Isabella “Zaz” Alvarino

Hot Nerds by Isabella “Zaz” Alvarino is a collection dedicated to her late friend Jay, a person who, growing up queer in rural Texas, chose to embrace who he was with fearless curiosity. That spirit of freedom became the emotional foundation of the work. Rooted in tailoring, the collection traces back to a blazer Isabella altered from her father’s old suits: the tension between the original masculine shoulder and a dramatically cinched waist, between what is inherited and what is reshaped, became both its defining silhouette and central metaphor. References move fluidly between Alessandro Michele’s romantic eclecticism, Miuccia Prada’s combination of intelligence with emotional freedom, and the liberation of 1960s and 70s glamour. Materials reflect the idea of moulting, shedding an outer layer in order to grow, with suiting fabrics combined with unexpected textures to mirror a transformation that is uneven, ongoing, and deeply personal. Jay is a collection about freedom, friendship, queerness, and the idea of allowing yourself to fully become who you are.