‘Making the Cut’ exclusive interview: ‘One Day, One Team’ winner on why the assignment ‘was very emotional for me’

“I was in my head like, okay, where could we go all together? Where we’re wearing similar colors, and where the topic is so clear that nobody misunderstands and ends up in a cohesive collection. So I was thinking about a funeral,” says designer Yannik Zamboni about coming up with the idea for the “One Day, One Team” group assignment on “Making the Cut.” But he knew that a funeral meant using black when he prefers to design in only white, so “I’m gonna make it harder for myself as well.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Zamboni above.

The “One Day, One Team” assignment was a first for “Making the Cut.” All seven remaining designers had to join forces to create a single collection. That collection had to be accessible, and it had to be cohesive, hence the funeral idea, which allowed every designer to bring their specific point of view to dressing different characters while staying true to the central concept. Zamboni decided to dress the mistress of the deceased, for whom he created a deconstructed trench coat dress that won the assignment.

“I was so surprised that I, in that moment, didn’t find the words to say,” he remembers about the announcement that he’d won. He admits that he’s always “nervous in front of the judges, so I was so surprised that they actually appreciated a deconstructed trench coat as a dress.” As a designer with a bold, conceptual aesthetic, he’s used to being misunderstood, so “it was very emotional for me” to win the approval of judges Heidi Klum, Jeremy Scott, and Nicole Richie, as well as guest judge Wisdom Kaye. “I was very emotional and very happy in that moment.”

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