The element of fire in fashion history

Fire was discovered by man 400,000 years ago, but only landed in the world of fashion during the last Century. It was the beginning of the Second World War when, at a gala evening, the designer Coco Chanel invited her historical rival Elsa Schiaparelli for a dance. After a few waltz steps - and maybe an unwanted joke or two - Chanel pushed the Italian designer against a lit candelabra, causing her precious tree-shaped dress to catch fire, later quickly extinguished by other guests with soda water. Although less amusing, the fashion world is full of anecdotes about fire; in more recent times, several designers have been inspired by flames for their creations, as in the case of British designer Robert Wun, who portrayed a Schiaparelli-like incident in the form of a deliberately burnt wedding dress for his first couture collection 'Fashion Accidents'. From 'fiery graphics' to catwalk fires, here is a review of all the times fire has been the absolute protagonist:

Fiery graphics

Between 2016 and 2020, fashion had a real obsession with 'flame-y' graphics: it may have been the flashy headdress designed by Philip Treacy for Sarah Jessica Parker for the 2015 Met Gala that started the trend, Or, perhaps more likely, the 'e-boy' look typical of those years, which convinced whole armies of teenagers to wear Thrasher sweaters overnight. On the catwalk, the 90s 'flame' graphic was first used by Paco Rabanne in 2016 on black leather tops, by Balmain the following year on fringed skirts in yellow and red, or more ironically by Moschino, on T-shirts depicting a bewildered Spongebob. Prada, too, has played with this graphic several times, despite  the brand being notoriously known for its minimal lines. Miuccia Prada chose to add coloured flames first to her Spring Summer 2012 sandals, and then again to her Fall Winter 2018 wedge heels. The undisputed spokesman of the trend, however, remains Vetements, which has made this Hot Wheels-style look a leitmotif of many collections, from the boots of Fall Winter 2020 to the dresses of the most recent Spring Summer 2022. 

Catwalks on fire 

Fire-eaters, lion tamers, tightrope walkers and contortionists: the circus teaches that sometimes, to amaze, you need to arouse a little fear in the spectators. And so have fashion designers done in recent years, bringing fire and flames to the catwalks of their shows. Inspired by a photographic collection by Irving Penn depicting Peruvian tribes, John Galliano's Fall Winter 2007 men's collection paraded down a corridor lit by burning torches to evoke wonder and terror. Like Galliano, Rick Owens has also exploited the risk inherent in fire to create an atmosphere of tension during his shows: in 2012, by lighting two thin lines of fire as a backdrop to his catwalk, and in 2019, by building an actual bonfire in the middle of the runway. In 2020, Maria Grazia Chiuri reintroduced the same concept in the Dior resort show, trotting the models and their blue and grey-tinged looks in a large, flaming square in Marrakech, as a way to pay homage to the collections that Yves saint Laurent designed for the Maison in the 1960s during his countless trips to Morocco.  

King of fire, Alexander McQueen

Only one designer in the world has truly been able to use fire as a cunning mean of provocation: Alexander McQueen, the English genius of breathtaking shows and irreverent spirit who challenged the system even at the head of an antiquated fashion house like Givenchy. Flames made their debut at his fashion shows in 1997, thanks to a lucky accident. At the presentation of 'It's a Jungle Out There', McQueen's tenth collection and the first after his appointment as Givenchy's artistic director, the ominous atmosphere created by the designer stacking some cars on the catwalk was heightened by a sudden fire, caused by some people who had tried to climb over the barricades to attend the show incidentally dropping some heaters - also part of the set - on the cars. Despite the fact, Lee McQueen told his models to carry on with the show, thus managing to complete a fashion show that is still remembered today as one of the most memorable in history.

A year later, the designer deliberately chose to use flames in the Gatliff Road warehouse for the presentation of 'Joan', the collection dedicated to the character of Joan of Arc. It was this work that made the colour red the universal symbol of the brand, baptising the designer as a prodigy of creativity, not only dyeing dresses and coat padding red, but also the models' contact lenses, and the cocoon of fabric from which they emerged. The electrifying performance culminated with an image of intoxicating charm: a model trapped in a circle of fire in a dress made entirely of red beads covering her face, while Diana Ross's voice sang out loud: 'You're gonna make it, you're gonna make it'.