La Venaria Reale, the Turin based cultural complex in Northern Italy will host a summer exhibition entitled ‘Jungle. The Animal Imagery in Fashion’ exploring the use of animal print and form in fashion design. The exhibition will make use of bust forms from Bonaveri’s Haute Couture Collection, Schläppi 2200 mannequins and BONAVERI female and male bust forms with pelvis.
Animal print continues to inspire the fashion industry and through the ages, leading designers such as Dior, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferré and Thierry Mugler continue to take inspiration from the animal world. Leopard is one of the most enduring animal print with wearers often addicted to the look; Josephine Baker, Jean Harlow and Eartha Kitt all wore it and more recently Catherine Deneuve, Michelle Obama, Anna Wintour and Kate Moss have all succumbed to it’s wild charms.
The Schläppi 2200 collection used throughout the exhibition offers a dynamic way to display the exhibition material – the 2200’s unique forms blend easily with the aesthetic demanded for such a show. The symbiotic relationship between the forms and garments were crucial for the show’s curators:
“metamorphosis will be a central theme of the exhibition owing to its major relevance in a world in which human beings can construct their identity regardless of the limits set by nature”. – Simona Segre (Curator)
This is a celebration of the inspiration drawn from the animal world. Of course, there is a more menacing aspect to the relationship between fashion and wildlife, however, this exhibition highlights a more positive symbiosis; a drawing together of man and beast. More than 100 garments and accessories are included in the exhibition, demonstrating how man has learned to imitate his fellow beings. The exhibition includes examples of print design, material technique and zoomorphic representations that deliver a unique insight into our fascination with the wild world.
Jungle. The Animal Imagery in Fashion is curated by Costanza Carboni, Ludovica Gallo Orsi and Simona Segre Reinach with design by Pietro Ruffo with Studio Kami Architects.
The show takes place between the 12 April until the 3 September 2017 in the Rooms of the Arts, First floor, Reggia di Venaria.
