THE BAMBI EARS & ANIMAL INSTICTS
OF RICCARDO TISCI
The transformation of Burberry’s chief creative officer, Riccardo Tisci, to a deer and the return to mother nature open the way to a new female figure, even with the Bambi-inspired ears, as he envisioned it in his latest collection, Animal Instinct.
When Riccardo Tisci took over the helm at Burberry as Chief Creative Officer, everyone knew that a gentle makeover was not what the Italian designer had in mind for the British label. Besides, his tenure at Givenchy was proof enough. So, changing the famous logo was just the beginning. It was rather a hint that nothing would remain the same, reminding the days of Burberry’s former creative director Christopher Bailey.
And then came the pandemic that literally rattled fashion, as it deprived it of one of its raisons d’être, the fashion shows. Of course, with a subsequent impact on sales, as the lockdowns imposed jumpsuits, pyjamas and slippers. Tisci, looking mainly at Asian markets, presented his shows online, starting a study on the fluidity of the silhouette.
Until September 2021, when he finally showcased how he imagines the woman of the spring/summer 2022. Βold, striking silhouettes or cropped backs, oversized sleeves, collarless designs, abstract prints.
Through this presentation, Tisci feels optimistic; he talks about dynamic women, creatures that can withstand many adversities, not only inclusion.
Ο ΓΥΝΑΙΚΕΙΟΣ ΛΟΧΟΣ
After all, he was born in southern Italy, in Taranto, with everything that such roots signify. First of all, adoration for his mother, Elmerinda: let us not forget that she raised her eight children all by herself. Tisci often dedicates her collections to her and almost always states how much he owes her. The mother figure as a role model also represents the feminine energy that she praised in his collection and personified it to his mother, who he calls a fighter of life.
“To me, this presentation really represents the freedom of our imaginations: how we dream to come alive. I wanted to move through a series of immersive spaces, each of them unique and unexpected in their sound, texture and experience,” the house’s chief creative officer shared in a press release. “It’s that idea of flicking between the endless realities and fantasies we have at our fingertips each day. This is for my mother, Elmerinda, and to a journey full of new possibilities.“
Besides her, Tisci is also connected to art personalities, such as Marina Abramovic. He even designed the costumes for the performance The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas, presented in September 2021 at the National Opera in Athens. At the same time, he makes Naomi Campbell his muse for his summer Monogram campaign and dresses her up with low-rise pants, camisole dresses and bondage bikinis. “For this campaign, I could think of no one else who could personify endurance better than my good friend, Naomi,” said Tisci. Meanwhile, he has his eyes on the now and the near future; he talks to the new generation and makes the English rapper Shygirl and the FKA Twigs, his muses, along with, Kendall Jenner, who he considers a standard value.
A NEW CREATURE IS BORN
Last September, Tisci rocked the boat once again with his Spring/Summer 2022 collection. With the help of Isamaya Ffrench, Burberry beauty director, he put silicone deer ears on models that looked completely natural, an extension to their own skin. It is no coincidence that the collection is called Animal Instinct, and the Bambi-inspired ears became the talk of the town, with many insisting that a new accessory was born. Remains to see if Tisci will manage to impose this new accessory on the Tik Tok generation. Tisci himself wanted the models to convey the “same emotional expression that animals convey through their ears” as a nod to each “human’s animal instinct that expresses when we are feeling happiness, depression or sadness.”
One thing is for sure, though: in his summer collection, the Italian designer messes with our most primitive fantasies, creating one of the most daring experiments since he arrived at Burberry. He deconstructs the trench coat and gabardine, takes the bondage-style to a whole new level, loosely tied belts and chokers, he exposes body parts.
Tisci’s latest collection also comments on sustainable fashion and the possibilities that emerge through such an approach. The digital presentation itself was certified carbon neutral as part of Burberry’s commitment through its Regeneration Fund, with measures taken to reduce the environmental impact of the event. It is no coincidence that he was photographed for dsection magazine not only wearing the Bambi ears but with a baby deer in his arms.
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Now, whether Tisci himself is a deer or tiger, that is a whole different story.
CREDITS:
Words:
Ira Sinigalia
Holding Image:
Courtesy of Burberry
Photos:
Tag-Walk