Niklas Bildstein Zaar and Andrea Faraguna are the creative director and architect, respectively, of Berlin-based Sub, which they founded in 2017 and acts as both an architectural design studio and research centre, pivoting around both the digital and physical worlds, encompassing the metaverse and all of its manifestations. They have described their work as “semi-architectural, semi-sociological, semi-anthropological.”
Updating Brutalism’s stark, functionalist style, Sub has worked with fashion designers such as
Demna
and
Shayne Oliver
on stores and shows as well as artist Anne Imhof on sets for her performances, all of which emanate a sensitivity to how psychology plays in spatial experience and narration.
Most recently, Bildstein Zaar and Faraguna — who tend to work behind the scenes, shying away from the glare of press and publicity — created Balenciaga’s London flagship, debuting a concept that evokes an abandoned, stripped down and weathered warehouse as background for the brand’s oft-apocalyptic collections.
Niklas Bildstein Zaar and Andrea Faraguna
Art Director, Architect, Sub
The duo behind Berlin-based art studio Sub has collaborated with Balenciaga and Hood by Air, among others, to create boundary-breaking shows and stores.
Biography
Vital Statistics
Nationality
Italy/ Sweden
Location
Germany
Member since
2022
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.