Fashion designer and multi-disciplinary artist, Paulina Zamorano, at her home studio creating a garment. Paulina is recent graduate of a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design, and has returned to university to study a Bachelor of Fashion Design. Paulina’s brand, Zam Studio, takes an approach to fashion design that is centred around wearable art. Talking about how her interest in wearable art began, she says:
“It developed in my previous degree, in Visual Arts and Design. I’d focused mainly on art making and really - a sculptural approach to art making - but I took the direction of my degree into wearable art when I started to find out that it was a thing”.
Sketches offer insight into the intention Paulina holds in mind when creating wearable art, with the top right piece of paper reading “pieces of art that aim to be useful…everyday utility with meaning beyond use”.
For Paulina, wearable art extends far beyond creating things that are pretty or fashionable. Rather, it is fundamentally about the relationship that exists between the garment and the wearer.
“It’s about the experience of the garment on the body – how is that correlated to a story or a narrative? How is it making you feel as an individual? Rather than simply personifying your identity”.
“It’s about the experience of the garment on the body – how is that correlated to a story or a narrative? How is it making you feel as an individual? Rather than simply personifying your identity”.
Garments Paulina has made sit on a rack in her studio, with materials on a separate shelf overhead. An integral part of Paulina’s brand is the exclusive use of recycled materials. All of her materials are either donated, pre-purchased, or sourced from op-shops. While Paulina values using recycled materials to minimise waste in her practice, she also finds the process of thrifting materials meaningful.
“I just think it’s such a gold mine when you go to Savers, or you go to Salvos or Vinnies, and you find these different textures and different textiles that have different value…value that people don’t actually see until they’re turned into something brand new”.
“I just think it’s such a gold mine when you go to Savers, or you go to Salvos or Vinnies, and you find these different textures and different textiles that have different value…value that people don’t actually see until they’re turned into something brand new”.
Paulina working on a garment for a university assignment, using a roll of faux suede she bought at Savers.
“This piece is meant to convey body, movement, and a garment's relationship to the body. It’s basically going to be a top that laces up from the cuffs all the way down to the side of the waist.”
While unpicking, Paulina describes how she developed an interest in fashion, stemming from her time in high school.
“I fell in love with fashion, fell in love with textiles, in year 10. I loved learning about facing and overlocking…the first piece I ever created was in a textiles class”.
“This piece is meant to convey body, movement, and a garment's relationship to the body. It’s basically going to be a top that laces up from the cuffs all the way down to the side of the waist.”
While unpicking, Paulina describes how she developed an interest in fashion, stemming from her time in high school.
“I fell in love with fashion, fell in love with textiles, in year 10. I loved learning about facing and overlocking…the first piece I ever created was in a textiles class”.
The creative confidence and self-belief that lead Paulina to launch Zam Studio was not always innate. She attributes much of the confidence she has now to having watched her older brother, musician Cristian Zamorano, follow his own creative path. Cristian began pursuing music at a young age, and started out by posting videos on YouTube.
“The fact that he would go, record these songs, these raps, these lyrics…I was like, wow that’s confidence. Having that confidence in yourself and your craft as an artist, I was like, I wanna have that - that same feeling”.
If my brother hadn’t worked the way he did initially, towards his own goals and career – I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have the drive I do now, because he himself initiated the whole concept”.
Overtime Cristian has borne witness to Paulina’s challenges and successes. With Paulina owning a brand, studying fulltime and working as a freelance graphic designer – she often struggles with her workflow when juggling so much.
“We’ve had this conversation before where she does a lot, but she has to choose one thing, stick to that, completely do it, and then do another one”.
“We’ve had this conversation before where she does a lot, but she has to choose one thing, stick to that, completely do it, and then do another one”.
He admires Paulina’s work ethic, and all that she’s achieved.
“She’s achieved so much in a short span of time. All of the work she’s done for different things, the amount of freelance opportunities she’s been given – it’s all because of her hard work”.
“She’s achieved so much in a short span of time. All of the work she’s done for different things, the amount of freelance opportunities she’s been given – it’s all because of her hard work”.
Paulina’s studio, built by her dad, sits in the backyard of the family home.
“This whole studio is a collaboration between my dad and myself, the design and layout was actually my design and layout, my concept from day one”.
Prior to moving into this studio space, Paulina was designing and creating pieces in her bedroom. After working on her graduate collection in 2019, she realised she needed a bigger space and decided to rent a studio. When she declared this to her parents, who were initially resistant to the idea of her pursuing fashion, she was surprised when her dad said he’d build her one.
“When push comes to shove, and we’re really like, we want to do this – our parents are really there for us. They’re not gonna be like no you can’t do that, they’re going to be like, okay, let’s figure out a way”.
“When push comes to shove, and we’re really like, we want to do this – our parents are really there for us. They’re not gonna be like no you can’t do that, they’re going to be like, okay, let’s figure out a way”.
“Each wall in this studio has a purpose, this wall is my storage space for all of my works and materials…but the plants, the plants became something else, they kind of took on a life of their own and a purpose of their own. I take care of them like they’re my children, quite literally”.
Paulina believes that practicing patience and self-care are necessary pre-conditions for succeeding in such competitive industry. The plants help her keep this sentiment front of mind.
“They remind me that growth takes time, and that if I want to grow myself, I also have to treat myself with the same respect and dignity and care”.
Paulina believes that practicing patience and self-care are necessary pre-conditions for succeeding in such competitive industry. The plants help her keep this sentiment front of mind.
“They remind me that growth takes time, and that if I want to grow myself, I also have to treat myself with the same respect and dignity and care”.
Paulina’s favourite piece is a harness from her graduate collection in 2019.
“It’s my favourite because it was the first original design I made, this is my original pattern”.
Paulina’s graduate collection produced some of her most meaningful work, as it is deeply connected to her family. Paulina’s parents immigrated to Australia from Chile, doing odd jobs and side hustles in their first few years living in Australia.
“Overall, the whole purpose and intent of this collection, was to connect worker’s wear to garments. Worker’s wear is often denim, and I remember my mum was cleaning this house one day…I was about five, and she was wearing blue jeans and a white tee”.
The time surrounding Paulina’s graduate collection was tough. Paulina’s mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in the final year of her degree.
“There was a lot going on, but they still came to see the exhibition…I’m so happy they got to see it, because it was for them”.
“It’s my favourite because it was the first original design I made, this is my original pattern”.
Paulina’s graduate collection produced some of her most meaningful work, as it is deeply connected to her family. Paulina’s parents immigrated to Australia from Chile, doing odd jobs and side hustles in their first few years living in Australia.
“Overall, the whole purpose and intent of this collection, was to connect worker’s wear to garments. Worker’s wear is often denim, and I remember my mum was cleaning this house one day…I was about five, and she was wearing blue jeans and a white tee”.
The time surrounding Paulina’s graduate collection was tough. Paulina’s mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in the final year of her degree.
“There was a lot going on, but they still came to see the exhibition…I’m so happy they got to see it, because it was for them”.
When asked what she hopes to make of Zam Studio, Paulina says “I want to be like Frida Kahlo – it sounds so silly, but she left this world with so much knowledge and purpose in every single piece that she did”.
An appreciation of the meaning behind each piece, the experience she is conveying through it, and the values embedded in it - is what Paulina hopes to impart upon the world through the wearable art she creates for Zam Studio.
An appreciation of the meaning behind each piece, the experience she is conveying through it, and the values embedded in it - is what Paulina hopes to impart upon the world through the wearable art she creates for Zam Studio.
“I want people to use the knowledge and implement it into their everyday – taking my art into their own hands, and actually implementing it in their everyday”.
“If I’m able to leave the world better than I found it, with a little bit of knowledge or a little bit of change – then I’ve done my job”.
“If I’m able to leave the world better than I found it, with a little bit of knowledge or a little bit of change – then I’ve done my job”.
