Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen’s Fall 2025 show was illuminated solely by candles. The effect was shadowy and sensuous: D.S. and Durga perfumed the room while an eerie and mystical score conjured a reverential ambience. A procession of romantic silhouettes floated through the amber glow: babydoll blouses dipped in wax, a hoop skirt constructed from vine and lace, and a gauzy tea-stained gown. Even if the details were obscured, the perspective was lucid.
At Whalen’s studio the day following her NYFW on-calendar debut, she admitted that the candlelight was “counterintuitive.” But the 30-year old designer “felt ready to try something complex that fully encompassed and embodied the depths of my vision that I have for clothing.” Since launching her eponymous label in 2022, Whalen’s collections have held a mirror to her personal mythology, exploring ephemerality, anxiety, and tranquility. Her latest, titled “i’minlovewitheverythingandiknownothingatall,” reckons with the darkness and tragedy that pervades our current climate. Whalen’s response to a pervasive sense of doom is to find hope and empowerment through community: “Together, we create our own light.”
Honoring this collective spirit, Whalen forgoes the post-show bow in favor of partaking in her own shows—at her SS25 event she papier-mâché’d a dress onto a model’s body. “It feels correct to participate if I’m asking that of others, especially since what I’m trying to communicate is so personal,” the soft-spoken designer says. For the conclusion of her AW25 presentation, Whalen took it upon herself to extinguish all 100 largely handmade candles, a slow and arduous process. Once she blew out the last one with an audible huff, the room sat together in a moment of darkness. “I like inserting something unglamorous into this space of fantasy,” Whalen says. “I’m very much just a person making stuff in a room so introducing that energy allows people to bear witness to how real it is.”
Alongside a small team, Whalen sews—and also weaves, waxes, or sculpts—every piece in her studio. Instead of creating brand new thematic collections twice a year, she prefers to build upon recurring silhouettes, indulging in experimentation and evolution. There’s an alchemical tradition at the heart of Whalen’s practice. Her reliance on deadstock fabrics ennobles materials deemed worthless by previous owners while historical shaping elements like panniers and bustles are designed to cradle rather than restrict. “I use them for their beauty and to recreate a narrative of tenderness and love,” she explains. “I think of my practice as almost a study and celebration of the human form.”
Following in the footsteps of mentors and role models like Susan Cianciolo, Women’s History Museum, and Bernadette Corporation, Whalen exists at the intersection of art and fashion. Tensions between craft and capitalism are inevitable but she seems prepared for such confrontations, crediting early jobs at Eckhaus Latta and Bless with teaching her how to “mix my internal core value system with my love of making and clothing.” Whatever challenges arise, Whalen’s vision is unwavering: “I’m just trying to connect to people through my work.”
