Christopher Kane’s Resort 2010 collection is no doubt more interesting than it would have been in florals*. He’s taken inspiration from digitally printed fabric with mushroom cloud images, sourced from war photographic archives, and whipped them into a few frock. All very nice and ooh-ahh, until you think what this actual subject matter is. As Patty Huntington points out, 70,000+ people died instantly in Nagasaki. Not to mention the aftermath and those who weren’t blessed with a quick demise.
I believe fashion is about expressing an idea through garments, but I think I’ve completely missed Kane’s point here. Fashion will be the death of us all?
View the entire collection on Style.com, have a look at the destruction of Nagasaki, and let me know what you think… Has the quest for “interesting” visuals gone too far? Is it okay to wear a “Shrapnel” organza dress?
*Blackbook has suggested an alternative that still kicks the ass of florals; Shabd’s tie-dye interpretations of space & time – on a collection of trippy leggings and bodysuits.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
tavi explains it ;
http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/2009/06/resort-2010.html
The only one I really like is the dress that you have posted – because the mushroom cloud mimics an hourglass body shape. The others? I’m not a huge fan.
Then, on the other hand, I might love it in a “why the fuck do we wear visual representations of anything in the first place” kind of way?
Flowers? Unicorns? Kittens? you can argue that it’s because they are cute or beautiful but then he has chosen very visually beautiful and abstract (in the sense of an idea rather than the death on the ground kind of way) representations of the mushroom cloud.
Would people be as ambivalent if it was nimbus clouds? Lightening? people are killed by lightening quite regularly.
Is it because of the association with death? in that case, why would anyone consider faux-fur (leaving fur itself out of the equation) fashionable? or hair-as-faux-fur? that still is associated with the slaughter of animals.
Lions and tigers are deadly animals and noone thinks twice if they are printed on a tee-shirt.
Also? a flower is essentially the sexual organ of a plant. Perhaps his next collection will be printed with animal genitalia?
I could go on. But I won’t. Perhaps I’m over thinking it. But perhaps that’s what Kane wants us to do? it has certainly got people talking.
Lulu: Thanks for the link :)
Sarah: Fair calls all round… but the clouds are so specific. You look at the classic b&w Nagasaki image (which ironically I didn’t include as my visual because I found it less aesthetically pleasing than this) and know it to represent a certain event. There are many vicious lightening bolts…
Also, from a high fashion designer – with the prices to match – I expect more than printed dresses. I feel like consumers deserve more than “pretty” when you’re making that much money – what is your idea, what are you selling us? That’s what we pay for, opinions and points of view, even in fashion. Kane just comes off as vapid in his search for a icon.
Phew! You are so right, it’s a great discussion point and these discussions are certainly going to benefit his brand.
They’re interesting images, because, well, frankly, they’re very pretty. Aesthetically pleasing – the one you posted at least. It’s only when you understand their original context that they become problematic… I think I’m going to have to ponder this, and maybe reread some Derrida to say anything more profound…
I normally wouldn’t really mind about something like this. Also, the clothes are pretty. But after visiting Nagasaki last year and really learning about what “Fat Boy” did to the city – watching video testimonials, reading personal accounts of that day, seeing pictures that I don’t even want to describe – … no. Just no. In my book, Kane is vetoed, overruled, fired, gets an F.
Oops, forgot the link. I have a couple of pictures, sort of.
ya that’s sort of like wearing an image of auschwitz. i’d say it’s pushing it. though the dress and visual are very beautiful on a surface level. i used to wear bomb shaped earrings as a teenager and i still have lots of death laden imagery on t-shirts. so i’m not against that. put that poor city. i met someone in osaka who told me their family was from hiroshima. it wasn’t a happy moment. and then again… if i saw a generic photo of say a field strewn with soldiers bodies and it looked to be from WW1, i wouldn’t be as taken a back. it’s that they are civilians i think, as they were in auschwitz and to say that they didn’t have a fighting chance is an understatement.
A big old fat NAY! This shirt is way to over priced… $300 and it looks like a tie-died 80 punk band shirt.