Independently of each other, Smith and Edmiston are both "born hustlers," he says: "When we saw the pandemic coming in and everything was quieting down... Sarah and I found each other and I was like, 'You know what? We still have bills to pay. Sarah has a daughter to put in school. We have to figure this out.
"To be honest, we worked so internationally always," Edmiston says. "There's a certain amount of already being versed in doing the WhatsApps and doing the images... because we're based in London, but really, Zadrian was in L.A. 24 hours ago and in the [pre-pandemic] world, we go to New York and we Eurostar to Paris in a heartbeat. It is different, but it's not that different.
What makes their partnership work, they argue, is that there's no room for ego. "Truthfully, we work in such a family-oriented way, with our studio manager and Zadrian's partner and my husband," Edmiston notes. "If you're in a fitting, there are two rescue dogs and a small seven-year-old is likely to tell you what she thinks about your dress and leave.
There is one other unexpected responsibility that has emerged: Since they'll often find themselves physically with the client right before they log on to a remote event, Smith and Edmiston have had to, on occasion, step in as IT, helping them find the right Zoom link or even advising on the best angle to set the camera at.
Then, there's the fact that the industry is changing. As a duo, Zadrian & Sarah have made it a point to work with people and with brands that align with them on fundamental values, in an effort to combat the racism, sexism, ageism and other -isms that had gotten them feeling so disillusioned with the industry to begin with. The bio on their joint Instagram account reads, "Fashion is a conduit for empowering and dignifying narratives.
"The most annoying thing is [looking at] the brands who we've had a conversation with, and they go, 'Okay, yep. We're going to look and fix this.' And then it's like, 'You're still not...' Then you have the audacity to ask, 'Can we please dress your nominee?,'" he adds. "No, you cannot dress our nominee because you haven't done the work.