Coming soon to ZOOT: Antonia’s reverie

Coming soon to ZOOT! We’re giving you a peak inside our latest series, straight from the exuberant imagination of ZOOT creative director Antonia Rosa. Below Antonia shares her vision behind the upcoming shoots.

ZOOT: How do you choose the people featured in your new ZOOT series? What is it about these people that particularly inspires you?

Antonia Rosa: I don’t have any particular references. Sometimes I don’t even know who they are, and I don’t care. They are beautiful people in many senses who marked a moment. They are people that I meet in my life and that made me grow at that moment, in a clear artistic vision.

ZOOT: Is there something that all disciplines have in common?

AR:They all convey something to me that was engraved in my memory forever.

ZOOT: What creates a strong connection between you and the models you work with?

AR: I don’t have that connection… I don’t need it. I need moments… emotion… sharing something even if it’s just a smile but always very ephemeral until I casually see the person again.

ZOOT: How do you allow the personality of the muses to shine through in makeup and your creative direction? What do you hope the public will see in the photos?

AR: I want them to be themselves with my brand. When this chemical reaction happens to me, I immediately imagine the person wearing as little clothing as possible so that I can dress them with my make-up. It is obvious that when the public reacts positively when seeing the work it is very pleasant but for me the most important thing is the reaction of my muse and then the people closest to me… because their opinion is much more important as they are almost all artists and quite critics.

ZOOT: In the photos, it’s clear that the models are very comfortable with you and have really opened up to you and are showing their vulnerability. How do you create a space/environment for them to do that? Why do you think it’s important for the world to see you this way?

AR: Trust is earned and my work is well known and appreciated. The way I treat them and the respect I have for them is flagrant… it couldn’t be any other way. I think it’s important to show people to the world… people who say something because I looked at them. Contradicting what is now happening in our society where no one looks at anyone because the screen won’t let them.

ZOOT: What do you hope the models can communicate through the series?

AR: Get to be themselves, show that you like them.

ZOOT: What do you want to communicate through the series? What do you want readers to know about you, your way of working and what inspires you?

AR: In this chronicle I want to give advice on cosmetics, make-up and fashion. The market is huge and I feel that they are lost. I try to simplify the daily routine and explain the doubts that arise when creating make-up. I want the reader to understand that we are only happy when we love people and what we do. In the end what matters is the love we put into everything we do. This is my main message through my work.

Words and interview by Michaela Doyle.

Behind the scenes images by Leticia Lima and Lara Sagel.