Fashion's Infatuation with Nature
Mother Nature: an evergreen muse
Nature is the gift that keeps on giving, literally. It's bountiful and beautiful, and it's been used to spark creativity and inspiration in the fashion world for eons. The constant reappearance of nature-oriented campaigns is one that I don't expect to disappear any time soon, and for good reason. Nature has the ability to influence us through form, colour, shape, styling, texture and beyond. According to WGSN, it's expected to grow substantially in 2025 so I would start planting your garden and work on that green thumb!
The art of scalability really amp up any fashion campaign — we’re seeing it in a lot of advertisements these days because it is impactful. Anything to make a campaign stand out for all of the right reasons. It’s evoking emotions of fantasy and it’s a fun play on classics like Alice in Wonderland — the integration and interaction between subject and nature screams surrealism and dreamscape...I love it. When you take a first glance at this ad, its ethereal quality almost transports you to another world...one that is romantic and imaginary. The power of a great concept works well for these images. It’s giving me Tinkerbell vibes.
Oh, the art of transformation. Here is an excellent example of conceptual mimicry…we have the models poised as a plant or flower using the power of pose paired with exaggerated proportions to create an organic-like structure, mimicking that of petals, soil, stems, and alike. Fashion very often taps into the world of nature for a source of inspiration, and you can clearly see the transformation of the subject into an organic element by playing with form and dramatization through styling. The colour scheme is also reminiscent of tones that you would find in any botanical garden. Whenever I'm seeking a good colour palette, I go outdoors into nature. It's a visual feast!
And the category is: earthy. Welcome to the green renaissance where editorial still life photography creates mini-worlds, gathering everything from twigs, to snails, to moss, creating a composition full of juxtaposition but still maintaining a high-fashion aesthetic. The visual contrast that it creates really is quite striking. In times where sustainability and eco-friendly values have become front and centre for a plethora of brands, nature really serves well in the world of luxury.
And lastly, we have it being incorporated into shoots as prop and decor, adding depth and vibrancy to the editorial. It’s flexible form makes botanicals a perfect addition.
How do you get inspired by nature? Does it influence you creatively? How?
Karl Blosfelt — Art Forms in Plants
Alexander McQueen Nature Collections
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