Vanitas, Inshallah: Incendiary Illustrations by aleXsandro Palombo

When these illustrations found their way into my inbox, I was titillated. aleXsandro Palombo, a young italian fashion designer and knitwear revolutionary, is soon releasing this cheeky book of illustrations rife with political and religious imagery (and some very recognizable Fashion Royalty), pre-destined to ruffle some tail feather in the fashion sphere. His exact social commentary is unclear in the following few examples, but the decidedly shrewd wit wafting from the pages is drawn with a charming naiveté – luring you in until you’re up to your eyeballs in a stew of Roald Dahl and Toulouse-Lautrec-esque cultural surrealism.

“The book features around 100 illustrations by Palombo in which the designer analyses eleven years of his creations, accompanied by a symbolical figure, a melancholic yet exuberant little clown called Vanitas who, turning into a Virgil-like figure, guides him through the personal memories and dreams behind Palombo’s collections. The reader joins them through this journey, takes part in the making of the various garments and sits down in the front row to see the final catwalk, which represents the climax of this adventure into the world of fashion. During the final catwalk Vanitas presents Palombo’s new creations while the designer makes a satire of the fashion universe and of its main representatives.

‘In his previous collections and catwalks Palombo explored religious themes, but also the clashes between the East and the West and the Christian and Islamic worlds, with models wearing balaclavas, military symbols and keffieyhs, this is why in the book there are references to Oriana Fallaci, the Italian author and journalist who produced great pieces of journalism for decades, but focused in later years on writing against Islam.

‘The book also features brief pieces by people who met Palombo and had the chance of getting to know his work and personality.

There are some elements in Vanitas – the figure of the clown, the chromatically vivid illustrations and the dreamy moods – that make me think about Federico Fellini’s atmospheres and drawings.”

-Book Preview: Vanitas, Inshallah by aleXsandro Palombo
by Irenebrination

In some ways it may seem that Mr. Palombo is dabbling in controversy for the sake of controversy, but he insists this is not so. In response such claims regarding his outlandishly subversive runway show in 2003, he explained:

”My home in Salento, in the extreme south of Italy, is a land of sacrilege,” he said after the show. ”A sacrilege that is the culmination of many cultures that coexist there — Arabic, Muslim, Israeli, Albanian, Greek, Norman and many others. My philosophy is one of encounters involving many diverse ethnicities, faiths and religions from around the world.”

On that note… Happy V day, all y’all! I’m going to get dressed up in something ridiculous.

Thanks to the amazing Modepass for featuring me in Flair Magazine this week, I feel honoured.

Have a lovely, chocolate-covered day!