Blick visiting fashion designer Yannik Zamboni
“I feel uncomfortable around people”
His life changed abruptly when Yannik Zamboni won the design show “Making The Cut” with Heidi Klum. We spoke to him about his future plans.
Published: 7 minutes ago
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Since Yannik Zamboni won Heidi Klum’s “Making The Cut” show, his life has been upside down.
Michael ImhofDesk Manager People
He not only convinced Heidi Klum (49) with his style: Yannik Zamboni (33) from Böckten BL took part in the fashion show “Making The Cut” in 2022 and prevailed against nine other fashion designers with his designs. Not only did he take home a contract with Amazon, he also took home a million dollars. We visited the designer in his studio in Zurich District 4.
“Welcome to my whorehouse,” Zamboni greets us. “I wanted to clean up for you guys, but that would have kept me busy for two days.” Despite the big show win in the USA, the Basel bidder continues to work from Switzerland. He rented a room at the school where he learned his trade. Clothes rails are standing around, many collections from his soon to be three labels can be seen there.
From the catwalk to the designer table
Zamboni is an esthete. His fingernails are white, as are his clothes. Eyebrows and hair are dyed blond. Many tattoos adorn his body – including a worm that is supposed to remind of Heidi Klum’s Halloween costume last year. “I’ve always been out of the ordinary,” says the designer. He has tried every imaginable hairstyle, “including sideburns”.
But he’s not as extroverted as one might think. “Actually, I’m more of an introvert,” says the fashion designer. “I feel uncomfortable around a lot of people. A lot of people don’t think that of me. Mainly because of my past.” After his commercial apprenticeship, Zamboni was a well-booked model with a health insurance company and traveled to Milan, Paris, London and Asia, among other places.
His focus is on cuts
Now he is working on his label Maison Blanche. With the rare/self brand, he sells more affordable fashion on Amazon from CHF 30. He also wants to launch the premium collection Maison Blanche+ soon. “There are items of clothing starting at 200 francs, all made in Switzerland. You won’t find that anywhere.” Many of his designs are in white. “It fascinates me to put the focus on cuts and the silhouette and not to distract from them with color.”
Despite his success, Zamboni (still) lives in Baden in a shared flat. He invested most of the million he won in his company, including a fashion show at New York Fashion Week last September. “I only paid myself a small amount as a reward.”
Zamboni remains loyal to Switzerland for the time being
But since the show, Zamboni’s life has changed from the ground up – you know him and his fashion in business. Heidi Klum, who he’s now good friends with, even walked the red carpet at the People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles in one of his creations in December. “This idea was completely utopian for me a year ago,” says Zamboni.
And what does he want to achieve next? “I want to launch a perfume – and in March I’ll open a pop-up store in Zurich.” He wants to quadruple the million he won by the end of the year. «For the time being, certainly from Zurich. It’s fun to carry Swiss fashion out into the world.”