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Schiaparelli’s Leo Couture, worn by Kylie Jenner to Paris Fashion Week 2023, set tongues wagging (PETA included). Although allegedly not conceived malevolently as trophy-hunting propaganda, the social media and press drew a highly unappealing picture of the idea of wearing a fake lion’s head on one’s shoulder. Of course, using dead animal heads as an accessory wouldn’t leave room for doubt about the creator’s intention.
Yet, since we are talking about an accessory made of faux fur, foam, and resin, it slightly changes the course of this debate. Daniel Roseberry has been the brand’s creative director since 2019. His spring 2023 collection for Maison Schiaparelli was an homage to Elsa Schiaparelli, known for her soft spot for animals. The collection included three different creatures from Dante’s Inferno, a leopard, a lion, and a wolf, representing lust, pride, and avarice, who also, in Roseberry’s words, «celebrated the glory of nature and guarded the woman who wears it.»
Fake heads topped the shoulders of Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow, and Shayk. Schiaparelli’s creative director’s other points of interest for this collection were a surrealist factor and paying homage to «doubt.» Following the heated discussion that rapidly arose in media after the show, Schiaparelli (@schiaparelli) shouted to their two million Instagram followers immediately: «NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN MAKING THIS LOOK». Kylie Jenner @kyliejenner made it evident with a brief remark, «Wow, I loved wearing this faux art creation constructed by hand using manmade materials. Beautiful, beautiful 🦁🦁🫶🏻».
What else do we know about Schiaparelli’s besides it becoming Paris Fashion Week’s most controversial look? Interestingly, this one animal-spirited show said a lot about the brand. Maison Schiaparelli, an haute couture house created by Elsa Schiaparelli in 1927 and bought by Diego Della Valle in 2007, is known for unconventionality, fondness of Surrealism, gender crossing, their flagship energetic tone of the pink, funny bone, and depictions of human anatomy. Some of Schiaparelli’s most emblematic collaborations included Dalí, Cocteau, Man Ray, Giacometti, and Marcel Vertès. The company is located in Paris, France.
See all Schiaparelli looks from the Spring 2023 show in Vogue.
