BARCELONA APRIL 25, 2020
BARCELONA APRIL 25, 2020
José María García, creative director of Ze García, shows his most intimate and personal side in an unedited interview. This is how the designer has lived life in lockdown while balancing it with his luxury fashion brand.
By trying to learn as much as possible. I watch a lot of documentaries and historical films.I like the time I spend on entertainment to be productive and to bring me something new, and the same goes for books. Now that I have the time, I take advantage of it and am grateful for this disconnection.
I also watch a lot of Youtube, especially music covers, as I have always loved music since I was a child.
Not easy these days, as I’m used to spending most of my day in the atelier or with couture clients. But the positive part is that it has allowed me to do some internal research and develop different scenarios. I’ve been able to work on different things that I don’t usually have time for. When you are put in new scenarios, I’ve embraced working from home, new opportunities, and getting back in touch with people I haven’t had contact with for a long time. This creative hiatus caused by lockdown should be optional and I would be happy to do so as an internal assessment. I have had more time to dedicate to aspects of my life that I normally wouldn’t because I was overloaded with work. Creating with plenty of time is necessary for brands and especially for creatives, who can explore their creativity more.
Thanks to this mandatory break, we have had to step out of our comfort zone and have been able to explore new scenarios and methodologies. It would be nice as a creative to slow down the pace and enjoy the creative process more.
I don’t have just one moment, I have many. From the moment I have a quiet breakfast in the morning to when I come back in the evening and take a shower. But they are routine moments. If you ask me outside of the quarantine, the moment I enjoy the most is when I finish my long day at work and I disconnect by going for a walk around Barcelona and usually end up having dinner in an intimate little place.
Without a doubt, cookies. I literally got hooked on making cookies thanks to Anaisa López’s videos. I have a sweet tooth, and everything this woman makes could be my favourite recipe.
Although, if you ask me for something savoury, I would choose a recipe from my mother who has been cooking all her life and now in quarantine she has taught me how to cook her very special hake in green sauce.
During lockdown, a lot of my inspiration comes from films. I’m a big film buff and I’m often inspired by period films. They inspire me and my head starts to create and imagine. I’m also very inspired by art, painting and photography. Anything that is very visual, I need to see. Even with novels, they have to be very descriptive so I can imagine all the scenes and settings.
The height of the ceilings and the finishes. I live in a main building in the golden square of Paseo de Gracia and the structure of the building is very manor like, with a slight French feel to it.
Tom Ford. He is not a typical designer, he has a more global vision. He doesn’t just think about the collection, he thinks about the current trend, capturing it, transmitting it, and he never forgets the business side. He makes it very clear that fashion is linked to society. Also Armani, Ralph Lauren and Valentino.
Film ‘Danseuse’ (The Dancer) and the series Black Mirror. It is very difficult to choose just one.
Letters to Yves, Fashionpedia and What are you looking at? The latter is about the history of art from all avant-gardes. Also, Studio ko on interior design, I have so many…
Figs, wood and cotton. I love to work with the smell of each space and make it unique, because smell is one of the things that I remember the most. It’s something I give a lot of importance to.
Simple things such as going out for dinner and a night out in Barcelona.
I think it is vital to generate social awareness. We only have one planet and we all live on it. More importantly the world doesn’t revolves around individuals. The environmental issue at hand needs to be a priority and I think we need to stop and take things slower. On an individual level, let’s move towards local consumption and local production. We must all work closely together and look after what is ours. Not only in retail but in all sectors, like agriculture for example. Globalisation is fine, but we need to work on conscious consumption and above all on sustainability.
