Zara Korutz is a New York City based professor, host of Unbiased Label podcast, and Fashion Studies PhD Candidate at Massey University New Zealand, School of Design under the primary supervision of Dr. Vicki Karaminas. Her PhD research project examines the work of fashion designer Virgil Abloh (1980-2021) in relationship to the complexity and causation of art positioned within the meta-modern Black Arts Movement (BAM). Zara earned an MA (with Distinction, 2020) in Fashion Critical Studies from Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London.
In 2024, Zara developed the Fashion, Culture and Theory course for the Bard Prison Initiative Program at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York. In 2021, she launched the Unbiased Label podcast- real talk on fashion and culture from a critical, global perspective at the intersection of industry and academia. The CFDA called Unbiased Label a "Voice of Change". Editorially, Zara has written for many publications including Fashion Forward, Fashion Unfiltered and was a contributing editor for The Washington Post's FW. As a former editorial hair/make-up artist, her work has been published in Vogue, CNN, and Good Morning America, to name a few.
Zara has over a decade of experience in the advertising/media space with brand expertise in luxury, fashion and arts with positions held at The Washington Post and OUTFRONT Media. While at The Washington Post, she sat on the global luxury task force and developed the new-to-market live event fashion series “A New Line with Robin Givhan” and luxury edition of The Washington Post Magazine. Currently, Zara is an advertising consultant for the J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
As Seen In:
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Teaching Experience:
Fordham University | New York, NY
COMC3272 – History and Culture of Advertising
Bard Prison Initiative | New York
ARTS220– Fashion, Culture and Theory
Iona University | New Rochelle, NY
MSC323 – Digital Communications and Social Media
MSC397 – Research Methods, Media & Strategic Communication
University of West London | London, U.K.
AD40218E – Fashion Branding and Promotion
AD50229E – Industry Mentored Fashion Project
AD50231E – Entrepreneurship
Publications:
Korutz, Z. (March 2024) Both& Apparel's 'Boys, Boys, Boys' Ad Campaign: Sex Appeal of Trans-masc Fashion and the Representation of Masculinity. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, Vol 11, Issue Marginalized Identities and ADH Abstracts. p. 147 - 148. Intellect.
Korutz, Z. (September 2023) A Look at Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion at The Design Museum in London. The "rebel" story told from the mainstream perspective. NoKillMag.com.
Korutz, Z. (September 2023) Stuart Trevor LFW: Sustainable clothes handcrafted in London for a modern rock and roll self-expression of cool. NoKillMag.com.
Korutz, Z. (2022) The Babushka Scarf: A Symbol of a Cultural Revolution. Fashion Forward Zine.
Fong, E. and Booth, P. (2021) (Ed) A Celebration of Superheroes: DePaul Pop Culture Conference 2021. pp. 201-219. "A Man with a Secret. Fashioning the Camp Superman Body" (Korutz, Z). San Francisco and London: Blurb.
Korutz, Z. (May 8, 2020) “I’m just a natural enhancer” – Carl Ray on makeup, Michelle Obama and his love for women. FashionUnfiltered.com
Research Interests:
* Fashion Studies
* Identity and Representation Politics
* Hip-hop and Streetstyle
* Black Arts Movement
* Queer Studies
* Masculinities
* Social Justice and Decolonization
* Media, Advertising and Communications
Speaking Engagements:
Beau Brummell and New Masculinities Conference, Association of Dress Historians and Central Saint Martins Conference (London, U.K.) - 2024
Ad-Dressing Margins Historically Underrepresented Fashion & Style Conference, Association of Dress Historians and Drexel University Conference (Philadelphia, PA/On-line) - 2023
New Jersey Pride (Jersey City, NJ) - 2023
University of West London (London, U.K.) - 2023
New Yok City College of Technology (Brooklyn, NY) - 2022
Fashion Forward’s Symposium on Fashion & Body (Online) - 2021
Fashion, Style and Queer Conference, Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) - 2021
A Celebration of Superheroes: DePaul Pop Culture Conference, DePaul University (Chicago, IL) - 2021
Neverfade Factory Workshop (London, U.K.) - 2021
London College of Fashion (London, U.K.) - 2021
Central Saint Martins (London, U.K.) - 2021
Education:
Massey University - PhD Candidate, Fashion Studies
Central Saint Martins- MA, Fashion Communication: Fashion Critical Studies (2020)
Graham Webb International Academy of Hair-Diploma (2005)
Shippensburg University of Penn.- BA, Communications (2001)
Current Professional Affiliations:
Founder, Fashion Studies Guild
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Fashion, Style & Popular Culture Journal (Intellect)
Member, International Association for Suicide Prevention
Advisory Board Member, International Brazilian Opera Company