OONA ZLAMANY
Oona Zlamany's NYC Madeleines
The brilliant and dazzling Oona shares with us her Proust's Madeleines, souvenirs of a life in New York. A true Citiette spirit.
FW 2025
Citiette Interview
There’s an irreplaceable sense of charm and endearment Oona has when speaking about her world, her desire to go deeper into it all.
We meet Oona at her childhood home in Williamsburg, which is also a magnificent artist studio for her mother, the artist Brenda Zlamany. In the apartment hang various portraits, many of which have had a delicious feature on Oona’s platform, where she provides the world’s most interesting commentary and insider interviews of the art world. “Sorry the place is such a mess! We’re getting ready to host a creative saloon. It’s going to be a lot of fun. You should come!” Oona explains as she reorganizes the various journals and magazines on the large kitchen table, with various miscellany that signals a life of both adventure & fun as well as a sense of groundedness. Born and raised in Williamsburg, she’s left her mark in a colourful way.
It's Proust's (Oona's) Madeleines
We head on over to Bakeri, a boulangerie that Oona has tried to get a job at for a decade in her teenage years. “I had friends who worked there, and the thought of "working" (I put that in quotes because, let's be real, no work, or at least good work, would have been accomplished) at Bakeri surrounded by scones and friends didn’t seem like work at all. I never got hired. How do you take your coffee?”
While Oona is ordering an assortment of pastries and coffees, we are instructed to march over to the back, where sits a wonderful garden that feels like a slice of Paris. As Oona comes back with a delicious load of sweets and savouries, we chat about, well, everything and nothing in between. Love lives, respective wild upbringings, ambition, friendship, and memories. As she bites into a soft seashell madeleine, we begin talking about Proust's Madeline, and what that might be for Oona. “Well, the smell of bread in this French bakery is a big one. The smell of my mom's favorite sweater. The smell of the pavement after a rainstorm.”
We then open the garden umbrella, which is of ludicrous size and a sunny shade of yellow, snap a few photos, and weasel our way out the ever-busy Bakeri.
As we walk through the city streets, Oona tells us about her art world adventures and career path, the wonderful and ever-mysterious workings of galleries, gallerists, auction houses, private events, and even privateer events. There’s an irreplaceable sense of charm and endearment Oona has when speaking about her world. Her desire to go deeper into it all. “After trying different things out, I realized this is a really special place that I want to have my career in. But, in my own way.” She speaks about merging the art world with the cultural industry as a whole, and the brands and individuals she would be thrilled to work with.
“I had a very unconventional childhood. But the thing is, you don't recognize your childhood as unconventional until you become an adult, meet other people, live life experiences, and realize the extent to which you were raised in ways outside of the “norm.” My mom is a single mother by choice, a talented artist who built a career and life for herself with no help from her family. I grew up going to a Mandarin bilingual immersion school in Chinatown, where I was one of a few white kids. I thought I was Asian till I was eight years old. I danced at the School of American Ballet six days a week for eight years, danced at Lincoln Center when I was 11, in costumes Marc Chagall personally designed and created for Firebird. I went to Bronx High School for Science, which was harder than college. I’m so, so grateful. Truthfully, there have been moments where I didn’t feel that way. During rough patches, it isn't easy to be grateful. However, those moments always pass, and I’ve now learned how to move through it all.”
“From speaking to you, it is clear you are a brilliant person with an original outlook on life. It’s inspiring!”
We grab one small cider at the Brooklyn Brewery (neither of us are huge beer fans) and chat about how it’s, funnily enough, one of the most family-friendly establishments in the neighborhood. With perfect timing, uniformed kids run in between us. “I remember the smell of beer being made in the mornings. That is another Proust's Madeleine for me.”
We chat a bit about maison millais and memories, and scheme some projects to come.. (keep an eye out!)
“By the way, I really love Citiette by you guys. Maison Millais, for me, is effortlessly chic, serious but also fun. We live in a time where all brands should have mission statements. MM is environmentally conscious. Not just a fragrance, but it also feels like a meaningful connection.”
"Millais, for me, is effortlessly chic, serious but also fun."
Oona then takes us to a park, where a glorious view of the city greets us. “We used to have a view of the NY skyline! The city seemed so far but so close, and I would spend hours as a kid looking out the window, waiting in anticipation. I realize that sounds quite sad upon reflection, but you have to understand, I was an only child (at least to my knowledge). I had to find ways of amusing myself. And, I loved it.”
All this time, Oona is cradling Citiette XL. “Get a shot of me walking from behind. I have a vision.”
As we strut back to the studio, we talk about the concept of “point of view.”
“All artists have a point of view. And that is great. Even if I don’t like someone's art, or their point of view, or believe in what they are trying to achieve. I respect people who put themselves out there and create. It is the most vulnerable thing you can do.”
Once we get back to the building, Oona asks if we’ve ever seen this before. This being an art fright elevator. “I used to get stuck here for hours as a kid. It’s actually a bit complicated to maneuver." We plop Citiette XL on the ground and laugh at it. “It’s so absurd!”
We come back to the studio, power chug some water, and chat about our dreams in the city. There is something special about sitting in Oona’s childhood room, whispering about all the things to come.
Oona leaves us with a word of advice: to revel in the uncertainty of it all, your youth. And that is at any age and time.
Oona leaves us with a word of advice: to revel in the uncertainty of it all, your youth.
Thank you Oona for a magical day !