Fashion Symbols with Aynura Maye

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Gucci’s Ark of Noah. Why are we all Noah?

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Now that I am on water symbol, I’ll have one more post to dig a bit deeper on water. Gucci just released its new theme for #GothicCampaign recreating the Ark of Noah and this is perfect one to pick on.

Gucci #GothicCampaign - recreation of Noah's Ark. Photo: Internet
Gucci re-created the Ark of Noah Ark for #GothicCampaign
Photo: Internet

Now Alessandro Michele takes on Deluge and the Ark of Noah, one of the early stories of Genesis. It is one of those themes that we know can’t be true, yet some part of us secretly believes that it may be true. And surprisingly it is, but in a symbolic way. Because it talks about some parts of our existence that is unknown to us obscured in the dark abyss of our psyche. We are well aware that the myths are not history, or biography or some sort of historical record. Then what is it about that touches us so deeply? In a nutshell, they are about the psychic processes happening inside us expressed through symbols in an exaggerated fashion. We sense that they tell us something, but can’t discern what it is. It is that dreamy symbolic language that puzzles us.

The Deluge and the Ark of Noah Ark is the story of our consciousness (or Ego) taking control over the unconscious content narrated in the highly symbolic language of the unconscious. Every object in the myth is purely symbolic and holds certain meaning. Let’s try to “translate” this myth.

Deluge

In psychoanalysis and dream analysis water is symbol of the unconscious – the dark abyss which is house to uncontrollable and powerful instinctual urges. The darker and the more turbulent the water, the more unease in the unconscious. So we know what Deluge stands for – the unc­ontrollable and wild nature of our unconscious.

Noah

One of the earliest prophets of the mankind is very symbolic of the very process of the birth of the consciousness. This is the element of our psyche that is in power to take control over the unconscious urges and impulses and give direction – make decisions. By the way, we’ve laboriously developed this precious “skill” over millions of years and with it we’ve distinguished ourselves from the rest of the living things and the dark totality of our unconscious. This is the reason why “prophets taking control of waters in ark or over some sort of fish” is a recurrent storyline in many religions. It is kind of the way our unconscious has registered the evolutionary process in its peculiar symbolic language.

Animals and the perfect harmony

The next question is of course, what about the animals and the perfect peace between animals and humans? Again, let’s have a look at recurring image of prophets – a good shepherd. Do we remember Orpheus? Who created perfect harmony when he played his lyre? Or Jesus? Yes, he was Shepherd too. Noah himself is kind of good shepherd who created perfect harmony among living things. Animals notoriously stand for our biological or instinctual impulses, in other words our low animalistic drives. Good shepherd is the one who through the virtue of the consciousness and wisdom has tamed his animalistic impulses and created harmony in his soul.

Translation into our common language

The myth of Noah is the story of how we gradually “woke up” from the pure instinctual life and separated ourselves from the animal kingdom and developed the consciousness (Ego). He is symbol of mankind, who has learned to navigate on the dark waters of the unconscious without being absorbed by back by it. And even give direction to his/her life.

What Noah means for each of us

We all pass this “Ark of Noah” period when we start to develop consciousness when we are babies at early toddler age. So he is a living symbol inside us. Also, as long as we tend “to lose our mind”, in other words, fall victim to our impulses and feelings, the Deluge will be an ever-present danger for us. Because those emotions are rooted at powerful forces deep inside. In the background we always live with the peril of our consciousness being devoured by the Deluge, in other words, literally lose our minds.

I wonder who will bring so much mysticism with hippy twist to Gucci besides Michele Alessandro. Who will touch so gracefully to this ever-present stories of our soul in fashion industry. I found the video just brilliant. Very much looking forwards to his creations on this theme.

Fendi’s show on Fontana Trevi and hidden mysticism

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I have moved to Rome in the beginning of 2016. Pregnant. The baby was due in July. While I was trying to settle down and make space (literally) for the new member of the family, something incredible was happening in Rome of which I became aware quite late. More precisely, that thing was happening in the same month that I was giving light to the new addition of our family. Fendi put on a spectacular show called Legends and Fairy Tales on the iconic Fontana Trevi to celebrate the Fashion House’s 90 years of heritage.

Fendi celebrating 90 years with subtle mythic show – Heroes and Fairy Tales
7 July 2016, Rome, Fontana Trevi
Photo: Internet (Victor Boyko/Getty Images)

To tell the truth, I was too busy with family duties back then. In fact even the idea of this blog hadn’t been born yet. But the thought of me being in Rome during that event and not knowing about it somehow pains me. When I write it down I realize how mean I sound.

Cut to the chase, Fendi’s show was majestic, mythical and obviously very much appraised. Now, almost more than two years later I am going back to that event to share why I would have loved to know about it and why it made people “wow”.

Fendi celebrating 90 years with a subtle mythic show – Heroes and Fairy Tales
7 July 2016, Rome, Fontana Trevi
Photo: Internet (Victor Boyko/Getty Images )

We, unknowingly, tend to reproduce exact same images that were “living realities” of our ancestors, which still are secret realities of our psychic life. You wonder what I am talking about and what it has to do with Fendi’s iconic show. Here it goes:

The Water.  And Fendi models walking over the water or “being born out of water”.


Fendi celebrating 90 years with a subtle mythic show – Heroes and Fairy Tales
7 July 2016, Rome, Fontana Trevi
Photo: Internet (Victor Boyko/Getty Images)

Water in our dreams (and psychoanalysis) symbolizes our unconscious – the dark depth of our psyche. The source or the container of everything from destructive to regenerative, from devilish to divine. In this sense, it is related to “Great Mother” as well. Because our little, tiny, fragile consciousness nourishes on the unconscious. When we feel exhausted, burnt out in life, we shut off to the world and retrieve to that source to recharge and regenerate our life energy.

Now, how this whole spectacle resembles the images and living things I was talking above? Let’s now dig a bit into mythological side of it to see how this relationship to the unconscious manifested itself as mythological symbol. Or just scratch the surface, it is a very complicated symbol.

No need to remind that since we, as mankind, became aware of ourselves, water has been an ever present symbol. Among many other things, it is symbol of regeneration, rebirth and purification. It is that baptismal water that means rebirth in Christianity. Ablution rituals in Islam that stands for purity. There is long list of strict rituals entailing water in Judaism. Regardless religion or faith, full immersion in water is about being reborn out of divine waters to where we will return. In this sense, it is related to the Great Mother, the divine uterus or in psychological terms the unconscious. (Does it explain why there are so many spells and exorcism rituals done with water? Thousand and One Nights series are full of it) I know, it sounds quite absurd when I write like this because it is hard to digest such metaphoric things consciously. But in our unconscious realm where everything gets associated pictorially on feeling-base it makes perfect sense.

Fontana Trevi – divine uterus


Fendi celebrating 90 years with a subtle mythic show – Heroes and Fairy Tales
7 July 2016, Rome, Fontana Trevi
Photo: Internet (Victor Boyko/Getty Images)

Moreover, this scene was over Fontana Trevi. Yes, Trevi is iconic because it is one of the symbols of Rome. But it has its own peculiar significance. People travel hundreds of miles to drop a coin in this water to “make their dreams come true”. With all the mythological monuments that are part of the fountain, Fontana Trevi symbolizes that divine vessel, waters of which hold secrets, recharge, and give hope and new life.

That’s why the whole show with models walking over the water or “being reborn out of water” resembled a ritual of rebirth, where initiator would be immersed in water to be reborn. This is the reason that it had people “wow”.

Why breakthrough is difficult for the unconventional models? Surprisingly, the reason is not about beauty standards

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Now that the fashion month is being wrapped up and especially New York Fashion Week was marked with inclusivity, I’d like to reflect on the ever-hot topic of the fashion industry – why breakthrough is so difficult for models of non-conventional beauty standards.

Savage x Fenty by Rihanna, NYFW 2018.
Why is it hard for models of non-western looks to break into stardom? Beauty standards are just the top of the ice-berg.
Photo: Internet

Every time I talk about this I get odd looks from around. That’s why I am kind of intimidated to let out this “nonsense” that no matter how erudite and well-cultured we are today, we are still to a great degree moppets of our biological set-up.  And the barrier the “non-conventional” models face is due more to our instinctual set-up than our self-imposed beauty standards.

The article has originally appeared at Marie Claire Italia in Italian. You can read it in this link.

Fear – invisible part of the iceberg

To make it clear, what we call “discrimination” or “prejudice” today is our nature-given, wild instinct of “fear” which serves as precursor to protect us from unknown dangers. Anything or anybody that is not like us immediately raises red “danger” flag in our instinctual realm and our self-defense mode gets deployed. That is why we tend to hang out and mingle with those who either look like us or think like us. Over the grounds of shared sense of security we go on to build criteria and standards for many things, including aesthetics and beauty. Anything or anybody that doesn’t correspond to those criteria “is not from us” or “discriminated”.

Black, plus size model Philomena Kwao.
Why is it hard for models of non-western looks to break into stardom? Beauty standards are just the top of the ice-berg.
Photo: Internet

Now we are talking about manifestations of instinctual fear in social interactions. This is the underlying motive of formulation of groups – from the smallest gangs to nations and religious civilizations. But that fear is not static, in fact is quite the opposite. If not worked on intellectually, it tends to grow bigger and stronger causing anything from benign prejudice to most violent acts of war and orchestrated massacre.

So talking specifically about the models of “non-conventional or let’s say non-western looks”, breaking through is really more about overcoming that underlying instinctual sense of “fear of unknown” than the criteria of aesthetics. I think many models of African or Asian background can relate here.

Fear – “good cop, bad cop”

In fact, fear is not a bad thing at all, on the contrary it is vital for our self-protection. Letting it take a free-rein in our social interactions is what throws everything into maze of unsolvable issues. Handling fear in proportion is crucial and the way to curb this ever growing monster is to work on it intellectually. Train our minds, ears and eyes not to shut down to difference, but educate ourselves. Once our brain stops seeing “the new object” as a danger, defense mode turns off and we kind of start to like it. With time that “once enemy” turns into “normality” and even “first preference”. Nothing is more moldable than our brains. It just needs intentional training through education. Getting familiarized with the object of danger is the way to curb that fateful fear.

The article has originally appeared at Marie Claire Italia in Italian. You can read it in this link.