Aza Ziegler

Just Add Sneakers

Punk rocker, beatnik, priest, witch. Leather jacket, boots, leggings… black is basic, it’s the convenient camouflage. But when sunshine peeks through the curtains, you just have to fling them open and let in the sun. California-based Aza Ziegler lets loose the snap, crackle and pop in her buoyant, home-sourced and made designs that slip right on for a brisk walk or bonfire at the beach. These are clothes that delight in color and comfort, that feel good. Leash up the dog or lounge on the couch, Aza’s got you covered in Calle Del Mar.

Gwynned Vitello: Looking at your Instagram and runway looks, it’s apparent that color is very important to you. How does it inspire or set the mood?

Aza Ziegler: I like to think I look at the world like a David Hockney painting. Why can’t trees be fuschia pink, lawns cobalt blue, oceans chartreuse green? And while everyone wears black, why can’t sunshine yellow be my best-selling color? When looking at a Hockney landscape, the colors he sees feels so strangely natural that you forget they’re not reality. When customers put on my colorful pieces, I want them to be a bright and bold choice, yet fit effortlessly into their wardrobe. I want the yellow to be just the right tone of gold so all those people who say they don’t like yellow can feel fabulous. I want to color the world my own way, just like Hockney.

As a child, I would assign colors to people. I guess you could say I’ve always been attracted to it. I also believe color is greatly tied to emotion. There have been phases where the colors I use are causing me more anxiety than inspiration, and a simple change of pallete can calm the mind.

How did your mother’s artistic soul inspire you? I went to school with her and remember her earthy, primal and warm drawings.