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The pigsty is a great place for inspiration, but it’s also what designers have been looking to lately. First came the dirt—mounds of peat bog from Balenciaga’s SS23 show—then came autumnal pig, duck and horse prints. For his debut collection for Burberry, Daniel Lee filled the catwalk with everything from jackets to dresses. And then there’s Stella McCartney Latest series An appaloosa-themed jacquard pattern paid homage to her first horse, Harmony, and Christopher Kane’s fall collection used artificial intelligence to create slit dresses featuring piglets, chickens and mice, despite his inspiration Not that rural. “We have a rodent problem in the ceiling of our studio,” the designer said. “We never saw them but could hear them running around the pipes above us.”
The more famous an animal is, the stronger its influence in the fashion world: leopards and zebras have long been hot commodities, of course. But everyday creatures also have appeal. Daniel James Cole, adjunct assistant professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, explains that the Surrealist movement made animals a popular fodder for designers, spawning a wave of designs that mimicked familiar shapes like birds, bugs and dogs. clothing. Perhaps the most famous are Elsa Schiaparelli’s horses, which adorned brooches and belts in her 1938 Circus collection. You could see inspiration in Gilbert Adrian’s Roan Stallion dress a few years later, with a galloping horse extending from the neckline to the knees. His other designs feature prancing lambs and pecking hens. Adrian takes over the ranch and transforms it into a Golden Age Hollywood.
Designers often pursue simpler times. As Cole points out, “the theme of country life persisted throughout the 18th century,” expressed most obviously by Marie Antoinette.The Queen of France popularized queen shirta clothing style inspired by Farmer life (peasant life). These were usually made of calico and featured hunting scenes, farm animals and “people playing in the woods”. But the current trend might just be a new version of “cottagecore,” a modern aesthetic based on a quirky take on rural life (posts tagged #cottagecore have 14.3 billion views on TikTok). It’s no secret that nostalgia reigns supreme during times of turmoil, and Pigs and Sheep evokes a strange feeling of being transported back to childhood. “This might attract the whimsy we need,” Cole affirms, adding that the farm’s focus mixes that feeling with “a comforting sense of familiarity.”
For WGSN’s print and graphics strategist Rose Hudson, the barn theme represents a trend the agency calls “park living.” “It follows the revival of pastoral animal prints, anchored by a rustic and handmade feel,” she says. “Upcycling of discarded fabrics is also on the rise and is intensifying the use of these rustic patterns.” This sense of simple comfort is especially evident in Bodé – check out the quirky embroidery horse cardigan – and dangling orange legs. Burberry handwoven peaked hat.
However, the symbolism of the farm can also provide an unflattering insight into fashion’s relationship with the animal kingdom. There have been recent calls for “species royalty” in the use of patterns such as leopard print; the idea is to give back to the animals and bridge the psychological gap between the species and its image. For Joshua Katcher, a vegan menswear designer and fashion animalsThis disconnect is especially evident when designers use leather, fur, or wool. “When we use animals as symbols in fashion, we tend to strip them of their individuality, inner life and complexity,” he said. “Animals are reduced to two-dimensional symbols that represent things that cater to our egos.”
That’s not to say animal images are off-limits: it’s all about context. Stella McCartney’s horses are powerful because they represent the connection between animals and humans. JW Anderson Dove Clutch Making a neglected bird beautiful (in a delightfully silly way). However, the pheasant silhouette on Rydale’s shooting socks is rather sinister: ideally, prey shouldn’t be a fashion subject.
italian brand Collina Strada Fall/Winter Collection It is for this reason that it illuminates animals that are “commonly eaten as food”. “I try to bridge the gap between our daily lives and the natural world, prompting reflection on the interconnectedness of all living things,” founder Hillary Taymour said of the pig-ear and cow-brand piercings on her thick sweater and baggy tartan trousers. Shi said.
As Katcher says, “We are fascinated by animals because we evolved with them. Most humans have an evolved and innate desire to communicate with nature.” Fashion is just another way to express how we feel. Now it seems the message is pigs, cows and ducks.
Model Martina Bergamini from Oui Management. Ben Grimes’ Thiago Martins casting. Hair: Rimi Ura by Calliste Agency. Makeup artist: Mayumi Oda of Bryant Artists. Photographer’s Assistant Christian Valas. Stylist assistants Amelie Richard and Rémy Yombo. Makeup Assistant Laurine Maciejewski
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