Words by Jess Ions (she/her)
Jess is one of our fabulous models for this year’s show. She studies fashion design at Glasgow School of Art. You can follow her work on Instagram at @artjessmakes_ .
Since the rise in popularity of fashion shows, beginning in the early 1940s, there have been countless iconic moments; Issey Miyake’s APOC ABLE collection, McQueen’s SS 1991, and Mason Margiela’s ‘24 couture collection, to name a few. Amidst these household names, one of my favourite recent collections is by Turkish-British designer, Dilara Findikoglu, who’s FW24 ready to wear collection, titled Femme Votex, has had a powerful impact on the industry, challenging conventional gender roles in the workplace and exploring how to “destroy the corporate man” through fashion.
Findikoglu’s FW24 collection came about at the same time as the rise of the ‘office siren’ trend, and I see it as a catalyst for the popularisation of this trend. This saw women in the workplace redefining what is ‘appropriate’ to wear in a corporate setting, using fashion to improve motivation and hold a sense of power and air of importance. This is particularly impactful to me as I see it as a way of reclaiming and weaponizing female sexuality, but in a more positive light than it has been done before.
This was outlined in Findikoglu’s interview with Vogue behind the scenes at the show, where she says the collection is “about toxic masculinity – and being beyond it: [this collection is] a mass ritual to end it … to create a different reality, outside politics, borders, gender norms, any kind of systematic rules that have been created by hetero-patriarchal men.” Findikoglu also added she sees this collection is a representation of “divine feminine power somewhere beyond time, beyond reality, and beyond what is happening.”
‘As Findikolgu endeavours to end toxic masculinity though her creation of this alternate reality, she begins to slowly break down this societal construct in the modern world, transcending gender norms in the workplace as we know it.’
As Findikolgu endeavours to end toxic masculinity though her creation of this alternate reality, she begins to slowly break down this societal construct in the modern world, transcending gender norms in the workplace as we know it. This call for the end of toxic masculinity rose on social media as a counter to the popularisation of hetero-patriarchal misogynists such as Andrew Tate, and I feel this collection perfectly embodies this movement which is so current in our society today.
The whole collection goes against the ‘male gaze’ - what is seen as conventionally attractive and expected by society – notably through ‘unflattering’ silhouettes created by layering corsets on top of shirts. This can be a powerful tool for women as we realise we have the power to choose what we wear, despite what may be expected of us. Our choices of clothing can be used to instill confidence and power. I find it interesting how what you wear can improve self-esteem, which can be particularly useful in male dominated settings such as corporate workspaces. This links back to Findikoglu’s notion of “destroying the corporate man” and challenges the concept of gender roles in the workplace by recognising how the clothes we wear, such as wearing a suit as a woman, can have a much deeper impact, whether it is intended or not.
This “office siren” trend has seen a rise in use of the term ‘cunt’ in a more positive light, i.e. as a compliment. Feminism is a common theme seen across Dilara Findikoglu’s collections, and I really like how her collection leading to the rise of this trend has resulted in women reclaiming this word previously used in a far more derogatory way. The sexual undertone of the term ‘cunt’ reminds me of Findikoglu’s work, as aspects of this FW24 collection, corseted lingerie, leather accessories and dainty tops combined are inherently sexual, but also a powerful suggestion of dominance.
The location of this runway show, as well as the accessories, adds another layer of meaning to the collection. An eye-catching part of the show consisted of mock newspapers with the headline reading “Omg, Dilara is doing a Satanic orgy at a London church”. This further adds to her creation of the Femme Vortex, as this collection transcends systematic borders such as religion, while the church setting simultaneously strengthens the idea of divine femininity.
We have recently seen people analysing fashion collections in terms of how well one can tell if the designer ‘loves the women they are designing for’. Findikoglu’s work can be used to demonstrate a designer who carefully considers the wearer’s needs and requirements, as this is a ready to wear collection (as opposed to what we may see in couture). In this case, the clothes are designed to empower women, achieved through aspects such as the colour theory: predominantly black, white and red which are bold, powerful colours lending the wearer a sense of importance and sophistication. Additionally, we see a return of the cone-shaped breast silhouette, a well-known symbol of dominant feminine sexuality – developed by Gautier’s hyper sexualised version of the bullet bra seen in his 1983 runway collection.
Overall, Dilara’s Femme vortex creates a powerful alternate reality in which people dress according to their style, not their gender – thus eliminating typical gender roles as we know it. This collection is a tool to empower women and remove the gendered power imbalances we still see too often in the workplace.
Photos: Umberto Fratini/Gorunway.com