If Colby Zur were to sum up his work in three words, they would be sci-fi, function and details. These might seem like wildly disparate ideas to us mere mortals, but for the Kohl’s x FSF Scholarship recipient and fashion design student at Colorado State University, they make complete sense. Read on to find out more about Colby’s design philosophy, the greatest lesson FSF taught him, and why he’s all in on power dressing.
FSF: What was your earliest fashion inspiration?
CZ: Probably TV shows and movies—I always wanted to dress like the characters in Star Wars.
FSF: Who has had the biggest influence on your fashion journey so far?
CZ: The people of the past. I learn the most by studying how people dressed when survival was on the line.
FSF: What are three pieces of clothing or accessories you can’t live without?
CZ: A pair of suede and wool pants I made last semester, a work jacket I got from my grandfather, and a nice pair of wool socks.
FSF: What is a quote or mantra that inspires you and why?
CZ: Nobody cares, work harder — a phrase from Cameron Hanes, an endurance athlete and bowhunter with a work ethic I admire. It embodies putting my head down, working as best as I can, and focusing on the craft rather than the praise.
FSF: What role do you see mentorship playing in the fashion industry's future?
CZ: Mentorship is key in passing down knowledge that can’t be taught in lectures—only through experience.
FSF: What's the most valuable skill FSF has taught you?
CZ: The research process. It’s helped me learn how to dig deeper and truly understand the history and details of dress.
FSF: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your fashion journey so far?
CZ: Clothes are just one representation of culture, but they can also shape and change it.
FSF: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
CZ: Nice always beats cool. It stuck with me and shapes how I approach both people and decisions.
FSF: What do you want your impact on the fashion industry to be?
CZ: I want to influence the way we view clothes as long-lasting staples that remain in our closets for decades, leading to less consumption.
FSF: If you could collaborate with any three designers or fashion leaders, living or passed, who would they be and why?
CZ: Jacqueline West’s work on Dune is my all-time favorite use of clothing in film—I wish I could live in that world, largely because of her designs. Cristóbal Balenciaga inspires me with his mastery of shape and meticulous attention to detail, redefining how clothing interacts with the body. I’m also deeply inspired by the clothing of Inuit people, where necessity drives pure utility and function, yet there’s still space for incredible style and beauty.
FSF: What are the biggest issues you’d like the fashion industry to tackle or solve?
CZ: Consumer waste perpetuated by the industry. Everything needs to slow down—both the consumers and the producers.
FSF: How do you feel about designer dupes (like the Walmart Birkin)?
CZ: So wasteful.
FSF: What are your thoughts on American-made fashion?
CZ: I’m all in on that.
FSF: Gender-neutral fashion: yes or no?
CZ: Yes—I wear plenty of “women’s” clothes because if they work, they work.
FSF: What are your thoughts on power dressing?
CZ: I love strong shoulders.
FSF: In three words (or less), the future of fashion is…
CZ: Natural and long-lasting.
Photo courtesy of @czur_xix
Photo courtesy of @czur_xix
Photo courtesy of @czur_xix
📲 Follow Colby’s journey: @colby_zur | @czur_xix | LinkedIn
