For many students, when it comes to writing an essay, this becomes a stumbling block, although in vain, because the more a person is well-read, the more his horizons are and he is capable of more in the performance of his professional duties. Of course, you always have the opportunity to Pay Someone to Write an Essay, but in any case, we recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the topic on which you need to write an essay. We have selected for your attention a list of books that once inspired fashion designers.
From The Shining, to A Clockwork Orange and Mumbo Jumbo, the Cyborg Manifesto
Strangely, the world stopped when Juergen Teller took Joan Didion, a literary heavyweight for Celine’s SS15 Campaign. Didion was inspired to speak out after an image of Didion wearing large glasses, a black top, gold necklace and over-sized glasses went viral. She said, “I don’t have any clue” when she was asked about all the fuss.
There are many examples of fashion designers looking to books as inspiration, and there are many more.
Alexander McQueen looked to H.G Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau in creating his wild and animal-like collection “It’s a Jungle Out There”. Alessandro Michele created Gucci cyborgs after being inspired by Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto. We will be exploring the relationship between fashion & literature on World Book Day. These eight books are some of the most influential in the industry, having influenced people like Grace Wales Bonner and Rei Kawakubo.
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando tells of an Elizabethan nobleman that wakes up one day as a woman. The story of Orlando, who is now a time traveller, takes him on a journey that will take him back 300 years in time, and he meets some of the most influential figures in literature along the way. Tilda Swanson starred in the adaptation of Woolf’s novel. It has been a cultural landmark, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. A number of designers have taken inspiration from the book because of its lengthy time frame and gender-fluid approach. Rei Kawakubo has dedicated her SS20 men’s and womenswear collections to the book as part of a trilogy. After a black, mostly formal menswear collection, models were dressed in frocks, pinafores and petticoats. The women’swear presentation was more dramatic, with a minimal, minimalist collection. Last December saw Kawakubo presenting the final version of this collection, in which he portrayed Orlando’s opera production.
FRANKENSTEIN – MARY SHELLEY
Frankenstein, a gothic novel written in 1823 is still one of the most admired in English. Shelley tells Shelley the story of Victor Frankenstein who is a scientist who attempts to create a sentient creature. Frankenstein, with its rich and detailed descriptions, has been a favorite runway book. The most obvious interpretations of Frankenstein include Prada and Christopher Kane shirts featuring images of the book’s monster. However, the Gucci presentation by Alessandro Michele is the latest version. In his show notes, he said that we are all Dr Frankensteins and have also referred to Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto.
DONNA HARAWAY CYBORG MANIFESTO
A Cyborg Manifesto is a post-modern text that challenges traditional ideas of feminism and promotes socialist and antiidentitarian politics. Michele designed his Gucci cyborg using the cyborg metaphor to reject identity and question binaries. In a medical-style room with clinical lighting and beds, models walked down a runway carrying miniature dragons and moulds of their heads. Michele also used Haraway’s Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as inspiration for this collection.
A CLOCKWORK RANGE BY ANTHONY GUGESS
The iconic imagery from A Clockwork Orange is now well-known. The 1962 story is about Alex, a 15-year old. Burgess’ dystopian tale follows him and his group, which rape, steal, and harass civilians. Jun Takahashi of Undercover has referenced the novel because the looks in the book are instantly recognisable. This is largely due to Stanley Kubrick’s 1977 film adaptation. The book was taken to the runway by Jun Takahashi for his AW19 collection. Models wore theatrical masks and bowler hats as well as canes that were symbolic of the characters. Some of the book’s essential made-up languages were also printed on tops.
STEPHEN KING’S SHINING
Stanley Kubrick has also made adaptations of Stephen King’s The Shining. The Shining, a horror novel, tells the story a writer who is hired to work as an off-season hotel caretaker. His wife and Danny, his psychically gifted son, join him. After a terrible snowstorm, the family is left stranded. Meanwhile, supernatural forces are unleashed to torture the protagonist’s sanity. Alexander McQueen used this setting to create “The Outlook”, his AW99 production. The runway was set up in a Lucite container with artificial snow, bare trees and models. Later, they ice-skated and walked around it. The show featured a dramatic, eerie presentation that also referenced one the most iconic scenes from The Shining: two girls standing in a hallway. Jun Takahashi used the idea to inspire his Undercover SS18 show. Models walked in pairs in 50s-inspired dresses, which were decorated with landscape motifs.
MUMBO JUMBO PHOTO BY ISHMAEL RED
Mumbo Jumbo, set in the 1920s, describes an epidemic known as Jes Grew that was carried by black musicians and caused half of America’s reckless jazz dancing. Grace Wales Bonner resorted to this comic book for her AW19 collection. The collection was presented with a piano performance by Ben Okri and Ishmael Reeves, who read a poem at the presentation. British designer, Ishmael Reed, is known for her intensive and academic research. Her show notes stated: “The collection considers writers as oracles, connecting with a rich magical lineage and serving as custodians ancestral wisdom passed down, reinterpreted.” Words are transformed and collaged into spells that can be woven in cloth.
THE ISLAND OF H. G. WELLS: DOCTOR MOREAU
Alexander McQueen referred to H. G. Wells in his AW97 collection “It’s a Jungle Out There” and his science fiction novel The Island of Doctor Moreau for his AW97 collection. This book explores the ideas of what it means for humans to be human. It follows Edward Prendick who is a survivor of a shipwreck. He lands on an Island belonging to Doctor Moreau who practices vivisections. McQueen took the story and made it his own by giving his models crazy, wild hair and cat-like make up. This show is his most famous, featuring a collection that includes animal prints and fur. McQueen looked elsewhere for inspiration, and his AW96 collection was the result.
A HANDMAID’S TALE BY MARTHARET ATWOOD
A Handmaid’s Tale, written in 1985, has seen a cultural revival thanks to the television adaptation that debuted in 2017. This dystopian tale is set in a future when the American government has been overthrown and controlled by a quasi-Christian group. Many of these characters are remarkably representative of modern times. New York label Vaquera took Atwood’s words and turned them into a runway collection.