Destined to Design

After 15 years spent modeling, Cecilia Bönström switched gears to tackle design. She cold-called a hip French brand, Zadig & Voltaire, and scored an assistant gig in 2003. Now, 15 years later, she’s the brand’s long-running artistic director.

BY ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV

Why did you segue from a successful modeling career to fashion design?

It’s an unusual career that I’ve had! I graduated from high school in Gothenburg, Sweden; I was a good student, I spoke five languages and had a good pedagogic childhood. But I finished my studies after high school graduation, because I wanted to be a model in Paris. I had a beautiful 15-year career modeling in Europe. Then, in 2003, I said to myself, “I’m 33, modeling is great, but I think my brain needs something else.” I had a brand in mind that I really admired, that popped up in 2000— Zadig & Voltaire—and I called them and asked if they’d take me as an assistant.

How did that job interview go?

Of course I was like, “What did I get myself into here?” [Laughs] But I did it. They said I had a good speech, and that I fit well with the aesthetic of Zadig & Voltaire, so I became an assistant.

Has your unconventional design background, or lack thereof, actually been an asset?

I can’t say the name, but I met a big designer who went to the best fashion school, and we ended up sitting next to each other at a charity dinner. There’s always a certain snobbishness between contemporary brands and high-end fashion, and we’re drinking our wine, chatting along, and it was kind of the reverse. It was so beautiful; he admitted admiration, and I said, “Listen, why are you going to complicate things? To draw and draw, design things that wouldn’t even work on a woman in real life.” I’m just trying to create products that will aid me in my real life. That freedom has given me this security in my naïveté, of being able to do things practically, and in an easygoing way.

How would you describe the brand’s vibe and design strategy?

The brand is always trying to build the perfect closet for a woman—how can we help women get dressed easily in the morning for work, or for a date. Every season when I start a new collection, I try to find a muse—like Patti Smith, Nico and the Velvet Underground, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy— to find the vibe of the season, but I always start with what the Zadig & Voltaire woman is about.

What’s it like working with your husband?

A nightmare! [Laughs] The highlights are that you don’t have to say goodbye to your husband in the morning and have no clue what he’s doing. [Zadig & Voltaire founder] Thierry [Gillier] and I share everything, so I know when he had a bad day and when he had a good day. I wake up in the morning and hear him on a phone meeting, so I catch so much information, and I always am a step ahead. Also, sharing the passion of the man you love—that way, you’re never excluded, you’re always part of it. The negative side is that work never stops. No Saturdays or Sundays. I have no advice to give. [Laughs] I put all the eggs in the same basket, and I was naïve when I did it. People say to me, “I don’t know what you’re made of, or what your mother gave you in her milk, but you’re a strong person,” because I handle the pressure and stress. I put stress in boxes, I close the box, and I forget and move on. But if you don’t have that capacity, I don’t advise this!

What are some new staples you’ve added to the Zadig & Voltaire orbit?

The woolen Alabama Foulard hat with feathers is one of my signatures. Also, I invented black leather dungarees. From that piece, I invented men’s underwear in wrinkled leather that you wear with a black lace top. But the leather dungaree is one of those pieces that will last through the history of the brand.