Zunyda SS16 is a cut above the rest

22 year old Zunyda Watson is something of a prodigy. A self taught designer who cut her teeth with New York based contemporary label Collina Strada, Watson has started an eponymous label as a way to explore the social cues and subcultures of her peers and parse her heritage as a multi-ethnic woman (Dominican and African American).

Her new collection continues this exploration of subcultures while leaning heavily towards asymmetry and counter culture. There is an undeniable youthfulness to the collection; multi-strap backless camisoles and deconstructed denim crop tops are a staple. But there is also a maturity to the clothes Watson makes, a restraint with which she plays with volume in her texture palazzo pants and her layered wrap skirts. Not many designers can make asymmetry and deconstruction work in tandem but Zunyda hurdles over that obstacle with ease.

“We’re always being told what to think, what to feel and what to be. I want my work to reflect feelings of freedom, an inquisitive mind and an inspiring voice” Zunyda says of her work, and from what she offers, she is a breath of fresh air from the almost restrictive nomcore wave that is sweeping through many younger labels.

Zunyda is creating clothes for who we want to be, not who we already are.