Profile: Rebecca Zaizay – Real Leather Design Competitions

Rebecca Zaizay

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

I am Rebecca Zaizay, and I am an innovative leather artist whose work transcends traditional boundaries, transforming hides into canvases for profound expression. I approach my craft with a deep respect for the material, finding immense joy in the tactile process and the myriad manipulations I can achieve. My signature use of transparent leather introduces a captivating, almost ethereal quality to my creations, allowing light to interact with the material and revealing layers in a way rarely seen in the medium. My artistic voice is powerfully articulated through tattooed leather, a technique I employ to infuse my pieces with rich narrative. My designs draw profound inspiration from my heritage, weaving in personal stories and cultural motifs that speak to a timeless legacy. Beyond the personal, I fearlessly tackle socio-political themes and raw emotion, imbuing my leather art with a powerful resonance. I believe each intricate tattoo and deliberate cut serves to evoke a visceral response from the observer or wearer, prompting reflection and fostering a unique connection. For me, my work is not merely an aesthetic display; it is a dialogue, a statement, and an intimate exploration of identity and societal currents, all masterfully rendered through the enduring beauty of leather. I cherish the profound relationship between myself and the leather, allowing it to guide my hands as I shape it into a new form of expression.

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Beauty After Destruction

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

My entry for this leather competition is a deeply personal and culturally resonant collection that tells the untold story of the 14-year Liberian Civil War. As someone of Liberian and Lebanese heritage, the profound and often parallel experiences of war and its aftermath have been central parables I've grappled with my entire life. Through these pieces, I aim to illuminate the significant effects of Western colonization, the remarkable beauty that emerges after destruction, and the immense power women hold to rebuild societies. This collection is a testament to resilience, expressed through innovative leather manipulation and design. The centerpiece is a transparent leather top, a modern interpretation of traditional skin manipulation. Inspired by the scarification practices of my family's Liberian tribe, I sought to modernize this ancient art form and make it universally understood. To achieve this, I collaborated with a fellow artist, Mimi Massoumi, who designed the tattoo for the transparent leather, skillfully blending Liberian symbols with a contemporary cyber sigilistic style. This piece not only showcases the unique qualities of transparent leather but also represents a dialogue between past and present, tradition and modernity, on the body. Complementing the top, the pants feature a distinctive pin-tucking manipulation that I discovered creates an entirely different effect on leather than on fabric. This technique allowed me to sculpt the material in new ways, adding textural depth and visual intrigue. Furthermore, I incorporated hardware such as grommets to construct several individual leather pieces, meticulously connecting them together with leather string. This intricate assembly not only highlights my technical skill but also symbolizes the fragmented yet ultimately reconnected aspects of a society healing and rebuilding. Each element of this collection is a narrative stitch in the fabric of Liberia's history and its enduring spirit, informed by my own bicultural perspective on conflict and renewal.