Valentino’s Spring Summer ’16 most controversial collection which draws inspiration from Africa, Steve McCurry together with the models and creative directors – went to Kenya for their latest campaign shots.
Models are depicted draped in stunning Valentino pieces, positioned in space over Khenyan romantic landscapes. However, fashion critics were out on the hunt for Creative Directors’ heads for describing the collection as wild, tribal and ‘primitive’. Furthermore, the production saw it fit to use 8 black models out of 87 that were cast for the show and have white models sporting cornrows on the runway.
The creative directors then defended themselves on Instagram against those who allude that their collection was an example of appropriation saying, “Our emotions about African culture, the idea of beauty achieved by the interaction of different cultures, the idea of tolerance, this is the message we wanted to deliver.”
In any case Steve McCurry, of the “The Afghan girl” fame; a 1985 portrait of a young woman which appeared on the cover of National Geographic for the same year in June, took high fashion to the Amboseli National Park in Kenya for the brand’s latest Africa-inspired collection after the creative directors; Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri called him up for the offer.
The campaign featured models Greta Varlese, Alice Metza, Cameron Traiber, Kirin Dejonckheere & Tami Williams as well as A Maasai tribes.