Mathew Zabala: The break

‘I wanted my collection to ask the question, what would somebody riding a motorcycle in 30 years look like?’

Mathew Zabala, a Central Saint Martins graduate, discovered an unexpected source of inspiration in the aftermath of a motorcycle accident. During his recovery, a profound fascination for the functionality of protective gear and the dynamics of motion began to take root.

This led him on a creative journey to explore how protective clothing could exist in the realm of high fashion. Through his futuristic designs, Zabala challenges the conventional notions of what sportswear can be, and offered all of us a little glimpse into an exciting future for the CSM alumni.

For our readers that aren't familiar with you, could you outline your upbringing and where your interest in fashion originates from?

I was born in New York, and grew up in Spain. So I was lucky enough to have both sides, a big city and then also a really small city in the North of Spain. I think that’s where for the first time I was introduced to motorcycles and motocross, in the mountains.

For my last collection, that was the first place which inspired me, and was hugely inspired by a lot of the looks and a lot of the styles that I’d see that influenced my work. I got into fashion, basically through an exam question, I was doing my art GCSEs here in the UK and basically one of the questions at the end of the course was about clothing. And ever since then I took a huge interest in fashion.

You graduated from a prestigious fashion school that has birthed so many great names. How did it feel to be given an opportunity to learn the craft at Central Saint Martins? What did you gain from the course? And did it live up to your expectations?

I would say that I feel very grateful that I was able to go to such a great university. To be completely honest, I feel like the strongest point of the university, are the people that are actually attending the university, and maybe less what you actually learn from the university.

At university, I think that obviously I attended during a tricky time due to most of my CSM experience being during COVID. And basically, throughout this, I would say, what I always say to people is that, you know, where university falls short, for me, is the practicality of it. So, for example, the practical skills, the sewing, the making, because everybody wants to do such different things, I think it's kind of hard for them to really, you know, teach you in the best ways.

But I would say that the university for me was incredible because when I first got there, I was easily the worst student. I was easily the least talented, least gifted. And I think by seeing what other people could do, it helped me push and really find myself because I feel like at the beginning of the university experience, you kind of, especially at CSM, you want to be that person who is different to everybody else and try to do something crazy. Then you have that opportunity, to design your first whole look and you get to show it and you realise what is you and what isn't you.

And I think that throughout my experience there, I realised that the only thing that I could do is to be myself and create what I wanted to create, what I know I can do well, but still pushing myself. So I think that the students around me was the kind of the main benefit to being at this university, because you see what people can actually do. And what people can actually create and it pushes yourself because you think to yourself if they can do it, I can definitely do it.

You previously worked at Harley Davidson and JW Anderson, could you speak to us about these experiences that have helped mould you into the designer you are today?

I would say that the experience that I gained from working at these two companies was probably the biggest lessons I've ever learned, to be honest. At JW Anderson, it was incredible to be able to work at a place where I was able to design for so many different collections. I was able to design for Moncler, for Uniqlo, and then to be able to present my designs to Jonathan Anderson. To be able to experience that and see how the fashion world works was such an incredible opportunity. At a place like JW Anderson, you actually get to see more of the fashion world than you think. Everything is in the same building. From the atelier, womenswear, knitwear, menswear, the press, sales, even to people who work on the fabrics, literally everything you get to see in one place and you get to understand how a fashion brand works. For me, that was so eye opening.

Then when I went to Harley Davidson, working under Louise Golding, she had started Yeezy with Kanye. When I was there the team was so new, I was really able to show what I could do, and very quickly I was able to start designing and making first runs of garments, working really closely with the atelier. We tried every seam, every cut, everything so many times to make sure everything was perfect. It was honestly the most incredible experience.

That's given me so much for now and really pushing myself to make sure that everything is the best, because at the end of the day, we don't need more clothes in this world. So, I think that it's really nice to make sure that when you do produce a garment that is the best garment that you physically can produce because otherwise it is not necessary.

What was the starting point of your graduate collection conceptually? How did you start your research?

When I was growing up, my parents always really pushed me to do things that I loved and that I wanted to do, that's why going into fashion was never an issue. They've always been supportive, and that's kind of where this project started. When I was about seven or eight years old, I said to my mum that I wanted to do motocross. I wanted to ride motorcycles fast, and because I was very adamant about it, she said, okay, let's do it. She took me to a place where I could learn and from that age, I started riding motorcycles, dirt bikes. That is when I found the love for putting these garments on and being so intrigued by how they worked and I didn't even think of it in a fashion way. I was just thinking about how cool it was that these garments that you put on can protect you while riding.

This collection really started when I was in Spain and I fell off my motorcycle and broke my foot. Whilst I was recovering from my broken foot, this project started with me exploring protective clothing and what the future of casts are when you break a bone. That's where the 3D printing element came into my collection. I started to then use the influence of motorcycle clothing into the clothes and the aesthetic of a young person who likes fashion, but also wants to be able to move in them and feel that feeling of when you put on a motorcycle jacket.

I was very excited by the idea because nowadays you see so many people wearing racing jackets for fashion trends. But I thought to myself, why not take these elements of fashion and take what I find beautiful about motorcycle garments? Which is the style lines, how the seams work together, the padding details that come out from the leather and incorporate those into my garments,

Pushing those elements forward into high fashion, which is not something that motorcycle clothing would be, and especially in a menswear take. But obviously, this collection is not designed just for men, but it has that element of what traditional menswear is when it comes to the tailoring. But really, I want everybody in this collection, it’s not just men in the collection. It's women. And it's just anybody who connects with the clothes.

Could you speak about some of your references that have inspired you when designing?

When I reference I will usually look at things that people wouldn't usually look at, so I would go to either metal scrap yards where they have different old car parts and look into bike designs that I like and find interesting. However, I do also take references from fine artists that I love, for example, Cy Twombly and Mark Rothko, who was a big inspiration for this collection.

If I were to reference fashion, I would probably look at 90s Prada, looking into how they finished off the garments cleanly, how they would hide seams and how they would make super simple garments with the least amount of effort, but make it look so beautiful.

Craig Green is a designer that has inspired me, he takes silhouettes, art and structure to the next level, turning them into garments. I think that is something that I love the idea of. The same way I could look at a motorcycle and design a pair of trousers off of them just by the way that the lines are on the motorcycle, the way that the style lines they use, that the designer designing the motorcycle use, and take that and let that influence my design.

How do you start your development process?

I like to draw, take materials of different things that I like, and the quickest way to express my designs are by Photoshopping. So, basically what I do is I'll take things that it could be a material, it could be just a seam like or some kind of texture or drawing that I’ve done on my iPad, and I'll upload that onto Photoshop and then take my muse that I use for the project. So for this project, it was somebody who not only helped me with this project, he was my assistant for this project, Ruben Long.

Throughout this development phase, I would actually say he was probably the most inspiring reference I had, because I was able to use him as my muse, and the idea of the person that I was designing for. And that's why I always like to kind of ask him what he thought about certain designs, certain sketches, colourways, to see what he was thinking, because he's such a creative individual, and he was able to really he has no problem expressing what he thinks. And I think that is so incredible as especially as a young person, to be able to actually be honest and say, I like that. Why don't you do this? Have you seen this? Have you seen that? Some ideas we took forward and some ideas we didn’t. But, yeah, I would say he was a very important part of this.

As you mentioned, your graduate collection, ‘The Break’ was inspired by a motorcycle accident, can you go into more detail about your mission for this collection?

I think that with this collection, I wanted to show what I could do. It wasn't easy, but I wanted to show that I could do tailoring, make puffer jackets, different silhouettes of trousers that you've never seen before. Show that I could do different cuts, do shorts, could do patchwork with the leathers, and I could do accessories. And I just wanted for each look to be able to express different elements.

So that's why in the collection, it starts off with the motorcycle trousers, and that's because I feel like that's what encapsulates the collection the most. Then you go on to the tailored overcoat, which is the long coat and the teal blue, It was inspired by airbags and by the shapes of motorcycles and the gas canisters and all of these things into this, and that goes along with the bag. Underneath this look is one of my favourite trousers that I've created. And the shape is super unique, and it curves in at the knee. When the person wears it, it gathers and comes out so different to anything else that I've seen.

Then we move to the moulded leather jacket, and this is where I tried to play the most, and I wanted this look to feel futuristic. I wanted this look to feel like, what would somebody riding a motorcycle in 30 years look like? And that's why this look was probably the hardest one to achieve, because I moulded each piece of leather individually, creating the moulds myself out of plaster. And then I wet moulded the leather so that they would stay in that position, in that way so that the garment moves. It is then held together with a power knit, which is very strong, but super flexible and stretchy.

I wanted these pieces to have movement, but still to feel, very stiff when you wear it. And the bag that goes with that is probably one of my favourite pieces in the collection. And that's the crash bag. And I used motorcycle parts, which became the handles. And then I used the moulded leather idea to make it feel scrunched, like the bag has just been in a crash.

And then we move into the lilac puffer with the raglan sleeve, the glasses, and the shorts, for me, are one of my favourite pieces as well, because they're just the perfect short. I wanted a very simple garment, the pockets to be super unique, for them too wrap around the body and be in a position that is most comfortable to put your hands in your pockets when you are riding a motorcycle.

With that look, I'm trying to show how I can do more of a street feel, but still tailored in the right ways so that it's very thought through. The puffer is a sleeve puffer, which is something I've never seen before. And it has the power knit in-between each seam, so it stretches. So the jacket actually has stretch and movement to it.

And then the bag, which is inspired by one of the motorcycle parts. Then I moved into the tailoring, which I think is so strong. I think that the tailoring is something that I love, but I feel like I'm able to really bring something new and different to it, and it feels more young and fun. It's a suit that I would hope young people would want to wear.

Then I finish off on something that is very personal to me, which is the oversized puffer jacket, the way that I still am making it feel sexy, but having the openings at the chest so that even though you're encapsulated by this big puffer jacket, it's so breathable and it opens in so many different ways. So, with this collection, I wanted to show everything that I can do, but this is just a taster because I only have six looks that I can make myself here.

How does your utilisation of 3D printing technology influence your approach to fashion design, and what possibilities and innovations does it bring to your creations?

I loved working on this project utilising 3D printing, its the most advanced technology we have at the moment. It’s the most incredible thing, to be able to have a physical shape that you want to have in the right dimension for you is amazing. Specifically for the eyewear, to be able to sculpt something in 3D, and be able to have it printed in one day is incredible. Now, I want to explore deeper into 3d printing, and how I can implement it into my clothing, how I can add detail, and add elements such as the zips. It's just amazing you are able to have something that you can replicate as many times as you want, and be able to create a product.

One thing that certainly stood out for me was your eyewear. Could you elaborate on your futuristic design process and inspirations you were drawn upon to create eyewear that embodies a sense of tomorrow?

The eyewear was definitely, for me, a very important part of this collection and it's something that I'm now working on more, and I really want it to encapsulate the brand. The inspiration for the shapes and dimensions from them are all motorcycle parts that I found and I would design from them so they feel futuristic. I used the shapes on the gas canisters or on the exhaust pipes, and I would use those lines and design the glass frames from that.

The stems of the glasses so the bottom parts of the ear, pieces that go over your ear, normally they come from the top of the frames, but I wanted them to come from the bottom of the frames and to look like an exhaust pipe. I just wanted it to feel like you're putting a motorcycle part on your face, but it still feels like eyewear, to give a sense of relatability, but still feel super different and exciting.

If you had to choose one famous person to represent your brand, who would it be and why?

I was watching a video, and I saw Lil Uzi Vert riding bikes and doing wheelies. I think that he would be such a cool person to have and I would want to do a full shoot of him riding a motorcycle, like doing his thing in my clothes. I feel like that would be super iconic. That would be a real full circle moment as he really encompasses what the brand is and the type of person that it's for. It's somebody who likes dressing, but also loves riding bikes. Obviously there's a lot of other people that I've been inspired by for a long time, but if I had to choose one person it would be him.

What does the future look like for Mathew Zabala? In which direction do you want to take your brand?

For the future for my brand, I’m going to start releasing clothes at the end of the year on my own website. I don't want to go into wholesale just yet, I want that to be next year's project. I'm currently working on a whole new range of eyewear, working on collaborations with brands and working towards more capsule collections. So, doing smaller collections to really show people what I'm about, what I can do and really build my audience.

I want to grow my brand naturally, not instantly, and for people to be are able to say, oh, I've been following his brand for a while, it is so exciting, and I love to see what he's doing, and want to see what's next.

When I produce these garments they will be to the highest standard, and I want it to be perfect.. And I want to make sure that no garments are made just because I have to make a garment.

I want it to be something that feels real, unique and different, even if it is a tracksuit, sweatshirt or a T shirt - it has to be from a real place from somewhere that feels exciting, new, and isn't being made just because we have to make it. Like I said, we don't need more clothes, we don't need more fashion designers, and so if I’m going to do it I’m going to make sure I’m doing it right and stay true to myself.

Images courtesy of Mathew Zabala