Fashion Week Paris: debate about animal clothes

US entrepreneur and reality TV star Kylie Jenner caused a mini-scandal at Paris Fashion Week when she appeared at the couture presentation of the luxury label Schiaparelli in a dress from which a deceptively real-looking lion’s head protruded. Schiaparelli’s Leo Couture gown, designed by Daniel Roseberry, caused a stir on the catwalk.

The head was made from “foam, wool, silk faux fur and was hand-painted to look as lifelike as possible,” the fashion brand wrote on its Instagram account.

To nip a shit storm in the bud, Schiaparelli added to the post to be on the safe side: “No animals were harmed in the manufacture of these clothes.”

Divided opinion about the wild animal clothes

Still, some animal lovers weren’t thrilled. “This concept is disgusting,” wrote one Instagram user in a public comment. “It doesn’t matter if the heads are real or fake, they’re promoting trophy hunting, which is gross, violent and reactionary. Try again.” Ingrid Newkirk, president of animal rights group PETA, told news website TMZ that the collection of three-dimensional animal heads is “fabulously innovative” and may even be “a statement against trophy hunting that destroys entire families of lions purely out of human selfishness “.

In addition to lions, the Schiaperelli parade also featured a black wolf’s head carried by Naomi Campbell and a strapless dress from which an equally realistic-looking snow leopard hissed.

Thanks to Doja Cat, the world googles “trypophobia”

Rapper Doja Cat, whose album Planet Her was one of the world’s most-streamed albums of 2022, also attracted attention at the Schiaparelli show. Some fans of Doja Cat got itchy at the sight. She appeared in a bright red costume with a false bald head, all visible parts of her red-painted skin completely covered with crystals. Some of her fans said the sight triggered trypophobia, disgust at certain patterns of holes or blisters.

It took makeup artist Pat McGrath more than five hours to paint the rapper’s face and torso red, then glue 30,000 Swarovski crystals to her body. Among the tweets on the subject, one user wrote: “Anyone sharing Doja’s look on my timeline will be blocked.” And another user replied: “Just looking at it makes my skin itch.”

A surreal zoo

Chanel’s appearance was also influenced by the animal kingdom: meter-high animal sculptures made of unpainted wood, paper and cardboard could be seen on the catwalk of the traditional Parisian label. A perfect backdrop for the fashion house’s colorful and sequined collection. For the unusual decoration of the catwalk, fashion designer Virginie Viard collaborated with artist Xavier Veilhan, who was inspired for his sculptures by a bestiary in founder Coco Chanel’s apartment. Veilhan wanted to evoke the relationship to animals “which is constantly evolving in our societies”.

Josephine Baker at Dior

Fashion house Dior presented its collection in front of artist Mickalene Thomas’ 13 larger-than-life portraits of African American women, including Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone and Josephine Baker. Christian Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s spring/summer collection, with classic cuts and muted colors, is inspired by the life story of resistance fighter, dancer and singer Josephine Bakers. They reflect the era between the 1920s and the 1950s that shaped Baker.

In addition to breathtaking looks, the concise political statement made by a male model at the Louis-Gabriel Nouchi show also attracted attention. Nouchi’s collection was inspired by the 1991 novel “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis.

During the presentation of the fall/winter ready-to-wear collection, the model held a small white sheet in front of her that read: “Stop Executions in Iran.”

This article was adapted from English by Philipp Jedicke.