You know we’re always trying to back young designers by spotting breakout artists before they make it big, but when it comes to Mat Zalabla, he’s far from new to this sh*t. You don’t get to being Lil Yachty’s favourite designer, getting co-signed by Bloody Osiris, or linking up with Slawn overnight. We hit up Mat Zabala’s studio to find out how he’s gone from being fresh out of CSM to fashion’s latest ‘one to watch’.
Since dropping his CSM grad collection back at the start of 2023, Mathew Zabala has been turning heads with his moto-inspired apparel and 3D-printed accessories, getting the attention of some huge names. When we hit up Zabala’s studio, he was working with global artist Slawn to design a fit for him to wear to his first major solo exhibition opening in London: a two-piece set in Zabala’s own moto-style, as well as three bags made from upcycled leather jackets.
Linking up with Zabala in the studio where he was designing the look for Slawn, he explained that “[the project with Slawn] came about because one day Lil Yachty came to my studio and Slawn was with him.” The ball got rolling, and before he knew it Slawn had enlisted Mat to design him a fit. “Slawn is a great person to collaborate with because he's open to ideas, he's excited about the projects, he has his input, and he knows what he likes.”
We followed Mathew on the journey of creating the full look for Slawn, from sourcing fabrics at G.H. Leathers to adding the finishing touches to the look and even shooting Slawn in the final fit. Hitting up Zabala’s studio on the last day of the project, we found Slawn painting his art onto the three bags Mat has designed for him, making the pieces a full circle collaboration.
Hit up our YouTube to watch the full video where we followed Mat Zabala and Slawn’s project from start to finish, documenting every step of the process.
Featured image via Culted©
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