Inspiration: Darkness and Sin

By Anida Knapo

DARKNESS AND SIN 

I am writing a series of articles for Club Fashionista, here is my Part II. (You can find Part I, my introduction: here, and my latest collection: here.) 

As a young fashion designer, I am often asked what exactly inspires me...here are some, I hope, intriguing answers...

Me

Me at My Fashion Show 

Anti-Fashion Fashion Designer

I often ask myself why people wear clothes. No one has been able to convince me that it is only for health reasons since during the hot summer days clothes are more cumbersome than necessary. I am not familiar with fashion trends since I view trends as man made and a ploy to have people spend spend when in fact not necessary. During the winter, clothes are understandable. However, even during the winter, something like a wool skirt exceeds its functionality because I am certain that a wool skirt will not keep you warm. 

Alien: H.R. Giger 

Since my aim was never to become a fashion designer, many other factors influenced my fashion creations. For instance, biomechanics and H.R. Giger (who is known for his design work of the film Alien and is a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer). H.R. Giger is particularly inspiring because he dehumanized the small green people who came from the red planet. Moreover, while designing a costume, he secretly made the designs to be associated visually with sex. Alien's visual design is particularly inspiring because it conveys the feeling that there is this creature that is petrifying and invincible. 

Alien by H.R. Giger  

Alien by H.R. Giger 

H.R. Giger 

Long after the film Alien, Alexander McQueen made the best heels in the world that were in fact inspired by the film Alien. 

Alien Shoes by Alexander McQueen

Perhaps it was the film Alien, just like it was for Alexander McQueen, that inspired some of my creations. After seeing that film, I understood what clothes meant: it was a costume, a sort of a camouflage. The idea that a person can use clothes to make his or her vision (or ideal) come alive is wonderful. Thus, for me, if I wish to be a step closer to living in the movie Alien, then I am closer through my designs. I believe this applies for everyone who wishes to be a step closer to their dreams or ideals.  

Pain

I am fascinated by darkness, villains, and melancholy; by the world full inhabited by unapologetic villains. I am almost certain that your biggest love was someone who had hurt you. Someone who (or something which) scares or hurts you is the person who is remembered. In fact, Nietzsche said "All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity." Jean Paul Gaultier had first shocked the public with his famous corset worn by Madonna. 

Madonna in a Jean-Paul Gaultier Corset 

Afterwards, he made an imprint on the fashion world.  Also, Vivienne Westwood had attempted to destroy the traditional camouflage, i.e. clothing, by adding her own spin on her designs.  

Vivienne Westwood Designs 

I believe that in the 21st century we have reached the climax in terms of sinning through displaying enormous amount of nudity; thus, it becomes difficult to shock the public. Moreover, the technology helps us camouflage ourselves and attempting to live out our ideals. 

I have decided to become a fashion designer because I see it as an outlet which I can use to represent a new kind of humanity in a new age. My inspiration comes from many different worlds, e.g., from a world of insects. 

My Designs: Spikes and Leather 

Insects can be scary but also fascinating because they appear like they came from another planet. From the queen of darkness, until next time...

In Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian

Mrak i grijeh

Cesto se pitam zasto se ljudi oblace? Ne moze me niko ubjediti da je iz zdravstvenih razloga ipak na ljeto odjeca vise smeta nego sto cini korist. Na zimu je razumljivo. Nisam bliska sa trendovima mislim da su to konzumentske izmisljotine koje tjeraju na kupovinu. zima je opet druga tema tad treba nesto toplo, ali ipak i tada ova moda tjera ljude na "pletenje suknjice" pa to siguno nije mnogo funkcjonalno!

Illustration

Nisam se nadala da cu raditi ikada imati prefix "modni" ja sam dizajner i tako da je na mene uticalo dosta stvari koje nisu nuzno vezane za modu, neke poput biomehanike nisu vezani za umjetnost uopce, no prije svega tu je H.R Giger, dizajner kultnog aliena. Covjek koji je organsko tako industralizirao, koji je dehumanizirao viziju malih zelenih ljudi sa crvene planete, covjek koji je radeci "kostim" potajno ubacuio seksisticne asocijaceije u svoj dizajn. Alien je dobro dizajniran vizuelno tacno da covjek pozeli biti to zastrasujuce, neunistivo stvorenje; bar covjek poput mene :) 

H.R. Giger

Dugo dugo nakon toga covjek koji se zove Alexander McQueen napravio je najbolje stikle na svijetu.

Alien by Alexander McQueen 

Moza me je ta ideja, da je reagovao kao ja kad sam vidjela alien po prvi put, bila upravo to sto me je promjenilo. Tad sam shvatila sta je odjeca, kostim, kamuflaza! Ideja da covjek moze da se prilagodi viziji kojoj zeli je divna. Ako zelim da sam korak blize alienu imam nacin. Ali ne samo alienu to vazi za sve koji zele biti i korak blize nekim svojim idealima.

H.R. Giger's Design for Alien

Mene licno fascinira tama, zlikovci, melankolija i tako neki svijet u kojem zive grijesi i ne traze oprost. Sigurna sam da je vasa velika ljubav bio neko ko vas je povrijedio. Ono sto nekoga uplasi i povrjedi je ono sto se pamti. Nietzsche kaze" All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity." Jean Paul Gaultier je sa svojim famous corset prvo shokirao, na tako jedan gresan nacin predstavio zenstvenost, ali samim tim ostavio trag u historiju mode. 

Madonna in a Jean-Paul Gaultier Corset 

i Vivienne Westwood je unistavanjem tradicjonalnih totema kamuflaze neko ko potvrdjuje moju teoriju. 

Vivienne Westwood Designs

Vjerujem da smo dosli do vremena kada je nemoguce uciniti nesto gresnije i shokantnije i kad je sve ogoljeno do maximuma tako da je tesko pricati o grijehu naseg vremena kada smo mi krajni produkt svih destrukcija prije nas, neizbjezno je vrijeme industralizacije i koristenja napredne tehnologije u nasem kamufliranju(oblacenju). Ipak odluka je na vama.

Ja licno se bavim ovim jer je dio dizajniranja sebe, jer je to eksterijer covjeka, nacin na koji ja zelim da predstavim novu humanost i novi period. Inspiraciju vucem vecinom iz drugih svjetova, mislim da su insekti prilicno neportosiv izvor ideja. Zastrasujuci su ali ipak fascinantni kao da su sa druge planete, za pocetak ovoliko iduci put idem detaljnije! do citanja!