Styleforum is proud to announce the Designer Series, the latest experiment in promoting dialogue between forum members and brands known or soon to be discovered by the SF community. The concept is simple: on a regular basis a thread will be created with the active involvement of a representative of a particular brand. The focus will be rather broad in that it will capture as in-depth of an image as possible to include a brand's production, philosophy, and overall business aspects. On top of an introduction and on-location photos the hope is to also get as lively and honest of a Q&A session as possible in which forum members can have any doubts or curiosities cleared straight from the source. So without further ado... Fast Five: Who: Joel Knoernschild, Creative Director and President. What: KZO (Kazuo). http://www.kzocinematics.com Where: Based in Los Angeles, CA, specifically in the Arts District downtown. When: Its first runway show was this past October. Why: "K.Z.O is the cause and effect of not being able to find the types of clothes we want to wear with high attention to detail, fabrics, fabrications, fit, global quality, and point of view. The customer deserves respect and speed to market while K.Z.O maintains its integrity by supplying great product at a respectful price." I met up with Joel down at KZO headquarters last week while I was briefly in L.A. and caught him just as he had gotten back from Japan, where a good chunk of the line is made, on a trip to finish up his Fall 09 designs with his team. The large space was creatively used as part warehouse, part office, part showroom, and part jam session studio with his sister's drum kit parked at the far end of the building. Perched up on the wall of the "living room" was a painting by friend and co-collaborator Brett Westfall of Unholy Matrimony who helped with this season's flannel piece. We talked a bit about stores we liked in LA and he mentioned how Opening Ceremony had been doing a "USA vs JAPAN" clothing showcase where they offered a few interesting brands like N Hoolywood. In telling him that I liked a few of the designs several Japanese brands but that I wondered if anything would fit me, he chuckled. "Yeah, we'd probably be a size XL in those brands." It turned out that KZO arose from an appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic but that he wanted the clothes' fit and prices to be generally more approachable. With respect to the line's military tones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) he stressed his family's history, namely his mother's side of the family who was taken to the Japanese internment camp Manzanar during World War II, as playing a very personal inspiration. He promised that this Spring/Summer's collection would take on a bit of an outdoors approach with flannels, technical jackets, and even backpacks and bags being thrown in the mix. KZO can be found on Revolve, Blackbird, and affiliate Dresscodes. Outside KZO headquarters in downtown LA: 
Joel running around the workshop: 
SS09 in the foreground (note blue rain jacket and red/cream flannel) with Brett Westfall's work on display in the background: 
Items from FW08: 
A shipment of Kazuo: 
Joel saying that affiliate Atsui actually means "hot" in Japanese: 
Joel running around the workshop: SS09 in the foreground (note blue rain jacket and red/cream flannel) with Brett Westfall's work on display in the background: Items from FW08: A shipment of Kazuo: Joel saying that affiliate Atsui actually means "hot" in Japanese: 
