MET Gala to Stage its Most Controversial Exhibit Yet
Dolce & Gabbana FW14 campaign inspired by Sicily's Cathedral of Monreale.
Luego de encontrar éxito con “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: The Art of the In-Between” y de marcar una pauta en el 2016 con “Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology” - que destronó a “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” como la exhibición más visitada en la historia del Museo de Arte Metropolitano de New York con 752,995 visitantes – WWD ha confirmado que el tema que el Costume Institute estará explorando en la Galería 999 del museo será la religión.
After finding success with “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: The Art of In-Between”, and marking a hit with its 2016 “Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology” exhibit – leaving behind “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” as the most-visited exhibition in the history of New York’s MET Museum with 752,995 visitors – WWD has confirmed that the theme the Costume Institute will be exploring next year will be religion.
The infamous 1994 Chanel "Satanic Breasts" dress, which caused commotion for having a verse of the Koran across Claudia Schiffer chest.
A lo largo de la historia de la moda contemporánea existe un gran grupo de diseñadores que hasta el Sol de hoy conservan vivo este idilio entre la religión y la moda. Nunca olvidemos al Gianni Versace quien en los noventas utilizó la cruz como uno de sus emblemas de marca, sobre todo en sus colecciones de alta costura, algo que el francés Jean Paul Gaultier también emulo en varias de sus colecciones haute couture y que llegó a un vortex en su colección primavera/verano de alta costura del 2007.
Más reciente recordemos la colección de otoño/invierno 2017 de Jeremy Scott la cual argumentó inteligentemente como consumimos la cultura de las celebridades, incluyendo al mismo Jesús. Y tampoco nos olvidemos de Dolce & Gabbana quienes constantemente han utilizado la imagen de “la Madonna” en sus colecciones. Otros nombres que vienen a la cabeza son Riccardo Tisci para Givenchy y John Galliano para Christian Dior.
Throughout contemporary fashion’s history there has been a vast group of designers who have relied on this idyllic relationship between religion and fashion. First name that comes to my mind is Gianni Versace with his last haute couture show staged at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1997 which included Naomi and her entourage parading down the runway with Templar crosses all over their dresses, in the same way Jean Paul Gaultier has stamped religious motifs in most of his collections, something that reached a vortex in his Spring/Summer Haute Couture 2007 collection which saw Dita von Teese as La Virgen de Guadalupe.
More recently this same year Jeremy Scott presented his Fall/Winter collection inspired by our fixation with celebrity culture, featuring Jesus Christ himself; Dolce & Gabbana has also been a spokebrand for religious fashion, using the iconography of “la Madonna” in many collections and ad campaigns. Other designers known for their religious nods are Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy and John Galliano for Christian Dior.
For JPG's HC Spring/Summer 2007 collection every model wore a halo. Their faces were painted like plaster statues inspired by the vernacular devotional art found in local churches throughout the Catholic world.
Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2017 Backstage
For his Spring/Summer 2016 collection lad Christopher Kane masterfully merged religion with punk.
Ahora, el cristianismo y catolicismos son solo dos religiones de todas las que existen en el mundo, muchos diseñadores han explorado otras espiritualidades en sus diseños como ha sido el caso de Prabal Gurung que siendo de Nepal una vez invitó a un grupo de monjes budistas a que cantaran en su desfile; o Hussein Chalayan que para su icónica colección de 1998 “Between” finalizó el desfile con seis modelos en burka, que gradualmente se desvanecieron hasta dejarlas completamente desnudas. Intencionado como un testamento contra la opresión femenina en países musulmanes, Chalayan explicó que mucha de la inspiración estuvo basada en su herencia turca y dijo que la colección se trataba sobre “la pérdida cultural de uno mismo”.
Solo nos queda esperar al 7 de mayo del 2018 para saber cuánta tela va a usar la virgen Kim Kardashian, de qué largo será el hábito de Rihanna o cuántas cruces va a llevar Madonna encima.
But Christians and Catholics will not be the only subject of the exhibition, and designers the like of Prabal Gurung – who once invited Buddhist monks to chant at one of his runway shows – know it.
But, if there’s one pivotal moment in the representation of Muslim religion in fashion we need to discuss Hussein Chalayan's 1998 “Between” collection, which stormed the media by having six standing models wearing burkas that gradually minimized to the point of leaving them completely naked. Intended as a statement on the oppression of Muslim women, Chalayan cited his Turkish Cypriot heritage as inspiration. “It wasn’t really supposed to be offensive,” he said back in 1998. “It was supposed to illustrate a particular kind of position. This was about the cultural loss of self.'
Another moment in time was last year when American designer Naeem Khan joined forces with Indonesian designer Anniesa Hasibuan and staged the first ever hijab fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
Only thing I know is we will have to wait until the first Monday in May next year to discover how virginal Kim Kardashian will look, how long Rihanna’s habit’s gonna be or how many crosses Madonna’s body can carry.
Prabal Gurung's SS16 runway show was a love letter to his native Nepal with Buddhist monks chanting at the finale.
Last years first-ever hijab fashion show during NYFW.
At the 2012 Grammys red carpet Nicki Minaj twisted heads by arriving with a "Pope" impersonator and wearing an Atelier Versace embroidered-silk cape.
Pierre et Gilles' "La Vierge aux Serpent" with Kylie Minogue wearing Jean Paul Gaultier, 2008.