Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Carr, Zack
- Abstract:
- After graduating from Parsons School of Design Fashion Design Department in 1973, Zack Carr (1945-2000) worked for B. Altman, Donald Brooks and, most importantly, as creative director for Calvin Klein. In 1984, Carr started his own line, the Zack Carr Collection, before rejoining Calvin Klein in 1987. The papers consist of items produced and compiled between 1969 and 2000, including idea books, photographs, clippings, student work, and sketches.
- Extent:
- 4.3 Cubic Feet and 8 boxes, 1 oversize box
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
[Identification of item], [date (if known)], Zack Carr papers, KA.0008, box __, folder __, New School Archives and Special Collections, The New School, New York, New York.
Background
- Scope and Content:
The Zack Carr papers include clippings, photographs and lookbook production materials, a Zack Carr Collection scrapbook, "idea books" (albums comprised of original drawings and inspirational clippings), fashion sketches, and student work. Carr created and assembled much of the material found in this collection in the final years of his life. He was extraordinarily productive during these later years, despite experiencing progressive paralysis.
The "idea books" consist of Filofax books and unruled Hermes notebooks containing glued or taped in fashion sketches. Some books feature original fashion sketches, while others consist of photocopied reproductions of fashion sketch cut-outs (Carr referred to these as his "dolls") handcolored and/or annotated by Carr. Two Filofax books consist of reproductions and clippings of artwork and photographs, particularly early twentieth century images, alongside Carr's contemporary fashion sketches. While some handwriting will be encountered in the idea books, the bulk of their contents is unannotated. The books range in size from 3 x 5 inches to 6/1/2 x 8-1/2 inches.
In addition to the idea books, the Zack Carr papers include a number of original fashion sketches dating largely from 1999 and 2000, executed in a variety of media, with annotations regarding materials and fabrics, styles, geographic locations and fashion designers who served as inspiration, and musings about the women for whom he was designing. Some sketches also feature musings on his declining health. Sheets of labels that were never affixed to particular collections and a memorandum from one of his assistants, Nancy Glazer, reveal the extent of his travel-inspired concepts and work methodology. As evidenced by the collection names in some of the labeled idea books, Carr was emotionally invested in designing collections inspired by international locations he knew he would never be able to visit again. According to the memorandum, Carr stated, "[The sketches] are what I consider a true expression of myself...my being...what interests me, what excites me, what is me...and IS my true being."
Records of Carr's educational experiences at Parsons School of Design include his diploma and transcript, numerous fashion sketches, photographs of Carr's contributions to his senior show in 1973, with explanatory notes provided by former Fashion Design Department chairman Frank Rizzo, and a pattern drafting notebook. Copies of Carr's student work from the University of Texas are also present.
The Zack Carr Collection, the label Carr initiated after leaving Calvin Klein in 1984, is represented by lookbook production materials for Fall/Winter 1986, including negatives and prints of a runway show, and textual elements; a scrapbook containing clippings and original drawings; and original fashion sketches.
The Zack Carr papers do not document Carr's work for Donald Brooks or B. Altman & Company, and there is little documentation of his activities for the Calvin Klein label. Additionally, the papers do not include personal materials documenting Carr's life outside the realm of fashion design, with the exception of the annotated fashion sketches created in the last few years of his life.
- Biographical / Historical:
Zack Carr was an American fashion designer active from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. With the exception of approximately three years as an independent designer, the majority of Carr's design career was with the Calvin Klein label. Carr was known for his use of knits and leather.
Zack Carr, III was born November 4, 1945 in Kerrville, Texas. In 1969, after studying interior design and architecture, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in fine arts. Carr then moved to New York City where he enrolled in Parsons School of Design from which he received a BFA with honors in 1973.
Upon graduation, Carr worked for Parsons faculty member and designer Donald Brooks for several months in addition to B. Altman & Company. Up-and-coming designer Calvin Klein hired Carr as a sketcher around this time, and, with the exception of a brief break in the mid-1980s, Carr was important in the success of the Calvin Klein brand. Working largely behind the scenes, Carr rose to the level creative director and played a significant role in the label's notable advertising and publicity campaigns.
Carr left Calvin Klein in 1984 to live in Italy with his partner, fellow Calvin Klein designer John Calcagno. Striking out on his own with the financial support of Italian manufacturing firm GFT, he established the Zack Carr Collection. While his collections garnered a favorable reception, Carr returned to Calvin Klein in late 1987. He remained with the label for the next -- and last -- decade of his professional career.
In 1997, Carr was diagnosed with POEMS syndrome, a rare medical disorder leading to progressive paralysis. Although homebound and experiencing a gradual loss of dexterity, Carr continued to sketch and design, often basing his ideas upon travel memories, up until his death on December 20, 2000.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated by George Carr, Zack Carr's brother, 2001.
- Processing information:
Idea books and sketches consist of representative samplings of Carr's work from the late 1990s into 2000.
- Arrangement:
Arrangement is alphabetical by format.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Identification of item], [date (if known)], Zack Carr papers, KA.0008, box __, folder __, New School Archives and Special Collections, The New School, New York, New York.
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
- CONTACT:
-
archivist@newschool.edu