VISION
I see my work as a true collaboration between me and you. I am a designer and seamstress but in the first place a person and a skater. I try to put myself in your skates, listen to your wants and fears and create something you feel 100% comfortable in. Your costume needs to add to your performance, not take away from it. It adds to your on-ice confidence and helps you skate to your full potential. The process of getting a custom-made dress or costume must feel safe and welcome. I do my best to make this happen during our meetings and fittings.
BEHIND ZEAH
I am Leah Zadoks (2000, Utrecht - Netherlands), the founder and CEO of ZEAH Studio. Long before I got involved in the skating world, I was a gymnast. The bigger part of my childhood was spent in a gymnasium and for a short period of time I even joined a circus. You can imagine movement and costumes have always been a big part of my life. Figure Skating has been my main passion since I was 17, I started quite late, but my ambitious and competitive spirit made me the skater I am today. I recently quit competitive skating to focus on performance, choreography, teaching and give more love and time to ZEAH Studio.
EXPERIENCE
I have a BA degree in Fashion Design, but I wouldn’t say that describes my experience the best. I learn by doing, making mistakes, reflect and improve myself. My main experience comes from working with skaters in both teaching and costume making. Being a skater and someone who’s always done a sport that involves artistic movement is beneficial to me as a designer. Over the past couple years, I have worked with ice dancers, pair skaters and single skaters. Amongst them were elite level skaters, adult skaters and beginners. My costumes have travelled to countries like Finland, Switzerland and Japan. I’ve also been a part of the performance world through my work at Entertainment on Ice and their Performance Camp.
ORIGIN STORY
I’ve been sewing and designing since I was around five years old. I taught myself how to pattern and sew stretchy fabrics throughout the years. Initially, I started out by making my own skating costumes for competitions. During the summer of 2022 one of my skating friends asked me if I wanted to make his free skate costume for next season. I felt honored and excited but also insecure. Would I be able to work with other measurements and body types than my own? I decided to take the plunge and took him on as my first customer. Soon after this, I posted on my personal Instagram that I would be taking on orders for the 2022/2023 competitive season. Less than a year later I made it official by making ZEAH my company. Since then, I’ve made over 35 costumes, and we recently (March 2024) celebrated ZEAH’s first birthday!
