecting.

Anna believes that “motherhood will influence my future design. I usually draw inspiration from my life experiences. This upcoming life event may even reform my cognition of things and let me understand the world differently. A brand new life experience will spark new ideas and inspiration to me, and I can’t wait for it to happen.”

Now that Project Runway Season 19 is over, her plate is quite full. In addition to launching her brand ORAZ in 2020, the busy designer will be juggling many projects. She said, “ For me, my boy will be the big next, I can’t wait to meet him for a minute! For my brand, I’m looking forward to expanding its size and market. I have spent the last 2 years building the foundation for my brand. Now, I think it’s a perfect time to make it stronger.”

Project Runway Season 19 airs on Bravo Thursday nights at 9 p.m. and can be streamed on Peacock.