Fashion And Religion

[Perickles]

^ As a Christian, I don't like it either. It's deeply degrading to the significance the Last Supper.

I'm atheist and I don't like either I'm so tired to see around my short life this type of controversy it's just a cliché, nothing original

 

[runner]

yohji yamamoto S/S 02


style
vogue.it

 

[softgrey]

hey runner...
sorry, but i don't see the religious symbolism in the yohji stuff...
maybe its because i can't read what is written?...
...

can you please explain?

thanks in advance...

 

[Squizree]

^ I think they're Buddhist references.

 

[ChrissyM]

I remember that Girbaud ad...
i actually thought it was quite beautiful and wasn't offended by it.
is that model in the middle the russian model who committed suicide a few years back?
not that those two things are connected at all...

i find the reinterpretation to be interesting, and actually find others' aversion to it to be a bigger form of intolerance.
for someone to find inspiration in something there's usually some form of respect for what they're recreating.

and as the designers appealed... it's based on a painting, not a religious text
i think that banning the ad is a gross violation of freedom of expression and freedom of speech

 

[Squizree]

I remember that Girbaud ad...
i actually thought it was quite beautiful and wasn't offended by it.
is that model in the middle the russian model who committed suicide a few years back?
not that those two things are connected at all...

i find the reinterpretation to be interesting, and actually find others' aversion to it to be a bigger form of intolerance.
for someone to find inspiration in something there's usually some form of respect for what they're recreating.

and as the designers appealed... it's based on a painting, not a religious text
i think that banning the ad is a gross violation of freedom of expression and freedom of speech

Perhaps, but it's also a violation of the religion itself. It may be a painting but it's a universal symbol of the Christian faith, just like the cross. And remember other religions are also protective of their faith, such as Islam and Hinduism and both have dealt with very similar issues in the past.

 

[ChrissyM]

Perhaps, but it's also a violation of the religion itself. It may be a painting but it's a universal symbol of the Christian faith, just like the cross. And remember other religions are also protective of their faith, such as Islam and Hinduism and both have dealt with very similar issues in the past.

i'm not discounting this at all...
islam especially is very protective of its religion and representations of muhammad etc...
i think the same sort of thing applies to them.
i don't think salman rushdie should have had a fatwah against him just for his writing the satanic verses
though that's an extreme example it's a similar situation of what i would consider an overreaction to someone's interpretation of something in an artistic form
same with the chanel dress that was mentioned earlier in this thread

even if something offends me (i for one don't read too deeply into the religious influences... i think there's often an element of shock value that's trying to be achieved in the use and that sometimes bores me) i don't feel the need for it to be banned and for no one to view it
that kind of censorship tends to make me think "thou doth protest too much" and i think there's a level of desperation to it
we can all believe what we want to believe and be influenced by what we see in whatever way our beliefs color our view

i don't mean to negate anyone's feelings if they're offended by anything they see in this thread...
i'm just sharing my view more in relation to the censorship aspect that sometimes occurs.

 

[Squizree]

^ Absolutely right. Sometimes I wonder whether artists or musicians include religious references just for the sake of shocking onlookers (think Madonna).

And I think it's that very religious sensitivity that tempts artists to use religion in their art. Religion is a very powerful medium because it has so much historical weight and social context, but it's just dicey in general.

I am also extrmely impatient with overreaction, as you said. Sometimes it's like people just wanna complain. After all, religion (Christianity at least) teaches tolerance and forgiveness.

 

[ErnstLudwig]

I am also extrmely impatient with overreaction, as you said. Sometimes it's like people just wanna complain. After all, religion (Christianity at least) teaches tolerance and forgiveness.

weeell only after humanism; go back to the dark age and you will find the same intolerance (excommunication, torture...). And imho there is always a discrepancy between the teachings and the actual "lived" religion.

 

[runner]

softgrey, the models are wearing "sutra". though I'd personally call it lyrics.
the print on the first look reminds me of the colors and motifs used in, for example, mandala.
with the fabric and pattern on adidas's he might derive inspiration from these kinds of brocades.
and some other things which I see the fragments of in this collection.


style
wikipedia
oogoshi
takeyu
shimamana
trial06
toji
powerspots
sgc-shop
orner-koide

 

[runner]

....

 

[CommanderTMugler]

Thierry Mugler had a whole collection inspired by religion in I believe 1985. It was all inspired by religion. In the finale he even had a Madonna lowered down from the ceiling. He referenced the Strasbourg cathedral but other than that I don't know as much as I would like to on this collection, here's a pic from it. I have a few more at home that I'll post later today.

(weheartit)

 

[CommanderTMugler]

One more

(ThierryMugler.tumblr )

 

[liketheboys]

That Gaultier picture is amazing! Every piece looks totally modern.

 

[daisychein]

^ As a Christian, I don't like it either. It's deeply degrading to the significance the Last Supper.

Even though I understand where everyone is coming from - fashion and style is a representation of our society and what we value. Religion is a major pushing factor in a person's life, and I imagine that designers are no exception.

So obviously, what they value will come through in what they create.

I would understand the controversy if they were somehow demeaning the particular religion, but if it is merely an influence on the theme or the design of a collection or editorial or campaign - I don't see what the big deal is.

P.S. I'm a Christian too, and so I'm not trying to attack nor demean the religion

 

[chloesaab]

Jean Paul Gaultier HC Paris shot by Ian Abela

ianabela.com

 

[softgrey]

softgrey, the models are wearing "sutra". though I'd personally call it lyrics.
the print on the first look reminds me of the colors and motifs used in, for example, mandala.
with the fabric and pattern on adidas's he might derive inspiration from these kinds of brocades.
and some other things which I see the fragments of in this collection.

thanks very much runner!
i confess, i had to look up 'mandala'...
here is the wikipedia definition if anyone else is curious...
Maṇḍala (मण्डल) is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions, their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the shape of a T.

i'm only generally familiar with the eastern religions and philosophies, so, any references or symbolism is completely lost on me...
i see these things only as decorative elements...

the image of the seated buddha with the puffy pants and the detail of the yohji adidas sneakers and pants is crazy!
...
it is SO similar!!!...
you don't think that yohji really did that on purpose, do you?!?...
is that a famous image of the buddha?
gomenasai, but i just didn't grow up surrounded by these images the way you must have...

but i can imagine that if you lived with it all your life, it would influence you and it would come to light in your work, as a designer...
*just as daisychein says...

and i guess depending on what your own personal references are, you would either see them as religious or merely as decorative or stylized...

this is SUPER interesting to me!
thanks SO much runner!
you've given me a whole new perspective on these things...

 

[Perickles]

I think of all religions Christianism is so fashionable maybe because the diversity of its clothes.

 

[ultramarine]

I LOVE the last supper ad.

And as per the statement, I think its intentions are quite clear.

Maybe because I consider myself buddhist I dont mind as much (and you have seen what they've done to Buddha, which is used by many people as an ornament .. in bars and such)

 

[Squizree]

^ Yeah I think all religions have suffered from commercialization at one point or another.