It’s a few weeks before his New York Fashion Week presentation in fall 2024, and designer Henry Zankov is speaking to me from a hotel room in Paris, where he’s showing off his current collection to buyers. “There may be some noise because appointments take place in the other room,” he says. “I think buyers are optimistic. Everything is going well in the showroom and it is busy. It’s our busiest market ever, and that’s great.”
Zankov’s eponymous, cult-favorite brand has been around for four years and focuses on sharp yet easy-to-wear knits for men and women. When he designs, he says, he imagines men and women who are a little complicated, very worldly and always daring; he often thinks of actor Tilda Swinton, or the late artist Brice Marden’s daughters, Melia and Mirabelle. Zankov’s designs are nuanced, based on play of colors and innovation in stitching techniques. He creates garments such as soft mohair sweaters given a graphic treatment, long dresses that experiment with color blocking and plush coats with bold shades and stripes.
His attention to detail and artisanal, sustainable design approach are what elevate his pieces, including for fall an impossibly fluffy orange maxi dress and matching scarf, with oversized pockets and a diamond-woven pencil skirt. Zankov’s prices are competitive, ranging from $495 (a mohair cardigan) to $2,300 (for a hand-knit coat). As a result, the brand is selling well and will expand its wholesale activities to Asia this season. Right now it’s available at major retailers like Bergdorf Goodman in New York, McMullen Boutique on the West Coast, and ByGeorge in Texas.
Before becoming a rising fashion prodigy, the Russian-born Zankov emigrated to Brooklyn Heights as a child. In the early 2000s, he studied fashion design and specialized in knitwear at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “What struck me when I was at school was that I was drawn to ease and softness when it came to material and silhouette,” he says. “I was good at it. It came naturally to me and some of my professors said, “Oh, you’re good at this. You should try to get into this knitting program.” But I wasn’t sure. So I thought, OK, let’s try it.”
While working at FIT, Zankov interned at the luxury cashmere house TSE, where he was able to study and work with world-class yarns, as well as learn new stitch technologies and crafts. After school he became an assistant knitwear designer at Donna Karan.
“It was kind of at the height of Donna Karan, right after LVMH bought the brand. There was also a huge influx of European designers into the design studios in New York at the time,” he says. “I was fortunate to learn from many who had worked for major houses in Europe. Many of them were British. Some of them were French. I learned a lot about draping, about working in 3D format, instead of sketching. We did a lot of toiling and trying, you know, trying things upside down, backwards, backwards, cutting off a sleeve and tying it to the neck.”
Refinement is an integral part of Zankov’s process. As he notes, “the colors for this latest Fall 2024 collection all had to feel like they were glowing from within. So they were very saturated, but didn’t feel heavy. The palette we chose had a kind of luminous quality to it. When you dye these beautiful colors, they naturally look so beautiful, especially with special yarns such as crochet, cellophane and cotton crepes.”
In addition to his skills with knits, Zankov also understands how to scale a business – always a challenge for a small, independent label. As the brand evolves from newcomer to something more established, where does he plan to take Zankov?
“The example of Azzedine Alaïa is very interesting, with his house, studio and shop in one place,” he says. “Of course I would love to have a shop. But if I did, it would be something completely different, maybe connecting to our studio where we work. Then we could have such an intimate relationship with the outside world.” However, he doesn’t believe Zankov needs a store in every city. “That’s not the goal for me; it is important to achieve meaningful growth. I think a store in New York is the goal for now. As we continue to grow the business, I would also consider other cities.”
Yumi Shin, head of merchandising for Bergdorf Goodman, agrees that what Zankov brings to the world has longevity. “I first met Henry at his presentation in the spring of 2023, and his painterly collection and cheerful color combinations immediately appealed to me,” she says via email. “His collections since then have all been infused with his artisanal celebration of craft and technical skill.”
Shin has been a high-ranking retail executive for more than a decade who has seen promising brands rise and fall. Shin makes a hopeful prediction for Zankov’s future: “I think we’ve only seen a small part of what he’s capable of so far. Henry has put his sensitivity into the clothing and created a strong brand identity. His unique perspective is central to its success. So as long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, the sky’s the limit.”
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