Who's bored of hearing things like 'animal prints are in' and 'animal prints are a trend'? We know that whatever season we are in or approaching, whether it be a catwalk show in Milan or London, you're bound to see some kind of animal design. Printed, knitted, rendered in metallic... for as long as there is fashion, there will be animal prints.But this time I'm not just talking about a spotty leopard print. I'm talking full on, living mamals. Giraffes. Fashion and giraffes are the new trend!I'm sure everyone happened to peruse the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, but if you didn't, you missed out on a fabulous FABULOUS shoot that inspired this blog post. Just take a look...
Isn't it stunning? I can't stop looking at it. If you're thinking how on earth did they manage this one, it isn't just a case of cleverly superimposing the animals onto the pages. This was shot at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, a 1930s European pile/hotel that has been adopted by a herd of wild giraffe for years. They interact with guests, poking their heads through the windows at feeding time, as seen above (I've done my research!).
And then who can forget the new AMAZING Louis Vuitton 'Spirit of Travel' campaign, featuring Karen Elson, Edie Campbell, a hell of a lot of LV luggage and some incredible animals, with the majestic giraffe taking centre stage. Here's the video, but the final shots from the campaign (below) show once again fashion's love affair with the giraffe...
This isn't the first time that Louis Vuitton have used giraffes. Oh no. Anyone remember their shop windows from a couple of years ago?
Or what about their Spring Summer 2011 collection, where Marc Jacobs delivered a brilliant Oriental cum art deco show that featured a white trousers suit adorned with a snaking giraffe up the leg and back, a jumper with sequinned giraffe on the front and giraffe heels so camp that I should have just bought them for the mantelpiece...
And, FYI, that wasn't the first giraffe that Harper's Bazaar have used. They shot Demi Moore for the cover of the US magazine in April 2010 with a mighty tall giant, in a shot that is so unbelievably gorgeous it boggles the mind...
Burberry like the giraffe too. Here's a model in AW 2013 and Tinie Tempah in a Pre-fall 2013 T-shirt...
So you see, when news hit that Copenhagen Zoo took it upon themselves to euthanase a baby giraffe because it was considered 'surplus', even though they were offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to take it off their hands, it deeply offended and upset me. These animals are incredible, and what's more, they are a CONSTANT inspiration!