Today’s Mythology
Mythology from the word itself means the study of myths. For the Greeks it was their attempt to explain the unexplainable, i.e. why the Sun rise and Sets or why man was created, for other peoples it was pretty much the same myths explained the gaps in their limited scientific knowledge. Today, we know a lot more about the working of the world and rely less on myths and more on science. However, the Gods, Heroes and Monsters of old are still relevant because the help us explain how human nature works.
The website www.wgsn.com. is like Greek gods because they set the trends that designers will follow. This is after the fashion of the gods because the gods exemplified what was “good” behavior for Greeks, or at least what was acceptable in Zeus’ case. For example Ares, god of war, exemplified how warriors should be like, cruel and pitiless to foes valiant in battle. Like him www.wgsn.com leads the way and show us what fashion for the next season will be like. There are a few brave souls who go against the trends displayed there but there are few and rarely successful. After all, he who goes against the grain risks being ostracized by his peers.
Turkish culture is also another god for me. Its rich culture inherited the cultural wealth of two great Empires. Both the Byzantines and the Ottoman Turks once called Turkey its heartland, at the height of their powers they were the center of the cultural world. I am honored to have inherited such a rich past and work to bring out my unique cultural individuality in my art.
Monsters representations of excess that should be avoided. In fact, monsters in mythology are monsters precisely because they have either an excess or lack some human faculty. For example, the Minotaur is a monster because it was shaped like a man but was half bull. The Cyclops was a monster not only because it only had one eye but also because it lack human decency and compassion. Untidiness and moodiness are my monsters because they suppress my creative juices. If I am untidy I will not be able to properly design my creations and I might even end up ruining an otherwise brilliant design. When I become moody all creativity leaps out the window like a thief in the night. When I am moody I am not able to think objectively and I risk not finishing the work I set out to do. Like the monsters of old they can prevent me from becoming the best that I can be and I should always maintain constant vigilance against them.
Heroes are a source of inspiration and pride for their people. Aeneas was mere prince of Troy in Homer’s Iliad. Virgil transformed him into the founder of Rome. His destiny was to found a new home for his exiled people. He suffered many setbacks and temptations. In spite of all the challenges Aeneas triumphed and made a new home for his people in Italy. Like Aeneas we face many challenges and trials in daily life. But if we persevere we may someday fulfill our own destiny.
The same is true for Christobal Balenciaga and Coco Chanel. Both exemplify the highest levels of excellence that can be achieved in fashion. The Balenciaga and Chanel empires stand to this day as monuments to their skills in their art. Like any fashion designer I aspire to be as great as them someday. After all, which designer does not fancy that someday his or her name will live on immortalized in yearly fashion shows in Milan or Paris?
Brightman, Robert A. (1988). “The Windigo in the Material World”. Ethnohistory 35
Homer, Iliad II, 819-21; V, 217-575; XIII, 455-544; XX, 75-352;
The Aeneid at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/228
