words Al Woods
Zara Martin is a thoroughly modern female tour de force. Not only is she a DJ to the stars at catwalks and events throughout the land but she also presents on TV and is a technology designer and nut.
On our TV screens Zara Martin has interviewed many of our cultural talents including Mischa Barton, Jennifer Lopez and Matthew Williamson.
She made a name for herself as a model and has a long list of fashion collaborations to her name. She is though not that easy to pigeonhole and has DJ’d in her own right at club events and festivals up and down the country. She’s recently launched her own range of headphones with Skinny Dip that she was fully involved in creating and is a music freak with a great knowledge and love of the UK scene. You can find her exclusive playlist she put together for us below via Spotify.
We spoke to Zara on her hectic schedule and how she’s manages to balance the various sides of her cultural life.
It can either be beyond dry or unruly lol – you literally never know…
You fashion week schedule is intense. As Zara Martin DJ at a catwalk show what is going through your mind and how much do you coordinate with the show hosts / designer?
The direction always comes from the designer… music is often the inspiration for the collection so the brief is always very specific.
Why is that people who are involved in fashion are often not taken seriously by the music industry?
I think that used to be the case but now it’s just all about Instagram followers. In any industry.
Have you always been into both music and fashion?
I’ve always been more into music… Fashion I have a love/hate relationship with. I mean I do LOVE clothes but the ‘fashion’ part of fashion is a lot sometimes lol
How did you break both into music and into the fashion worlds?
The Djing came out of the fashion thing… I wanted to learn but never thought it would become a full time job. I ended up djing a friend’s London Fashion Week show afterparty and it all started from there really…
Who has the best parties – fashion or music industries?
The Grammys/Brits parties are always super fun, but I love over the top… the ones in Milan are another level… Dolce & Gabbana know how to throw a party, thats for sure!
What music are you listening to on your iphone lately?
Any tips of tracks or artists to come? My friends Whinnie Williams, and Wildhood … I also love early 90’s r’n’b so Justine Skye’s new album Ultraviolet is doing it for me right now.
How did the move into technology and design come about?
It was something I had been trying to do for a long time before I started collaborating with Skinnydip. I’m a bit geeky and wear headphones every day so a tech line made sense to me… The process has definitely ignited the desire to create more. The next step for me is a full audio line… so lets see!
Photography:
Creative direction – Anastasia Stylianou
Photography – Brett Russel
Hair – Anastasia Stylianou
Make up – Lilli Kelly
Zara is signed with the Elite Collective. For news see Zara at www.instagram.com/zaramartin/
