Published:
24 April 2023 12:19 GMT
“No animals were harmed in the making of this look,” the dress’s creators said.
The American model and businesswoman Kylie Jenner has generated a wave of criticism, after appearing at Paris Fashion Week wearing a realistic lion’s head on her shoulder.
Jenner, 25, arrived at the first show of the season wearing a dress from the couture house Maison Schiaparelli. It was made of “silk foam, wool and synthetic leather, and hand-painted to look as lifelike as possible,” the brand said on its networks.
However, hundreds of users on social networks seemed to mistake Schiaparelli’s mane for a real piece of taxidermy. The company had to come out and specify that “no animals were harmed in the development of this look.”
Jenner’s look was part of a series of faux fur garments designed by Daniel Roseberry. The collection also included a black wolf head, modeled by Naomi Campbell, and a leopard strapless dress, with an equally realistic head.
Despite being made of synthetic materials, hundreds of Internet users criticized the outfit. “But why. Why imitate this? I appreciate it being fake, but the images are still disturbing.” commented one user, while another wrote: “Why do you have an animal head on your dress? Imitation or not… doesn’t make sense to me.”
“We need to stop portraying animals as luxury ‘products.’ They may be made of foam, but these are endangered species that have historically been slaughtered for their fur into clothing,” wrote a user in response to Schiaperelli’s post.
