Schiaparelli hyperrealistic (but fake) animal heads sparked outrage this week, highlighting the increasingly delicate balance brands must strike between provocative marketing and shifting consumer values. Schiaparelli’s latest couture collection took inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s vision of Hell — but three show-stealing looks featuring hyper-realistic lion, snow leopard and she-wolf heads sparked a particularly fiery response online.
The designs were widely criticised as tastelessly glamourising big-game hunting, objectionable for its links to wealth inequality and the legacy of colonialism, as well as the killing of endangered animals for sport.
Credits: Schiaparelli & Georges Hobeika
