What’s up with the lion’s head Kylie Jenner wore? Five things to know about the couture animal head discourse.
A Schiaparelli couture fashion show with several fake, but realistic, animal heads — including one worn by Kylie Jenner — caused a stir online. Here's what you need to know.
From the moment photos of Kylie Jenner began circulating Monday, it was clear this one would be a talker. A massive stuffed lion head was fastened to her simple, strapless black gown. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe jokes and an influx of memes ensued along with concerns the Kardashian sister was casually walking around with a dead lion stapled to her (she wasn’t).
In reality, the lion’s head — despite looking incredibly realistic — was wholly fake and sculpted by the designers behind the major fashion house, Schiaparelli. But the gates to fashion’s latest discourse had only just been unlocked. If you’ve been seeing pictures of the lion’s head everywhere but haven’t been able to keep up with the storyline, this one’s for you. Here are five things to know about the drama.
Tell me about Schiaparelli
Maison Schiaparelli is an Italian couture fashion house founded by fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in 1927. (Philadelphia art diehards might remember “Shocking!”: The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli, the first major exhibition of Schiaparelli’s work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2003.)
The brand is known for its bold, over-the-top, whimsical designs including its gold toe shoes. In their heydays, Schiaparelli and fellow couture designer Coco Chanel were pitted against each other as bitter rivals. Chanel was known for its classic, sleek designs while Schiaparelli pushed the envelope with maximalist creations.
The new face of Schiaparelli is creative director Daniel Roseberry, who took over in 2019. He has been lauded in fashion circles as a visionary breathing new life into the brand.
On TikTok, Schiaparelli is harnessing a new circle of fans with the help of Roseberry’s sister, Liz Fox Roseberry, who has about 160,000 followers on the platform.
Last year when Fox Roseberry got married, her brother designed a wedding gown, which has been featured in Vogue and was showcased at the Louvre. Fox Roseberry has used her TikTok to share her brother’s work.
How did this week’s drama begin?
It’s Spring 2023 Couture Week in Paris, meaning the major fashion houses — think Christian Dior, Chanel, Fendi, and Schiaparelli — are debuting new special collections.
Monday marked Schiaparelli’s fashion show, with a collection inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno.
Celebrities dressed in Schiaparelli who attended Monday’s show included Doja Cat — who also created a stir, covered in red body paint and 30,000 crystals — and Jenner with her lion’s head.
The show featured three additional animal head looks: a snow leopard worn by Shalom Harlow, a second lion’s head on Irina Shayk, and a wolf donned by Naomi Campbell.
Critics said that the animal heads glorified big game hunting — even if they’re fake. Supporters celebrated the craftsmanship and shock-and-awe factor.
What are the animal heads actually made out of?
According to the fashion house, the animal heads are embroidered and hand-sculpted from materials including foam, resin, wool, and silk faux fur. They were also “hand painted to look as life-like as possible.”
On each Instagram post featuring an animal head, Schiaparelli included a caption that says “NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN MAKING THIS LOOK.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the house of Schiaparelli commissioned artist Ami Zarug’s company Animal Replicas to make the busts. Zarug told the newspaper that he is a vegetarian and his company takes criticism as “flattery.” On the Animal Replicas website, busts are listed for prices ranging from $6,000 to $19,000.
What are people saying about the dresses?
Reviews are mixed.
On social media, comments began flooding Schiaparelli’s posts about animal cruelty and the harm the popularization of animal busts (even fake ones) could cause.
Fashion designer and sustainability activist Céline Semaan called the faux taxidermy heads “obscene” and said it “honored trophy killing.” Fashion model Christie Brinkley called the looks a “FAUX ‘PAW’” on Instagram. Jewelry designer Lulu Frost said the heads were “worrisome,” “strange,” and “embarrassing.”
This conversation comes at a time when major fashion houses are reckoning with the use of animal products. Luxury brands including Dolce & Gabbana and Prada have announced the discontinuation of animal pelts. Vegan leather in brands including Telfar, Nike, and Fossil is becoming more common. Last year, Steve Madden released a vegan leather sneaker collection with the popular vegan soul food brand, Slutty Vegan.
Still, other animal activist groups, taxidermists, and artists are praising Schiaparelli this time.
PETA, the animal welfare nonprofit with tactics that have been called extreme, said the animal heads prove fur isn’t necessary for high fashion.
“These fabulously innovative three-dimensional animal heads show that where there’s a will, there’s a way — and Kylie, Naomi and Irina’s looks celebrate the beauty of wild animals and may be a statement against trophy hunting,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said.
Fashion journalists Suzy Menkes and Amy Odell have also written about the animal heads. Odell called them distracting, while Mekes called Roseberry’s portrayal of wild animals thoughtful.
“I don’t believe that there was anything deliberately violent or angry in the show,” Menkes said on Instagram. “It is the reaction of those who have not seen the collection, nor grasp its meaning, who will struggle to understand the show’s purpose.”
Other fashion designers and stylists including Adam Selman, Karla Welch, and Marc Jacobs dubbed the looks a “triumph” and Roseberry a “genius.”
On Instagram, Jenner thanked Roseberry for letting her wear the dress.
“I loved wearing this faux art creation constructed by hand using manmade materials,” she wrote. “Beautiful beautiful.”
Has Schiaparelli commented on the drama?
Roseberry’s show notes for the collection reveal the intentionality behind the animal heads. He wrote, “Mimicry (is that a real lion?) becomes its own form of Surrealism in this collection, such that you’re never quite sure who made the piece you’re looking at—was it nature?”
Later, on Instagram, he said he saw them as representing protection.
“Celebrating the glory of nature and guarding the woman who wears it,” he wrote.