Hannah Eberle | A&E Editor
January 27, 2023
Kylie Jenner stole the show at Paris fashion week with her lion headdress. Created by Schiaparelli, the extremely life-like lion’s head sent fashion week’s viewers into an uproar. Along with the young billionaire’s look, Schiaparelli’s runway show featured another lion, wolf, and tiger head incorporated into the looks. Schiaparelli noted that no animals were harmed in the making of the dresses, in fact the heads were entirely made from foam, wool, paint, and silk faux fur.
Despite the warnings, the dress quickly earned some backlash all over social media as most viewers thought the animal heads were real. Social media was flushed with tweets and posts questioning the looks and claimed that the designs were promoting animal cruelty and big game hunting. “After seeing the lion head I was sure PETA would be coming after Schiaparelli, I think wearing animal heads is a little cheap these days,” San Clemente High School senior Sammy Stark said. Many people seemed to agree with Sammy, comments seem to follow the basis that regardless of the detail put into the fake animals, it still encourages the outdated idea of using animals for fashion.
Most of the hate comments were conquered when PETA reached out and made a statement regarding Schiaparelli’s fashion designs. The animal rights organization explained that the dresses actually challenged the practice of big game hunting and taxidermy. In fact, they claimed that the designs enforce the idea that realistic models of animals can be made without bringing any harm to animals.
Furthermore, the deeper meaning behind Schiaparelli’s designs continues to combat any shallow critiques of the designs. The runway show featured faux creations inspired by Dante’s “inferno”. The three animals were created to represent lust, pride, and avarice, encouraging viewers to consider those aspects within themselves. “I originally thought the looks were gimmicky, but then I read about the inspiration coming from Dante’s Inferno which I thought was very intriguing,” SCHS senior Claudia Mains said.
Regardless of the controversy caused by the exotic dresses, it is clear that Schiaparelli created something special. The overall flare and details of the designs reflected the bold looks most viewers are anxious to receive from Paris fashion week.
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