The Gothic revival of crosses in fashion Blumarine, Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci: Christian symbolism on the catwalk

«By being wholly concerned with the world, Christianity has renounced the administration of the sacred,» writes Umberto Galimberti in his book Christianity, the Religion of the Empty Sky. Regardless of whether one calls oneself a believer, agnostic or atheist, it is undeniable that the Christian religion, and Catholicism in particular, has profoundly shaped Western society, right down to the economic system that governs it, often going beyond the realm of transcendence. And so it happens that a symbolism that one would expect to be relegated to the altars of churches or the rosaries of pious women invades our way of living, thinking, and acting and ends up diluted in its ideological essence on polyester clothes made in Third World factories, on T-shirts of rock bands worn by emo girls amid a puberty crisis, on plastic plates as decoration in the form of flaming ex-votos. Above all, the cross, the emblem of Christ and his sacrifice has survived the passage of time and change, from the first rudimentary sign engraved by prehistoric peoples to the beacon of a Gothic revolution that has marked an all-Italian revival of Christian symbolism on the catwalks of recent seasons, from Blumarine to Dolce&Gabbana.

Then there are brands that have based their entire aesthetic, even their logo, on the graphic identity of the cross, from Alexander Levy with Enfants Riches Deprimes to the Stark family for Chrome Hearts. Famously, the brand's $1,750 denim adorned with leather crosses became ubiquitous among major rappers like Drake and Offset. And it was Chrome Hearts, the two crosses Kim Kardashian wore at Dolce &Gabbana's last fashion show. The star's passion for important accessories had led her to buy Lady D's pendant at auction for $197,000.