Irenebrination: Notes on Architecture, Art, Fashion, Fashion Law, Science & Technology

Aquatic Futures: "Water is Coming" @ The Danish Architecture Center (DAC)

Climate change is drastically affecting our lives: glaciers and ice sheets are melting, leading to rising sea levels that threaten to submerge places like Venice and Tuvalu. But rising seas aren't the only water-related danger. In Jakarta, Indonesia, only two-thirds of the population have access to a centralized water system. Due to excessive underground water extraction, the city is gradually sinking. Environmental experts predict that if the current rate of subsidence continues, a third of Jakarta could be underwater by 2050, that's why the government is planning to relocate the capital to the island of Borneo.

Other regions are also experiencing extreme flooding, sometimes following months of drought. In September, Storm Boris brought severe flooding and heavy rain to the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, and Austria. In Italy's Emilia Romagna region, which had already been hit by a major flood in May 2023, the storm triggered more floods and landslides.

Last month, the climate disaster miniseries "Families Like Ours," directed by Thomas Vinterberg, very aptly premiered in Venice. The series portrays the experiences of various individuals after Danish authorities announce the need to evacuate the country due to flooding, forcing citizens to seek refuge wherever they can around the world.

It was fitting, then, for the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) to tackle this issue with an exhibition. "Water is Coming" (running until 23rd May 2025) might have a title that evokes a sense of impending disaster, but the exhibition presents installations and architectural projects designed to inspire reflection and adaptation.

Visitors are encouraged to explore the connections between water, people, and nature, seeking collaborative solutions with architects. Senior curator Pernille Stockmarr explains, "We're at a crossroads. Water is both a life-giving resource and a threat to our way of life (…) our ability to integrate and manage water will shape the future of cities and the lives of many people."
Stockmarr emphasizes that, while we can adapt, we need to rethink our approach and create bold solutions like those on display here.

The showcased projects demonstrate indeed various ways to address climate adaptation, ranging from local efforts to large-scale infrastructure, and from nature-based strategies to technical innovations.

The exhibition features a range of projects focused on biodiversity, urban development, and innovative waterfront housing. However, the key to addressing these challenges may lie in multi-level collaboration between scientists, architects, landscape architects, and urban planners.

One standout project is "Copenhagen Islands", designed by landscape architects at Schønherr. The project consists in a future vision for Copenhagen, proposing new urban spaces emerging naturally from the city's landscape and water flow, suggesting a departure from the 1947 Finger Plan. This plan, which combined urbanization with a radial commuter-train system and large green interspaces between the "fingers", could be replaced by a more sustainable framework like the one proposed by "Copenhagen Islands".

Among the potential solutions (that could also be aplied to other countries) there is the idea of redeveloping coastlines into "spongy" zones that absorb excess water and release it during dry periods. Habitats such as marshes, salt meadows, swamps, and rock reefs could reemerge, helping to break waves, absorbing CO2, and providing recreational areas for both people and wildlife, all while protecting the city.

Additional water-management projects include the climate-resilient neighborhood in Østerbro, designed by SLA, THIRD NATURE, and LYTT Architecture, which transforms an entire district into a water-management hub with rainwater collection and green spaces.

Enghaveparken in Copenhagen also demonstrates how urban areas can serve as both floodwater collection zones and recreational spaces.

The DAC event doesn't single out any project as superior, but encourages visitors to explore the ideas presented by both Danish and international architects and form their own conclusions.

Some of the solutions on display are even conflicting and have stirred public debate. One of the most controversial is the €2.7 billion Lynetteholm project, an artificial island that the government and the city claim will protect Copenhagen from rising sea levels and storms, while also offering a sustainable solution to urban expansion.

Once completed, Lynetteholm will extend the adjacent island of Refshaleøen by 275 hectares, accommodate 35,000 residents, provide flood protection through a dam structure, and connect to the mainland via a metro line and ring road. The island's foundation, which began construction earlier this year, is expected to be finished by 2035, with full completion planned for 2070. However, the project has faced criticism from NGOs, legal experts, local politicians, and even neighboring Sweden. Opponents argue that, rather than benefiting the environment and supporting Denmark's climate goals, it may actually cause harm and hinder maritime navigation in the harbor.

In contrast, the new Niederhafen flood barrier in Hamburg (the city's original promenade was raised to 7 meters above sea level after the 1962 storm surge to protect against flooding), designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, showcases how flood protection can be creatively transformed into an urban promenade, providing open and social spaces for both locals and tourists.

The exhibition also offers moments of calm through artistic projects: "The Water Drops" installation by glass artist Maria Sparre-Petersen serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things; "Sky & Sea", an installation by textile designer and artist Iben Høj, features knitted spatial draperies, creating an immersive, poetic space between the sky and sea.

Visitors are also invited to engage with interactive elements, including computer games that allow them to navigate imagined future worlds shaped by rising water levels.

Some of the projects featured in this exhibition were previously showcased at the Danish Pavilion during the International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia 2023.

Among them is "Mermaid Bay", a scenographic installation by Christian Friedländer, that was part of the "Coastal Imaginaries" exhibition at the Danish Pavilion curated by Josefine Michau.

This installation presents a modern, dramatic take on a diorama, a spatial design combining elements of theatrical scenography with the classical aesthetics of natural history museums. It stages a future coastal landscape partially submerged by the sea, using immersive lighting and sound to depict the fragility of the coast and the harsh realities of climate change.

While these works offer stark warnings about the future, there is also a sense of hope. However, this hope should not lead to complacency; it calls for action, urging us to rethink how we design our cities and promote life in a world increasingly influenced by water.

A few fashion designers have not ignored this pressing theme either: Vivienne Westwood, for example, highlighted the need to save Venice in her Vivienne Westwood's Gold Label S/S16 collection, while Dutch designer Iris van Herpen has often drawn inspiration from both architecture and water in her past collections, going as far as shooting a short film in the world's deepest salsobromoiodic thermal water manmade pool. Van Herpen's Haute Couture A/W 23 collection entitled "Architectonics", was also inspired by projects of floating architectures.

The exhibition at DAC also offers the chance to visitors to experience what it might be like living in a floating structure through a project by maritime architecture studio MAST. The best thing about their structures is that they are portable and can therefore adapt to the needs of a city. Such themes could prove inspiring for fashion design students who may want to develop adaptable clothing designed for life in aquatic environments.

Some elements in the DAC exhibition could even prove inspiring for runway sets, including "Pink Elements". These building components, part of the research project Deep Sea Minding, commissioned by TBA21-Academy, are designed to support marine life and stimulate coral polyp growth through their color and structure. These elements remind us that architecture should serve both humans and other species. What we create impacts indeed the ecosystems, so solutions must consider the needs of all life forms, both present and future (fashion, in particular, often overlooks this broader responsibility, doesn't it?). 

So, fashion students reading this, it's time to study, do your research, engage with architects, and listen to their visions for the future, to help them creating also a wardrobe suited for a brand new aquatic life.

Image credits for this post

All images in this post: Installation views of "Water is coming", Dansk Arkitektur Center (Danish Architecture Center, DAC). Photo: Anders Sune Berg

Fashionable Curatorship: "Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston @ Sotheby's, London

In the last decade or so, the term "curated by" has become overused, with all kinds of people claiming to "curate" everything from music playlists to film festivals and art exhibitions. Seeking to appeal to younger, affluent collectors, but as a reaction to the casual curator, Sotheby's launched its Contemporary Curated auctions, featuring works selected by creative minds from a variety of fields with a genuine passion for art. While in 2017 Sotheby's turned to dancer and choreographer Michael Clark, in the following years the auction house frequently enlisted fashion designers as guest curators, among them Roksanda Ilincic, Esteban Cortázar, Margherita Missoni, Anya Hindmarch, Coperni, Erdem, and, more recently, Thom Browne.

In 2020, Sotheby's tapped Kim Jones, creative director of Dior Homme and Fendi womenswear, for a "Contemporary Curated" sale in New York that featured items such as a 1938 Alexander Calder brooch and Nick Cave's Hustle Coat (2017). At the time, Sotheby's chose Jones not for Dior's own past as a gallerist, but for his frequent artist collaborations and his own diverse collection, spanning pre-war paintings, first-edition books, and archival fashions by Vivienne Westwood and Leigh Bowery. Jones is also drawn to pieces by the Bloomsbury Group, which he feels add warmth to his West London home, designed by Gianni Botsford Architects, a striking structure made of solid concrete, steel, aluminum, and glass.

It is this interest in the Bloomsbury Group that has prompted Sotheby's to choose him again as guest curator for their "Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston" event (9 - 26 November 2024), part of the auction house's Modern British & Irish Art Week. This auction, accompanied by an exhibition, will showcase the finest art and literature by the Bloomsbury Group, featuring works for sale alongside loans from Charleston in Sussex - the home of Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf’s sister) and Duncan Grant, and the spiritual heart of the Bloomsbury Group.

The Bloomsbury Group, an influential collective of writers, intellectuals, artists, and thinkers, emerged in the early 20th century in London's Bloomsbury district. Known for their groundbreaking contributions to modern literature, art, and philosophy, they defied the rigid social norms of Victorian society. Their emphasis on emotional and intellectual freedom fostered some of the most innovative work of the time. They were also advocates for pacifism, socialism, and feminism.

"Radical Modernity", in collaboration with Charleston, will celebrate the enduring legacy of the Bloomsbury Group and the resurgence of interest in their work today. The exhibition and auction will feature paintings, drawings, furniture, ceramics, and literature by figures such as Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, Virginia Woolf, and Henry Lamb.

Charleston will be lending some of its most significant pieces, many rarely seen by the public, including recent acquisitions from the "‘50 for 50" campaign. This initiative seeks to uncover the finest Bloomsbury works still held in private collections, in anticipation of Charleston's 50th anniversary as a charity in 2030.

"The Bloomsbury group were a reaction against Victorian Britain, and I love the way they shook things up – changing the way people dress and think (like the Beats or the Punks)," Jones states in a press release about the event.

Jones has long drawn inspiration from the Bloomsbury Group's paintings, colors, patterns, and writings, visiting Charleston for the first time in his life during a school trip. Since 2018, he has collaborated with the Charleston team, helping acquire items for the house, including a fire screen that was once in John Maynard Keynes' bedroom. He organized there a Vogue shoot with Kate Moss to celebrate his first Fendi womenswear collection and Charleston's post-pandemic reopening. In 2023, he transformed 12 drawings from Charleston's archive into Dior's summer menswear collection, unveiled before a replica of the house at Paris Fashion Week. For the 2024 Charleston Festival, he designed costumes for "The Afternoon of a Faun", performed by Reece Clarke and choreographed by Russell Maliphant. This year, Jones was also appointed Vice President of Charleston, a position he shares with Sigrid Rausing, publisher of Granta Magazine and Granta Books.

For the Sotheby's event, Jones will select the pieces and loan artworks from his personal collection. Works on loan from The Charleston Trust will include instead Duncan Grant's Self Portrait (1909), reflecting the influence of his early years in India, and his 1917 portrait of economist John Maynard Keynes, who had a room at Charleston for weekend stays. Keynes is depicted in Charleston's walled garden, deeply immersed in writing and wearing an Omega Workshops cap. There are also items painted by Grant, such as a log box from 1917, adorned with angelic musicians or dancers and blending Renaissance influences with Ballets Russes inspirations.

Other highlights include Vanessa Bell's 1923 portrait of Lady Jane Strachey, Grant's aunt, who began campaigning for women's suffrage in the late 1860s, a domestic scene of Charleston's kitchen, and a painting of a hotel garden in Florence (1909).

Who knows, maybe we will see the palette of these paintings echoed in some future collections by Kim Jones, but fashion designers might find greater inspiration in the works for sale, such as Bell's painting originally titled "The Party", which evokes the liberal spirit of 1920s Bloomsbury and was gifted to her sister, Virginia Woolf.

Painted in 1920, the work was exhibited in London two years later and reviewed by British Vogue as "a charmingly inimical vision of the social amenities that is also a very striking composition." The painting was then sold from Virginia Woolf’s estate to playwright Howard Ginsberg. Reemerging in 1983, it became known as "Mrs Dalloway's Party", echoing Woolf's most famous novel, "Mrs Dalloway". Originally titled "The Party", the novel was published in 1925 with cover art by Bell.

The sisters often drew inspiration from each other, and this painting may have played a role in the evolution of Woolf's story, possibly even inspiring the party scene that closes the novel. This link between the painting and novel intrigued also Ginsberg, inspiring him to write a two-act play based on it. The idea of intertwining a painting and novel offers a fascinating exercise for fashion designers (fashion design students in a creative rut try this exercise and explore how these two art forms can be woven together and inspire you a collection – can you think about a novel and a painting that you can combine in a series of garments or accessories in a clever way?).

For interior designers, other highlights from "Radical Modernity" include ceramics from the Omega Workshops. Founded by Roger Fry in 1913, the Omega Workshops produced fabrics, furniture, and ceramics designed by Fry, Vanessa Bell, and Duncan Grant. The pottery was made anonymously and stamped only with the Greek letter Ω (Omega).

The Omega Workshops aimed to blur the lines between "high" and "low" art by elevating everyday functional objects, such as pots and bowls, through a playful and experimental approach (this concept is another valuable lesson for students – producing functional pieces with minimalist designs that merge art with daily life).

The artists produced for the Omega Workshops furniture, ceramics, textiles, murals, and even entire interiors. Textiles played a central role, with collections that included printed and woven fabrics, as well as hand-painted silk scarves. Omega textiles were known for their freedom and bold, linear or geometric patterns. Though the workshop closed in 1919, after being affected by the war, its influence endures. An example included in the auction is a silk robe by Percy Wyndham Lewis, probably designed between 1913 and 1914. Block-printed and embroidered, it is part of a recently discovered small group of textiles by Lewis, who is more widely known for his candle shade designs, folding screens, and painted ceramics.

While not everyone can afford to purchase such pieces, the exhibition will be free, offering visitors the chance to wander and make their discoveries. As Jones states in a press release about the items he will lend, "I love living with these amazing pieces in my home, but I think it's important to give other people the opportunity to come face to face with them, so they can experience that same moment I have, when something from so long ago speaks to something within you."

Dark Pop Art: "Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit" @ Tate Modern, London, UK

A large and dense tapestry-like piece hangs on one of the walls of the Tate Modern, in London. You don't need to look too closely to spot various handmade, knitted, crocheted, and sewn objects, including stuffed animals, dolls, and other soft, textile-based items.

Ranging from cute to slightly eerie and plainly disturbing, the items are haphazardly stitched or attached to the base fabric, creating a chaotic and overwhelming visual collage. To the left of the wall piece, a round table holds an assortment of wax-like objects, some resembling candles.

This is the well-known mixed-media assemblage artwork by the late artist Mike Kelley entitled "More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin" (1987). The piece explores themes of domestic labor, craft, emotional investment, and value, particularly in relation to sentimental, handmade objects, while the piece on the table suggest ideas of sacrifice or offering.

Kitsch and craft elements are combined here with deeper conceptual undercurrents, emphasizing the emotional labor embedded in the creation of such objects, commenting on how these efforts can go undervalued or unrecognized, while also pointing at consumption.

The piece, part of the Whitney Museum of American Art collection, is currently on display at the Tate Modern where the first major UK survey exhibition dedicated to the American artist, "Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit" (until 9th March 2025), has just opened.

Born in 1954, Kelley explored throughout his career and employing a wide variety of techniques - from drawings and collages to performances and multimedia installations - themes of memory, emotional labor, and the relationships between high and low culture.

His "dark pop art," as described by Tate Modern, was inspired by popular and underground culture, as well as philosophy, literature, and history.

The inspiration for "Ghost and Spirit" comes from an unproduced script by Kelley called "Under a Sheet/Existence Problems," found in his archive. In the script, Kelley explores the idea of a ghost that vanishes while a spirit remains.

"A ghost is someone who disappears, an empty concept. A spirit is a memory. I’m a ghost, I have disappeared. I've disappeared, but survive in others," the artist, who took his own life at the age of 57, wrote in the script. These reflections echo his lifelong fascination with absence, ritual, roles, and identity - strongly shaped by his Catholic upbringing.

The ghost theme is also reflected in Kelley's early performance materials, which open the exhibition, displayed in chronological order. In his seven-part piece "The Poltergeist" (1979; created as part of a collaborative exhibition with artist David Askevold), Kelley is seen emitting a strange, ethereal substance from his nose, evoking the early 20th-century spiritualist photography.

"The Monkey Island Project" (1982-83) and "Half a Man" (1987-91) introduce Kelley's use of craft objects in his art. He viewed craft as an act of resistance against modernist painting and sculpture, which he saw as inherently masculine.

Instead, Kelley chose to create felt banners and sculptures using everyday objects like handmade stuffed toys and crocheted blankets, beads and pearls, aiming at evoking a sense of the uncanny in the ordinary. Worn, second-hand, and often dirty toys were transformed into colorful, playful arrangements, as seen in "More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin" (1987) and in "Ahh...Youth!" (1991). The latter is especially famous for featuring the orange crocheted alien used on the cover of Sonic Youth's 1992 album "Dirty".

Kelley first began using soft toys to comment on consumer culture and forced entertainment. The toys, once used by children and later discarded, symbolized indeed physical pleasure and gratification. However, according to the artist, critics saw something darker in these discarded items, interpreting them as references to child abuse and trauma, including possible connections to Kelley's own experiences. Instead of rejecting these interpretations, Kelley embraced them, shifting his focus to the theme of trauma.

Kelley eventually "killed" the animals in "Craft Morphology Flow Chart" (1991), laying sock monkeys and knitted toys on folding tables like lifeless bodies.

Kelley's status evolved from rebellious artist to recognized authority, especially after his 1993 exhibition at the Whitney. By the mid-1990s, his focus shifted toward exploring architectural spaces. One of his major works, "Educational Complex" (1995), is represented in the exhibition through images, as the original piece is too fragile to display.

This large sculpture resembles a dystopian city and includes models of his childhood home in Westland, Michigan, as well as the schools he attended - from kindergarten through high school, and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California.

This project stands apart from the rest of Kelley's work, both stylistically and formally, appearing almost forensic in nature. It blends architecture with memory and trauma, as Kelley deliberately left out parts of the buildings he couldn't recall during the reconstruction process. The implication was that any forgotten details pointed to repressed trauma. The fact that Kelley couldn't remember 80% of the buildings, suggested these locations were tied to deeply buried experiences.

The impact of this monumental project is further explored in related works like "Sublevel" (1998), based on the basement of CalArts, where Kelley studied in the 1970s, and "Relationships Rendered as Fluid" (2002), two hanging mobiles and their accompanying drawings that explore how architectural space connects to memory.

Kelley's fascination with architecture also surfaces in the "Kandors" series (1999–2011), though in a more fantastical form. These works feature illuminated, crystalline models of Superman's hometown on planet Krypton, crafted from colored glass and often housed under glass domes. Together, they form haunting cityscapes hinting at the psychological depths of this iconic American superhero.

The exhibition concludes with Kelley's later installations such as his monumental multi-part exploration of memory "Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstructions" (2000-2011), where Kelley recreated events from high school yearbooks, capturing scenes of extracurricular activities. These include videos of a chaotic nativity play and Halloween-themed entertainment, transformed into musical, theatrical, and sculptural installations. 

It's here that one realizes that, although Kelley is often linked to the grunge era through his association with Sonic Youth, his true inspirations stem from the 1960s and 1970s - the decades of his youth when he absorbed both mainstream culture and the countercultures of the time - from his passions including comics and UFOs but also from his Irish American, Roman Catholic upbringing (the Virgin Mary is a recurrent figure in his work).

Maybe textile designers may find unexpected inspirations beyond his famous works involving stuffed animals and soft toys or integrating plastic beads.

Fashion designers may instead find something else: we've already seen banana boots on Charles Jeffrey Loverboy's runway, and you can bet that Kelley's yellow sailor suit with slits and a long piece of white fabric attached to the groin area from his "Banana Man" (a children's TV character he only heard about) performance, will at some point make an appearance on a Loewe or JW Anderson runway. Who knows, perhaps the slogans from his banners, like "F*ck You … Now Give Me a Treat Please" or "Bend Over," might one day appear on T-shirts or totes (well, Sonic Youth's album cover with Kelley's artwork is a popular print for T-shirts...). After all, fashion is a kind of ritual, and there's a ritualistic quality to Kelley's work.

As a whole, the Tate Modern exhibition can be appreciated on multiple levels: some visitors may be drawn to the material aspects of Kelley's art, while others may be more interested in its conceptual depth.

That said, upon entering the exhibition, viewers should be prepared for Kelley's twisted and dark humor, a sort of perverse delight, that evokes the rebellious spirit of adolescence and that often slips into the uncanny, the chaotic, and the alienating. So there's a caveat for viewers since, while this unsettling experience may reward some with a unique form of dark satisfaction, it may not resonate with everyone.

Image credits for this post

1 and 2. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view featuring "More Love Hours than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin", 1987. Photo: Lucy Green

3. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view, featuring "The Poltergeist", 1979. Photo: Lucy Green

4. Mike Kelley, "Ahh...Youth!", 1991. Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts © Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2024

5. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view featuring "Memory Ware Flat #17", 2001. Photo: Lucy Green

6. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view featuring "Half a Man" project. Photo: Lucy Green

7. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view, "Monkey Island" project. Photo: Lucy Green

8. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view featuring "Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction series", 2004-5. Photo: Lucy Green

9. Mike Kelley, "City 13 (AP 1)", 2011. Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts © Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2024. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen

10. Mike Kelley, "Kandor 16B", 2010. Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts © Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2024. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen

11. Jim McHugh portrait of Mike Kelley as The Banana Man, c.1983, with (in the background) Last Tool in Use, 1977. Enamel 73.7 × 55.3 × 7.6. Photo © Jim McHugh

12. Mike Kelley at Tate Modern, installation view - featuring "The Banana Man Costume", 1981-2, and "Hierarchical Figure", 1989. Photo: Lucy Green

Invisible Labor, Indelible Struggles: "Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights" @ The Wellcome Collection, London

The hands of the sculpture entitled "Washerwoman" (2018) by Shannon Alonzo leave an indelible impression. They aren't pristine, clean, or delicate; instead, they are dirty, wrinkled, and deformed. These hands grasp a garment being scrubbed by a headless, decaying figure, symbolically draped in skirts made from a cascade of clothes pegs. In many ways, this sculpture doesn't require a head since it embodies all workers in her position, engaged not only in domestic labor but in any work that is grueling, unrelenting, and often underpaid.

The piece is featured in the exhibition "Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights" (until 27th April 2025) currently on display at the Wellcome Collection in London. Through artworks, photographs, and historical documents, the exhibition explores overlooked forms of labor, the individuals who perform them, the environments in which they take place, and the marks they leave on the body.

While the Covid-19 pandemic shifted focus onto what constitutes "essential work," it also exposed health disparities between those in lower-paid, public-facing jobs and those able to self-isolate. Independent curator Cindy Sissokho (co-curator of the French Pavilion at this year's International Art Exhibition in Venice) drew inspiration from this, but then expanded the discourse blending works by global artists with items and artifacts from the Wellcome's archives.

The exhibition is organized into three broad themes: "The Plantation", addressing slavery and its legacy; "The Street", which includes workers involved in cleaning, sweeping, and sex work; and "The Home", a section spotlighting paid and unpaid labor, with a particular emphasis on women.

"The Plantation" section invites viewers to reflect on the toll that inhumane working conditions took on the bodies of plantation laborers, from stunted physical development and malnutrition to injuries and premature death. A historical text by Dr. Collins, urging plantation owners to invest in medical treatments for diseases like yaws and pox, takes us back to the era of slavery. Meanwhile, an ongoing photographic series by artist Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq brings us to present-day Bangladesh, in the region of Sylhet. Here, amid the stunning landscape, tea workers endure unsafe working conditions, earning an average daily wage of just $1.42.

A post-plantation section confronts the shocking reality of "environmental racism" in the United States: though plantations have been replaced by new homes, corporations, and agricultural fields, exploitative practices such as forced, underpaid, or unpaid labor persist.

Architecture plays a key role in this section, with investigative agency Forensic Architecture presenting films and installations that map contemporary industrial plants built atop historic cemeteries of enslaved people who once worked on Louisiana's sugar plantations.

Their research highlights the toxic impact of modern industry on the descendants of those enslaved on this land. Along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in what was once known as "Plantation Country," lies the heavily industrialized "Petrochemical Corridor." Here, in majority-Black communities, residents - descendants of those who were enslaved - inhale some of the most toxic air in the country, facing one of the highest cancer risks and other serious health issues. This area has earned the grim nickname "Death Alley." As industrial development pollutes the air, it also threatens the burial grounds of their ancestors, further exposing the ongoing environmental racism in the region. This project hopes to help local residents protecting their history and future from industrial erasure, supporting a vision of a new cultural economy that honors the dead while empowering the living.

The exhibition not only highlights oppression but also offers a sense of hope: sections on slavery and the harsh conditions of plantation workers are juxtaposed with practices aimed at healing the body, such as ancestral herbal medicine and traditional food knowledge. These practices, passed down through generations, are still widely used today.

A book by German naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian, one of the earliest and most striking botanical works created by a woman, explores for example the rich fauna and flora of Suriname, a former Dutch colony on the northeast coast of South America. Her collection features over 60 color drawings of plants, along with their interdependent ecosystems of insects and animals. Her descriptions of each plant's properties and uses were profoundly shaped by the knowledge of enslaved women, whom she met through the owner of a sugar plantation. One particularly notable page showcases Caesalpinia pulcherrima (peacock flower), which enslaved women used to induce abortions as an act of resistance against bringing a child into enslavement.

The exhibition also draws on further botanical inspiration, including "The Book of Landscapes" by Maria Floriza Veríssimo and works by Charmaine Watkiss, depicting medicinal and edible plants and fruits with powerful healing properties. The link between herbal remedies and African spiritual practices is reflected in cosmological symbols subtly tattooed by Watkiss on the bodies of the women she depicts. Natural dyes - such as Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee and indigo - and materials like brass and raffia palm appear in these works, embedding historical knowledge within their fabric.

The theme of plantation labor resonates in another section focused on prisons, showcasing products made by low-paid prison workers and looking at the work of women serving life sentences. Work and art converge in Ibrahim El-Salahi's "Pain Relief Drawings", created with pen and ink on the back of medicine packets as a meditative exercise to alleviate the pain caused by sciatica and Parkinson's disease while he was imprisoned.

"The Streets" section begins in Victorian times, and features flower sellers, chimney sweeps, dustmen, locksmiths, street doctors, and public disinfectors, while also touching on themes of justice and riots.

The tragic deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, two sanitation workers crushed by a garbage truck while on the job, ignited a historic strike in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Protesters, portrayed by African American freelance photographer Ernest C. Withers, who documented racial segregation and the civil rights movement in the American South during the 1950s and 60s, were captured carrying placards declaring "I Am a Man," a powerful statement of dignity and resistance. Black sanitation workers were barred from joining unions and faced poor treatment and unequal pay compared to their white counterparts. The placards held by the strikers became symbols of their struggle for freedom and equality. This strike ultimately led to an agreement with the city to improve working conditions.

The exhibition then shifts to other parts of the world, such as Mexico City, where, as shown in the video "Waste Superheroes (Lxs Rifadxs de la Basura)" thousands of waste pickers  work as unpaid "volunteers" relying solely on tips as they collect waste and recyclables for resale. Without contracts or social protection, these workers face exposure to pollution and hazardous materials, risking their health for the greater good of society. Meanwhile, the government profits from renting uniforms and tools to these laborers, despite the precarious nature of their work.

The streets can also be dangerous for other categories, including sex workers whose lives are threatened by violence, criminalization, and stigma. A striking example comes from the ongoing series Sistaaz of the Castle (2015  -  ongoing/2024), a collaboration between South African trans sex worker support organization SistaazHood, fashion designer Duran Lantink, and photographer Jan Hoek. The Sistaaz describe themselves as "fierce activists who are proud to be trans and sex workers." Many members of the SistaazHood collective are homeless, living under a bridge near Cape Town's Castle of Good Hope colonial building. This series celebrates their lives, dreams, and achievements, while also acknowledging their struggles as they fight for access to basic rights such as healthcare, housing, and alternative employment. The involvement of a fashion designer in this project raises thought-provoking questions about how some of these materials could be repurposed for fashion collections.

Think, for example, about the advertising cards promoting sex workers' services, created by Stickyboy between 1989 and the early 2000s. These cards, typically placed in phone booths around London were a common sight (hands up those readers who remember being on the phone and suddenly seeing a random anonymous guy sticking the cards around). Like the sex workers who commissioned him, Stickyboy's work was criminalized, and he faced repeated charges from the police.

Commissioned by the Wellcome Collection, "Money Makes the World Go Round" (2024) by Lindsey Mendick pays tribute to the global history of sex work. The piece draws inspiration from two symbolic acts of resistance by sex workers: the 1975 occupation of the Saint-Nizier church in Lyon, France, by over 100 sex workers, and the 12-day occupation of the Holy Cross Church in King's Cross (then London's red-light district) in 1982 by the English Collective of Prostitutes.

The architecture of the church symbolizes a sanctuary for community support and solidarity among sex workers worldwide. Mendick's installation is filled with ceramic money boxes (some of them pink piggy banks adorned with police bobby hats...) a reference to prostitution (after the exhibition these pieces will be sold to raise funds for Swarm, the Sex Workers Advocacy and Resistance Movement). Through these sculptures, Mendick's filmed sermon, and stained glass windows, the work delves into the history of sex work from ancient times to the present, celebrating those who continue to advocate for the rights and recognition of sex workers.

You might expect "The Home" section of the exhibition to offer a sense of safety compared to the streets, but it reveals another layer of harsh realities. Domestic work, especially cleaning, is one of the most common and widespread occupations for migrant women globally. This labor is often undocumented and unregulated, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation and in dependent relationships with their employers.

Housework and childcare have long been designated as "women's work," with societal norms expecting women to remain at home, performing unwaged domestic tasks, while men engage in paid, professional work. In the 1970s, campaigns emerged that recognized the scope of unpaid housework and the physical and emotional toll of caregiving within the home. These powerful movements demanded recognition, equality, and improved working conditions for this essential labor - demands that still resonate today when we think that caregivers, including family members acting as unpaid caretakers for their loved ones, remain unacknowledged and invisible in the social fabric.

The exhibition's exploration of these themes begins with Louise Bourgeois' print "Femme Maison", depicting a woman whose head is encased in a house while her naked body is exposed. Bourgeois highlights the home as both a constraining and revealing space. In "Washerwoman" by Shannon Alonzo, inspired by a portrait taken by J.W. Cleary in Jamaica in 1890, the theme continues, alongside images from the Paris Ibis hotel cleaners' strike and Kelly O'Brien's photographs of her mother and grandmother - both cleaners, posing with their mops.

This section also takes an architectural and interior design turn with Maids' Rooms: La Encantada, Artadi Architects and Maids' Rooms: La Planicie, Doblado Architects.

In these projects, Daniela Ortiz presents over 16 homes in Lima, Peru, comparing the size of domestic workers' rooms with other spaces in opulent upper-class residences. Using architectural blueprints from magazines and firms that designed these homes, Ortiz exposes the harsh reality of "service architecture." Her work draws attention to the stark contrast between the rooms cared for by domestic workers and the meager spaces they occupy themselves, highlighting the colonial and oppressive dynamics embedded in the relationship between workers and their employers, reinforced through architectural design.

Magazines, flyers, press releases, songs, photographs, and posters highlight the political and intersectional focus of the International Wages for Housework Campaign (IWFHC) from the 1970s to today.

IWFHC and its autonomous groups, such as Black Women for Wages for Housework, English Collective of Prostitutes, Wages Due Lesbians and WinVisible, revolutionized the recognition of unpaid care work, leading to the UN's decision to measure and value women's unwaged labor in economic statistics. The materials span issues like gender discrimination, anti-racism, health, and workers' rights and the exhibition concludes with a multimedia installation by Moi Tran, celebrating the collective power of domestic workers.

Art, history, social rights, and medicine intersect throughout the exhibition, that also addresses the exploitation of migrants through images from the Bouba Touré Archive documenting the lives of the migrants and migrant workers' movements, such as les sans-papiers (without papers) in Paris, and addresses topics like the constant demands of modern labor.

This includes the 24/7 servitude many workers experience - think also about those reliant on apps for their wages - workers who are always "on call" with no real time to disconnect. Lubaina Himid dedicates them and all of us her pieces displaying tools like a screwdriver, a saw or a hammer with texts from health and safety manuals (such as "Allow for short breaks"), inviting us to reinterpret such advice as instructions for our busy lives.

While the exhibition is not a comprehensive overview of the issue, it provides us with a lot of information and inspiration, taking us on a long journey from exploitation, persecution, and disease, to resistance and rebellion in each section. The narrative consistently shifts from despair to resilience, showing the power of human defiance against unjust systems.

As a whole, "Hard Graft" provides a compelling exploration of undervalued work and the forgotten rights of workers, while challenging the pervasive idea that we must constantly work or that others must do so for us, often with no regard for their well-being or opportunity to rest. It's a must-see for anyone - especially for those bosses and corporations eager to profit by exploiting labor - who need a reminder that the health, dignity, and rights of workers are non-negotiable.

Image credits for this post

1.
Shannon Alonzo
Washerwoman, 2018
Mixed media installation (beeswax, resin, brown cotton, wire & found objects)
Courtesy of the artist
Photo: Kibwe Brathwaite

2.
Unknown Artist
A tea plantation in China: workers tread down congou tea into chests, n.d.
Coloured lithograph
Courtesy of Wellcome Collection

3.
Dark Garden, Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq, 2021-ongoing
Courtesy of the artist; Hard Graft Gallery
Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

4.
Forensic Architecture in partnership with RISE St.James
Monument - Flare, 2021 © Forensic Architecture

5.
The Warrior's Way: Seeds for cultivating the timeless, The Warrior Builds Strength: From all who came before and The Warrior's Way: Honouring ancient traditions, Charmaine Watkiss, 2023
© Charmaine Watkiss. All rights reserved, DACS 2024;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

6.
Still Waters, Charmaine Watkiss, 2023
© Charmaine Watkiss. All rights reserved, DACS 2024;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

7.
Prisoners on a treadwheel at Pentonville Prison, unknown photographer, 1895
The National Archives, London;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

8.
Ernest C Withers
I Am a Man: Sanitation Workers Strike, Memphis, Tennessee, March 28th 1968, 1968
Silver gelatin print
© Dr. Ernest C. Withers, Sr.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division / Withers Family Trust

9, 10, 11 and 12.
Money Makes the World Go Round, Lindsey Mendick, 2023-2024
Commissioned by Wellcome Collection, CC-BYNC;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

13.
Shannon Alonzo
Washerwoman, 2018
Mixed media installation (beeswax, resin, brown cotton, wire & found objects)
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

14.
No Rest for the Wicked, Kelly O'Brien, 2004-2022
Courtesy of the artist;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

15.
Kelly O’Brien
Cleaner No. 01, 2022
Photograph Courtesy of the artist

16.
Bouba Touré
May 1st demonstration in solidarity to the Sans-Papiers in hunger strike at the Halle Pajol before the occupation of the Saint Bernard Church, Paris, 1996
Photograph Courtesy of the Bouba Touré Archive

17.
Lubaina Himid
Metal Handkerchief, 2019
Acrylic on metal
© Kirstin Prisk
Courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London

18.
Care Chains (Love Will Continue To Resonate),
Moi Tran, 2024
© Moi Tran, commissioned by Wellcome Collection;
Hard Graft Gallery Photo: Wellcome Collection/Steven Pocock, 2024

The Emperor's New Threads: Classical Wisdom in a Tech Billionaire's Attire

It's not uncommon for students at the liceo classico (grammar school) in Italy, especially in their early years, to boast about their classical knowledge by casually dropping Latin and Greek quotes. One of the first things you learn there is the Greek alphabet, which inevitably leads to the annoying habit of starting to write your name in Greek letters to show off. It's an exercise that makes you feel as though you've magically absorbed the wisdom of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides all at once. Fear not, though - this habit quickly fades as soon as you realize there are countless complicated grammar rules to memorize, most of which you'll never fully retain. By the time you start tackling the Greek aorist tense, you're probably questioning your decision to enroll in this school and wondering why you have to suffer through learning two dead languages.

I started grammar school in the late '80s, and at the time, quoting Latin and Greek wasn't just a schoolyard fad - it was encouraged by fashion trends. At the time, Benetton had just released a collection of shirts with various Latin and Greek quotes. As an insufferable first-year student, I proudly wore a maxi T-shirt featuring an excerpt from Phaedrus' fable about the wolf and the lamb, complete with cute illustrations of the animals (the lamb was particularly adorable). I paired it with cycling shorts and high-top sneakers - the idea was reproducing the look of Madonna jogging in Hyde Park during her "Who's That Girl World Tour," but with a classical twist to flaunt my (at the time, obviously extremely very limited) knowledge of the classics.

Time passed, my hubris was tempered by poor grades in Latin and Greek, and I came to realize that you don't need to be obnoxious when quoting things - you can share your knowledge in a much kinder and humble way. I also discovered that, in our times, dead languages are used in curious ways. In films, particularly American ones, characters often recite meaningless Latin phrases to confuse audiences. In a horror film, a scene involving an exorcism, may start with "In nomine Patris..." only to be followed by some Latin-sounding gibberish like "quibusdam novi dissertatio excursus."

A recent instance of this can be found in the Amazon Prime Video series "Cruel Intentions", based on the eponymous 1999 film (which in turn was inspired by the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses...). The main characters revolve around fraternities and sororities with Greek-inspired names (Alpha Gamma, Delta Phi Pi, Sigma...), and the Latin pledge of one sorority is a random excerpt from St. Thomas Aquinas' "Adoro Te Devote". Why a Eucharistic hymn was chosen for this purpose is beyond me, but I suspect they just needed something that sounded solemn in Latin and stumbled upon it.

So why all this rambling about Latin and classical Greek? Well, because it seems that the annoying 14-year-old version of myself is now trendy, as evidenced by the new look of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (the company behind the Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms, and the messaging app WhatsApp).

It actually took Zuckerberg about three years to reinvent himself. When he announced the company's name change to Meta (another nod to classical Greek - μετα, meaning "beyond," "after," or "behind") and excitedly promoted a metaverse that never materialized, he was still in his short-hair, plain-shirt phase - an evolution of his robotic, penitent look from the 2018 US Senate hearing in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Fast forward through numerous layoffs and a shift to Artificial Intelligence, and Zuckerberg has undergone a transformation. Last week, at the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, he appeared with longer, curly hair - a clear rebellion against his formerly close-cropped style - and a custom black shirt he co-designed with fashion designer Mike Amiri. The oversized, loose-fit shirt, somewhere between a Riccardo Tisci-era Givenchy runway piece from 2010 and a training top, bore the message "Aut Zuck aut nihil" (either Zuck or nothing). A play on the original Latin phrase "aut Caesar aut nihil" (either Caesar or nothing), the shirt gave him the air of a rowdy frat member.

Historically, the quote referenced the motto of Ladislaus I of Anjou-Durazzo, a prominent figure in the history of Naples during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. This powerful declaration was later adopted by Cardinal Cesare Borgia, a notorious Italian nobleman and military leader of the Renaissance, yet the phrase is often attributed to Julius Caesar himself, symbolizing not just personal ambition but a broader historical narrative about the pursuit of power and influence in a turbulent era.

Metaphorically, the phrase embodies therefore a relentless drive for supremacy, encapsulating the mindset of individuals who aspire to greatness. It signifies the insatiable desire to achieve not merely success but to dominate one's rivals, in this case with a new device or product. At the event, Zuckerberg introduced indeed the new Orion AR glasses, which feature lenses capable of displaying text messages, video calls, and even YouTube videos directly into the user's field of vision. This could represent a hands-free alternative to the smartphone, potentially saving us from the neck pain we've all experienced from spending hours hunched over our devices (but they may also alienate us further, projecting things directly in front of our eyeballs...).

Essentially, the Meta CEO was signaling that he's here to conquer - an idea he had already hinted at in May when he wore another Latin-inscribed shirt to his 40th birthday party. The shirt read "Carthago delenda est," a famous quote from Cato the Elder meaning "Carthage must be destroyed," which was Rome's rallying cry before attacking Carthage during the Punic Wars, culminating in its destruction in 146 BC. In Zuckerberg's case, the quote was aimed at his rivals: he actually referenced the slogan once before in 2011, when Google launched Google+, a competitor of Facebook.

But that wasn’t all: during the recent Acquired podcast interview, he sported another shirt, this time featuring the ancient Greek phrase "πάθει μάθος," a quote from Aeschylus meaning "learning through suffering." While this quote makes one wonder when exactly Zuckerberg suffered in his learning, it could refer to the backlash he faced after Facebook was criticized for enabling fake news, election interferences, and failing to curb hate speech and misinformation. Yet, through all this and even though the metaverse may have flopped, Zuckerberg is definitely not suffering, since he is still the fourth richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index- trailing only Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and X), Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), and Bernard Arnault (CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH).

It's surprising that Zuckerberg hasn't yet appeared in a "veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) shirt. But this fascination with classical references isn't new. Zuckerberg actually studied Latin in high school and developed a passion for Virgil's Aeneid, which he was quoting in interviews as early as 2010. Naturally, he interprets the epic through his own lenses (pun intended considering the Orion glasses…). In a 2010 interview with The New Yorker, Zuckerberg quoted Aeneas, who founded Rome, making a parallelism between the Trojan hero and himself as someone who's built his own empire. Zuckerberg is actually a fan of the Roman Empire (he event spent his honeymoon in Rome, and two of his children, August and Aurelia, are named after the emperors Augustus and Marcus Aurelius).

The main difference between 14-year-old me using Latin and Greek to show off and Zuckerberg and his shirts stands indeed in this - he doesn't just quote; he filters these references through his personal narrative, using them to liken himself to Julius Caesar - a general, ruler, and, in his case, tech competitor - or to the grandeur of Augustus, who conquered Egypt, North Africa, and Europe.

Fashion-wise, there was a moment of apprehension in what he stated on the Acquired podcast when he was asked about his shirt: "I started working with people to design some of my own clothes. So I figured we're going to design eyewear, we're going to design other stuff that people wear. Let's get good at this (...) I've started working on this series of shirts with some of my favorite classical sayings on them." What if this rebranding spills over into fashion? What if he ends up releasing shirts emblazoned with his fave Latin and Greek quotes? I suppose that would be my nemesis - trendy shirts with classical quotes "designed" by a billionaire.

Yet, as I reflect on this, I can't help but finding the situation slightly amusing: fascism was mesmerised by imperial Rome, by the Romanità and the myth of Roman glories, which is why Federico Fellini lampooned the Romans in his Satyricon. Perhaps Zuckerberg's fascination with antiquity should be satirized in a similar manner. After all, this latest rebranding feels like adopting a persona - a term that, in Latin, means "mask" (remember also Gucci's A/W 2019 collection?) and all this seems indeed just like another mask for a billionaire trying to appear friendly, knowledgeable, and classically cool.

There are actually other classical authors he may want to explore and more quotes that - haud dubie (without doubt) - Zuckerberg might need to learn, quotes that aren't about winning, conquering, and vanquishing enemies. For instance, Seneca's "Divitias nego bonum esse; nam si essent, bonos facerent" (I deny that riches are a good thing; for if they were, they would make men good). Seneca emphasized with these words virtue and criticized the pursuit of material wealth, believing true happiness comes from moral integrity and living in alignment with virtue, not from external possessions. We can only wish that some of these tech billionaires may one day opt to print such wisdom on their shirts instead of boisterous quotes about conquests.

A Survey of Bathing Suits Until 1945

In yesterday's post, we looked at a vintage photoshoot from the mid-'50s that featured some rather peculiar bikinis. Today, let's travel further back in time while staying on the same topic, as we explore a feature published in Life magazine in its July 9, 1945, issue.

The cover model, 20-year-old Paddy Ellerton, sported a striped panung bathing suit with trunks that buttoned up the sides and the magazine included an article that traced the evolution of bathing suits from 1905 to 1945.

According to the feature, a woman's bathing suit in 1905 required ten yards of fabric, whereas by 1945, only one yard was used. This statistic illustrated how bathing suits evolved over time, with more skin being exposed as the decades went by.

A significant figure in this evolution was Annette Kellerman, the first famous female swimmer, who, in 1910, discarded the ruffles and heavy corseted dresses typically worn as swimwear and opted for a sleek, one-piece suit. Following Kellerman, the Sennett Bathing Beauties - a group of women performing in bathing costumes in silent film shorts produced by Mack Sennett (View this photo) - along with the Atlantic City bathing girls, further popularized daring swimwear.

In 1926, Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel in a brassiere and shorts, a practical choice that encouraged other women, even those less athletic, to adopt bolder styles.

From that point onward, bathing suit manufacturers continued to trim away fabric year after year. Life chronicled these changes in a photoshoot showcasing swimsuits from 1917 to 1945. The article noted how far bathing suits had come but confidently claimed they "cannot go any further." Yet, as time has proven, they certainly did - something we also remembered in the recent Peggy Moffitt obituary.

The images in Life are charming and inspiring (even if today's beachgoers wouldn't opt for black tights…): the feature highlights everything from tight-fitted knit suits to latex bathing suits, belted designs, creations adorned with fancy frills or Jantzen's early swimwear styles. Notably, it includes the infamous 1933 maillot that caused such a stir when displayed in a New York storefront window that police had to manage the crowds since it was skintight and daringly low-cut in the back.

Although this Life feature provides a limited overview (and as we've discussed in another post, versions of two-piece swimwear date back to Roman times…), it remains a delightful read.

Fashion design students, now it's your turn: try and expand this survey by covering swimwear from 1945 to 2025 with drawings, sketches, illustrations and photographs. 

Archaeological Chic in a Timeless Summer Photoshoot

Pop star Madonna celebrated her 66th birthday last night with a private visit to the Pompeii excavation site. During her visit, she toured the House of Menander, the House of the Ceii, and the Great Theater. Madonna also met with performers from a local youth project, to which she pledged a €250,000 donation.

While most of us can't afford a private tour of an archaeological site, the fascination with places like Pompeii is easy to understand.

Pompeii and Herculaneum, both buried in AD 79 during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, have consistently inspired fashion designers (and it wouldn't be surprising to see them featured in future Dolce & Gabbana collections, especially since Madonna has been a guest of the design duo during this trip in Italy).

As seen in previous posts, staying updated on new archaeological discoveries can spark fresh ideas for designers and antiquities and archaeology have often served as the backdrop for advertising campaigns and photo shoots (remember Gucci's Pre-Fall 2019 campaign?).

While fashion shoots in such settings usually create a contrast between the clothing and the sites' frescoes, mosaics and architectures, there was one case where the designs seamlessly matched with the archaeological environment.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, in the mid-1950s Emilio Pucci designed a collection inspired by Sicily, entitled "Siciliana". The collection featured blouses, shorts, and trousers influenced by the Byzantine mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale (a theme that resurfaced in Dolce & Gabbana’s A/W 2013-14 collection).

The photoshoot for Pucci's collection took place in the Benedictine cloister of Monreale, where Roman actress Lilli Cerasoli posed among the columns wearing designs adorned with motifs drawn from the 208 mosaic-adorned columns of the cloister.

In addition to these pieces, a swimsuit from the collection was photographed in the remarkable setting of Villa Romana del Casale, an elaborate Roman villa near the town of Piazza Armerina, known for its early 4th-century AD artwork.

Excavations at Villa Romana del Casale revealed Roman mosaics and opus sectile floor coverings spanning 3,500 m², remarkably well-preserved. Some of the most iconic mosaics decorate the "Room of the Gymnasts," also known as the "Chamber of the Ten Maidens" (Sala delle Dieci Ragazze).

This mosaic, titled the "Coronation of the Winner" by scholars, depicts women athletes competing in weightlifting, discus throwing, running, and ball games. Some wear accessories and jewelry, and sport intricate hairstyles. In the lower left side, a toga-clad official holds the victor's crown and palm frond, while the central figure is crowned as the winner.

This mosaic has consistently attracted the attention of fashion designers due to the athletes' two-piece outfits, which closely resemble modern bikinis.

Of the ten women shown, nine are wearing this look which is actually not a bikini, but a combination of the subligaculum (a loincloth wrapped around the thighs and tied at the waist; from the Latin subligo, "to tie underneath") and a strophium (a breastband often made of linen).

Pucci recreated the outfit from the Piazza Armerina mosaics, using modern fabrics instead of linen. The resulting bikini was photographed at the Villa Romana del Casale, right beside the ancient mosaics that at the time were still being excavated (spot a random worker in one of the images...).

The photos, along with those taken at Monreale Cathedral, were shot by German photographer Elsa Haertter, who had honed her impeccable sense of style after years in Paris and Milan.

Today a fashion photoshoot with a model lying or walking on the mosaics would likely be prohibited for preservation reasons, in this case the composition was perfect as the model looked like one of the girls represented in the mosaics. The blend of simplicity, modernity, and antiquity in the images creates a striking visual that still feels surprisingly contemporary.

The mosaics show Roman female athletes in what can be seen as early sportswear rather than swimwear, while Pucci's design, inspired by these historical outfits, offer a fascinating blend of historical inspiration and modern design and Elsa Haertter's photos capture this fusion beautifully, remaining iconic and unmistakably summery.

Palio Reimagined: Finding a New Fashion Narrative in Heritage

Fashion inspirations can come from anywhere, often drawing from local traditions. In Siena, Tuscany, Italy, the Palio is a prime example of such inspiration.

This historic horse race, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages, takes place twice a year: at the beginning of July and on August 16th (this year it will be postponed to tomorrow, August 17th, due to rain). The latter, known as the Palio dell'Assunta, honors the Assumption of Mary to heaven, a Catholic celebration observed on August 15th.

The race features ten horses and riders, each representing one of Siena's seventeen contrade, or city wards. Seven contrade that did not participate in the previous year's Palio are automatically included, along with three others chosen by drawing lots.

The competitors circle the Piazza del Campo three times, and the entire event usually lasts no more than 90 seconds (please note that the Palio has faced significant criticism from animal-rights organizations throughout the years, concerned about incidents during the race that cause falls, which, in some cases, have led to the deaths of horses).

The 17 contrade are: Aquila (Eagle), Bruco (Caterpillar), Chiocciola (Snail), Civetta (Little Owl), Drago (Dragon), Giraffa (Giraffe), Istrice (Crested Porcupine), Leocorno (Unicorn), Lupa (She-Wolf), Nicchio (Seashell), Oca (Goose), Onda (Wave), Pantera (Panther), Selva (Forest), Tartuca (Tortoise), Torre (Tower), and Valdimontone (Valley of the Ram, usually shortened to Montone, Ram). Each contrada is distinguished by its unique colors and symbols.

Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci was famously inspired by the tradition of the Palio. In August 1955, Pucci attended the Palio dell'Assunta and was profoundly struck by the vibrant costumes, rich colors, and excitement of the event.

This experience led him to focus his Spring/Summer 1957 collection entirely on the Palio of Siena. This collection marked a continuation of his approach to creating theme-based lines centered around Italian inspirations, following his previous Sicily-inspired range.

In the case of the Palio, Pucci faced a challenge: he had to try to avoid overcharging the collection with a multitude of motifs, from the heraldry of the seventeen flags, to the colors of the contrade, and the Renaissance-style costumes of the historical procession. There was a risk that these elements could become kitschy if not handled carefully.

Pucci approached the flags of the contrade not as mere replicas but as inspiration to be reinterpreted in a modern way. For each contrada, he designed a silk twill scarf featuring unique prints in various color variations (up to ten for each contrada), diverging from the actual colors of the city wards. The final combinations were carefully studied, as evidenced by numerous designs and sample cards. The scarves were then transformed into shirts, shorts, and tops.

For daytime wear, the collection included silk twill shirts, some reminiscent of jockey attire, paired with classic solid-colored cigarette trousers. There were also dresses, flared skirts, and printed cotton trousers, including knee-length culottes that vaguely echoed the trousers of odalisques.

The beachwear collection was acclaimed for its originality and playful spirit. Alongside the traditional one-piece cotton swimsuits, Pucci introduced the first bikinis, complemented by cover-ups inspired by the attire of pages. Medieval velvets were transformed into chenilles, and terry cloths were fashioned into small beach capes and long robes open at the sides, doubling as convenient beach towels.

Stanley Marcus had initial reservations about Pucci's thematic choice (the Palio collection is certainly not for fans of minimalism...), but then became an enthusiastic supporter, and for the American market Pucci created a collection of cocktail dresses and evening wear.

The evening wear featured a single design: a bustier dress with a wide pannier skirt in seventeen different fabrics representing the various contrade.

For the cocktail collection, Pucci designed three distinct models: a simple balloon dress, a high-waisted silk dress, and a dramatic cotton satin dress with a double over-skirt. The press and buyers were impressed not only by the originality of the designs but also by the incredible variety of prints and the bold, captivating use of colors, which infused the garments with a fresh sense of joy and irony.

In a text explaining his inspirations, which included the history of the Palio and images of the different contrade, Pucci stated: "Siena… the black and white of the Cathedral's marbles (…) the red of its Palaces, but above all the fantastic colors of the contrade, that's what I used as inspiration for my new collection. It may seem strange that I chose such a remote theme for my work, which has such a modern feel, but as a contemporary Florentine artisan, I feel very close to the artisans of the 14th and 15th centuries. It is precisely the medieval element of the Palio, with its rich geometric motifs and colors, that fascinated me."

The collection was contextualized and launched through events inspired by the Palio. Just before the July Palio of 1956, costumed participants from the various contrade, including pages, standard bearers, and local citizens, were photographed alongside models wearing Pucci's designs. Siena's iconic locations - Piazza del Campo, Fonte Gaia, the Duomo, and the Torre del Mangia - served as the stunning backdrops for these photographs, taken by renowned American photographer Lee Thody.

The collection was presented in February 1957 at the Sala Bianca, at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, where the show was opened by four pages from the Tower contrada and ended with a parade of seventeen models, each showcasing a scarf transformed into a flag representing one of the seventeen contrade. The set design, which echoed the Palio's vibrant themes, was replicated with great success in various locations, including San Francisco, Seattle, Birmingham, London, Nairobi, and even Leningrad.

The San Francisco Chronicle commenting on the runway show described it as an ancient spectacle re-imagined in Technicolor.

In 2007, an exhibition in Siena celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the collection, highlighting its lasting influence on fashion.

The collection inspired other designers, including Japanese designer Tokuko Maeda whose 2010 collection featured a mix of flags and heraldic symbols, reflecting the enduring impact of Pucci's designs.

If you like Emilio Pucci's vintage Palio designs, but can't afford an original piece, well, consider re-purposing a Palio flag for a fun and creative project.

Alternatively, you might explore a fresh narrative rooted in the year of Pucci's 1957 collection. During that period, Luigi Zampa was filming The Love Specialist (also known as La Ragazza del Palio and The Girl who Rode in the Palio), a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the famous horse race.

The film tells the story of Diana Dixon (Diana Dors), a Texan girl who wins a quiz show jackpot and decides to spend her prize- a cash reward and a brand-new Cadillac - on a trip to Italy. When her car breaks down near Siena, she encounters Prince Piero di Montalcino, a charming Italian nobleman. Believing each other to be wealthy, they embark on a romance fraught with misconceptions and surprises.

The plot reaches its peak during the Palio horse race. After Diana discovers that Prince Piero has bribed the jockey of a rival contrada to ensure his horse's victory, she confronts him and ends their relationship. Determined to prove her worth, she convinces the rival horse's owner to let her ride it in the Palio. Diana wins the race, and the film concludes with her marrying the Prince.

Many extras in the horse race scenes were real jockeys, but there was also a woman who raced among them, Rosanna Bonelli, the first and only female jockey in the modern Palio (before her there was Virginia Tacci who rode in 1581 for the Dragon, but this palio is not included among the official ones).

Known as "Diavola" (the She-Devil) or "Rompicollo" ("Breakneck"), a nickname taken from the eponymous operetta written by her father, Bonelli initially appeared in a mock Palio race staged for the film's shooting crew, first replacing the jockey of the Pantera (without the production's knowledge) and later serving as a stunt double for actress Diana Dors (who was afraid of horses) when  the chosen stuntwoman had an accident. This exposure paved the way for her dream to compete in the actual Palio on August 16, 1957 (she was also encouraged by the film producers who were looking for a story to advertise the movie).

Racing for the "Aquila" team, Rosanna Bonelli eventually made history as the only woman to participate in Siena's iconic Palio horse race. Although she did not finish in first place like the film heroine (hit by another horse, she had an accident and fell, as reported also by Italian weekly La Domenica del Corriere), she was honored with the title of "honorary jockey" by her contrada.

Since then, no other woman has competed in the Palio, so this story offers a fresh narrative for a fashion collection, one that departs from the colorful and eclectic designs of Pucci and instead draws inspiration from a female jockey breaking through traditions and defying conventions.

Indeed, to hell with traditions (after all they exist to be reinvented...) and cocktail dresses. Let's change the Palio fashion narrative with a celebration of trailblazing women and their indomitable spirit, otherwise we will have to turn to Artificial Intelligence to imagine a Palio with female jockeys (see last image in this post).

Fashion Obituary: Peggy Moffitt, Iconic Model and Muse (1937-2024)

"Peggy Moffitt (…) is an extraordinary model. At collections, after watching haughty, impersonal models, it's always a relief when Peggy comes on. She strikes odd little poses, surveys the audience, and generally behaves like a pretty clown," wrote New York Magazine in a feature about Peggy Moffitt in July 1968.

Moffitt's distinctive style of modeling was confirmed by the model herself in The Rudi Gernreich Book (1991), published with her husband, photographer William Claxton. Reflecting on her unique approach, she stated, "I entertained myself and the audience by regarding the collection as a play, with each outfit a new act or a new character," adding, "I didn't really model the clothes so much as perform them."

Unforgettable in her architectural five-point Vidal Sassoon bob (which hinted at Le Corbusier's five principles) and trademark heavy eye makeup, Moffitt passed away last week in Beverly Hills at 86 after a long illness.

Born in 1937 in Los Angeles, Margaret Anne Moffitt studied acting and dance (both of which influenced her unique modeling style) during the 1950s at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, where she trained under Sydney Pollack for acting and Martha Graham for dance.

She appeared in various films, including Viva Las Vegas! (1956), Senior Prom (1958), and The Young Captives (1959), often in uncredited supporting roles.

Meeting Rudi Gernreich in 1954 while still in high school, and her future husband, photographer William Claxton, in the late 1950s, proved life-changing since she became a muse for both Gernreich and Claxton. At the time, Claxton worked as an art director for a record label and was better known for his black-and-white portraits of leading jazz figures like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk. Claxton took the famous image of Moffitt in Gernreich's monokini - a topless swimsuit that exposed the breasts and scandalized the world.

The design of the monokini wasn't actually intended for commercial production, and Gernreich's goal wasn't to sexualize women but to liberate the breast in an almost political and cultural statement. Moffitt agreed to model it only under certain conditions: that her husband, William Claxton, would photograph her, and that the image wouldn't be published in men's magazines.

Despite this intention, the backlash against the design that was supposed to be a symbol of women's freedom, became part of fashion history. The monokini was banned by the Pope and criticized by the Soviet newspaper Izvestia, which used it as an example of the decline of morality in the U.S. The topless swimsuit made as much of a global impact as the first lunar landing, solidifying Moffitt's status as the ultimate "mod" it-girl.

Moffitt modeled in New York, London, and Paris, and appeared in cult fashion films, including Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-up (1966), where she is shown modeling for the protagonist, a fashion photographer played by David Hemmings.

She also featured in William Klein's Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You Polly Maggoo?, 1966), in original fashion photographs taken from prominent magazines and shown from during the film, and in the scenes with the models in striped designs and during the sequence of the fashion shoot in the graveyard.

In 1967, Claxton and Moffitt produced what is considered the first fashion video, "Basic Black", featuring models Léon Bing and Ellen Harth in Rudi Gernreich's animal-patterned dresses with matching tights and underwear. Later that same year, Gernreich, Bing, and Moffitt appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

A muse who continued to dress the part and do her own makeup as the years went by, Peggy Moffitt even inspired a children's book.

In the late '60s, while working on a series of books for children about the seven deadly sins, author and illustrator William Pène du Bois was inspired by Moffitt after observing her meticulously apply her trademark makeup for two hours.

Pène du Bois asked her to be the muse for the main character in his book about one of the deadly sins, vanity.

Moffitt gladly agreed and even helped create the character that became the protagonist of Pretty Pretty Peggy Moffitt.

The book features a mini-Peggy character dressed in Gernreich outfits who can't resist admiring herself in every reflective surface she passes, leading to a series of unfortunate accidents.

Bruised and battered in this moral tale about the dangers of vanity, she finally comes to her senses after a final tumble down a coal chute (fashion fans and fashion collectors, keep an eye on the book as sometimes it reappears at auctions).

The book itself later inspired a photoshoot for New York Magazine in 1968, featuring Moffitt posing next to Pène du Bois's character while modeling Rudi Gernreich knitwear.

Moffitt's distinctive look and graphic style often made her a modern muse for contemporary designers, though she didn't hold the contemporary fashion scene in high regard. She instead remained steadfastly loyal to Rudi Gernreich, continuing to wear his designs throughout her life.  

After Gernreich passed away in 1985 at the age of 63, Moffitt held the trademark to his name (but Gernreich had a longstanding alliance with the American Civil Liberties Union, so and the intellectual property of his estate was bequeathed to the organization) and owned around 300 of his pieces, including some in color combinations never commercially produced.

In 1991, she released The Rudi Gernreich Book with her husband, with whom she remained married until his passing in 2008.

Gernreich remained an inspiration for many contemporary fashion designers (think about the scoop-front dress in Daniel Roseberry's SA/W 21 collection for Schiaparelli - View this photo - a reinvention of Gernreich's design in the third image in this post, that Roseberry covered with a breastplate representing a pair of golden lungs).

In 2003, Moffitt collaborated with Comme des Garçons on a line that reinterpreted Gernreich's creations and that included trompe l'oeil designs directly lifted from Gernreich's pieces (View this photo), including a black sweater with two white circles and a triangle, an abstract representations of two breasts and a pubis (see also first image in this post). 

In 2012, Moffitt's private collection of Gernreich's designs was showcased in "The Total Look: The Creative Collaboration Between Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt, and William Claxton", an exhibition that opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California.

In 2019, some of the pieces from her collection were featured in "Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich" at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and in 2018 selected items by Gernreich were relaunched, but the project didn't prove successful.

Moffitt embodied the rare synergy between muse and designer, elevating her collaboration with Gernreich into a creative force. Through her distinct style, expressive movements, and presence, she vividly illustrated how his avant-garde yet fluid designs symbolized freedom and self-expression at a time when women were striving for greater social and political autonomy.

She remains an iconic figure as she also demonstrated throughout her life the importance of creating a signature look and staying true to it. Reflecting on her trademark makeup routine, she once said, "It's my own private penance for being a model with a personality. I have to create my face each morning, like a monster."

Designing for Health: M&S Launches Stoma Bag Knickers

Anatomy can certainly inspire fashion designers, as seen in the previous post. However, direct experiences with medical issues often play an even bigger role in sparking new ideas and products. Personal health challenges or caring for a family member with a medical condition can lead us to think about how design can improve our lives or theirs. Moreover, creating such products can help reduce the stigma associated with certain conditions. Take, for example, the stoma bag.

This medical device collects waste from the body after a surgical procedure that creates an opening (stoma) on the abdomen. The stoma is connected to the small intestine, large intestine, or urinary system, depending on the surgery. Stoma bags are necessary in various situations, including conditions like colon cancer and ulcerative colitis.

About 20 years ago, when a family member had to use a colostomy bag, I wasn't familiar with it. After they explained what it was, I doubted my ability to help with the changes because I was so terrified. However, my perspective shifted when we connected with a company that produced stoma bags and provided excellent products and patient support. In this case, thoughtful design played a crucial role in helping us accept this new medical reality. 

Last week, this experience resurfaced when I heard that UK high street retailer Marks & Spencer had launched a range of knickers designed to be worn with a stoma bag. M&S is a popular destination for underwear in the UK, selling over 60 million pairs of knickers a year, according to a press release of the retailer, but this is a first for them as well.

The range of stoma knickers - available on the retailer's website and in select M&S stores starting this month - features soft cotton pants with light control stretch and a pocket opening to keep the stoma bag securely in place throughout the day and night. These knickers are available in affordable packs of three, in four colors, including classic black and a mixed-color pack in rose quartz, pink, and magenta. They can also be coordinated with bestselling bras from M&S's main lingerie collections, offering customers the rare opportunity to match sets - something that’s not always possible with regular stoma knickers. Priced at £18 for the classic High Leg and Brazilian styles, with lace designs available at £20, they are more affordable than similar products in specialized stores and are VAT exempt.

The idea for these stoma knickers came from M&S employee Jiggy Sohi, who was inspired by her own experience living with a stoma. Her idea was echoed by other M&S employees, including Hannah Gadsby, a Customer Assistant at the M&S store in Norwich, and Denise Jones, a Bra Fitter at the M&S store in Newport Retail Park, who both submitted suggestions through M&S's colleague suggestion scheme, "Straight to Stuart."

Jiggy was one of over 20 M&S employees and customers who tested the product throughout its design and development process. The knickers were also created with input and support from the Colostomy UK association.

While there are influencers who have been documenting their lives with a stoma bag on social media, encouraging others, this new initiative will further increase visibility for people living with this condition. Colostomy UK estimates that over 200,000 individuals in the UK live with stoma bags, with 100,000 of them being women. This is why the launch of the first stoma knicker range for women at M&S is expected to be a success. Indeed, at the time of writing this post, one style has already sold out, and another is marked as being in high demand on the M&S website

M&S has consistently focused on creating more accessible and inclusive products, developing a successful range of underwear that caters to diverse needs. Their offerings include a new neutrals lingerie line that provides more skin tone options, VAT-exempt period knickers, post-surgery bras, and an easy-dressing range for children with sensory or physical disabilities. This range includes all-in-ones designed for casts (like those for hip dysplasia), and tees and dresses with pockets for feeding tubes, all made with soft materials, minimal seams, and hidden care labels to avoid irritating sensitive skin.

Who knows, maybe in future, we will see some collaborations between young fashion designers and M&S to make some of these items even more appealing. But this story reminds us that fashion should empower and uplift us, not make us feel miserable. While trend forecasters might use Artificial Intelligence to predict future styles, listening to people's needs can inspire products that may not be fashionably trendy but are essential and will sell well. With health conditions on the rise, it doesn't take a genius to develop better products, but it takes retailers and designers willing to listen to others' experiences and create garments that can truly improve their quality of life.