The element of water in fashion history Every time designers have taken inspiration from the four elements

In astrology, the water signs - Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces - are marked by a fine sensitivity and strong intuition. Guided by their own feelings, the people born under the constellation of one of these three signs are very loyal and compassionate, have a profound imagination, but manage to retain, despite their fluctuating emotional state, an element of enigma. Perhaps because it is adaptable and elusive, perhaps because it is linked to the mysteries of the underwater world, the inherent fluidity of water has inspired countless catwalk looks and real works of art, such as the creative project "Salt Years" by Sigalit Landau, the artist who immersed heels and clothes in the Dead Sea for twenty years to cover them with crystallised salt, signifying an analogy of transmutative love and a future peaceful coexistence between peoples. Let's see together who, besides Landau, are the creatives who have succeeded in combining the world of fashion with the strong sense of sensuality and mystery that envelops the element of water, from prints to experimental exhibitions.

Submerged walkways, almost

Perhaps one of the most memorable fashion shows in fashion history, Plato's Atlantis, Alexander McQueen's SS10, portrayed a surreal atmosphere directly inspired by an alien, underwater universe. The clothes reflected the vibrant colours on the catwalk in an almost blinding way, the hairstyles looked like tall, fearsome fins, the make-up mimicked the gills of fish with prosthetic limbs, and the vertiginous heels - famously worn by Lady Gaga for the video clip of Bad Romance - echoed the rounded shape of the animal they were named after, Armadillo. With imagery related to natural landscapes and wildlife, McQueen invented an apocalyptic landscape, showing the future of a new civilisation born after the ecological destruction of the modern world. 

Two years later, the world discovered the aquaticity of Iris Van Herpen's textiles during the SS11 show, organised by the Amsterdam Centre for Architecture to unite the minds of architects and designers. Together with Benthem Crouwel Architects, Van Herpen designed a look that realistically replicated the appearance of water, inaugurating at that moment what makes the designer's work still stand out in the field; the Splash dress, together with the rest of the Crystallization collection, was the designer's first 3D printed dress, a work of technological and textile avant-garde that challenges the limits of sartorial possibilities. Just this year saw the launch of Carte Blanche, the film created in collaboration with artist Julie Gautier that explores the idea of femininity, beauty, and the courage of women by choreographically immersing models and voluminous dresses in deep pools of water. 

One could not finish this article without mentioning another of the most innovative designers of this time, Hussein Chalayan. In his case, water was used for the SS16 presentation more as a medium than an inspiration: two showers built in the middle of the catwalk lit up during the show and soaked two models and their clothes, made entirely of paper. When the water came into contact with the paper, the looks melted, revealing white evening dresses embroidered with black Swarovski crystals.  «It was about representing the transformation of a militant type situation [in Cuba] into a more playful one,» Chalayan explained backstage, «I liked the idea of using water. Because, of course, in Cuba there is the sea.»