Why birds are taking flight in hipster culture
21.05.12
And haute couture: Krakoff says he took inspiration for his gyrfalcons prints from 19th-century naturalist engravings, not Brooklyn craft fairs. Perhaps the stubborn staying power of the bird is some postmodern kaleidoscope of trendspotting in which British designer Giles Deacon ironically references Portlandia’s Fred Armisen, who is ironically referencing Etsy, where some bird sock-maker may sincerely love 19th-century bird engravings. (Further contemplation of that particular meta-spiral will cause explosion of heads, both bird and human.)
The question, then, is: Why does the bird endure? Images of nature are profitable commercial tools, tapping into a primal longing. The farther away society moves from nature, the stronger the yearning for what’s missing – and market forces love yearning. There’s probably no point farther from nature than fashion weeks, with their flashbulbs, Kanye Wests, Rooney Maras and 14-year-old models strutting to techno. Put a bird on it and there’s an instant whiff of nostalgia for a simpler time.
Source: Globe and Mail