image © interview magazine

No, Zaha Hadid is not the next Victoria’s Secret model. She just sat down for an Interview interview with supermodel Naomi Campbell to discuss her latest ventures (no cell phones were thrown). The ladies are quite familiar—don’t they look like friends?—with each other, as Zaha is currently building a new home outside of Moscow for Campbell and her billionaire boyfriend. We’ve gathered a few of the best quotes from the tete-a-tete, including Zaha’s love for Issey Miyake, 3-D printing, and late-night viewings of “Mad Men.” Read more.

Naomi Campbell’s Moscow Love Nest © Zaha Hadid Architects

Hadid’s unique style can be attributed to a number of influences, but her love of Russian Suprematism is the most notable influence. She discusses how translating the art of Malevich into architecture not only changed her perspective but also opened up a number of possibilities for architecture as a whole. An assignment for a studio led by Rem Koolhaas began it all:

“Once we were assigned to come up with a new scale for objects by locating them somewhere. I placed mine on the bridge over the Thames. This was meant to show that works of such suprematists as Malevich and Lissitzky are only seen as art objects because they have no scale to be compared to. But the minute you put scale they become architecture.”

The ladies also discussed Hadid’s incredible rise to the top of the architecture world being an uphill battle as both a woman and a foreigner. Hadid said, “I used to disapprove being called a woman architect, because what is important is that I’m an architect, woman is background information.” She also recounted meeting resistance as she rose to the top, saying “The Welsh are the worst, they can’t stand women. They have some sort of a brotherhood with limited admission.”

They also discussed fashion. “I used to like Issey when he was in charge of design,” Hadid said. “At first glance the lines look so simple, but when you put the item on, it becomes something else.”

And while Glamour magazine’s woman of the year is an inspiration to the every-woman, she still has her standards, lamenting “British Airways new first class seats are so bad…” Campbell’s response? “Sorry, can’t speak about this. Only when I turn off the recorder…”

You can read the entire interview here.

by Molly Cotter

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tagged divas, interview, interview magazine, Naomi Campbell, zaha hadid

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