Fierce- The Leopard Print
Though she be little, she is fierce
-William Shakespeare
Why did I choose to hand paint leopard print when it has been done over and over again season after season in mass produced print?
My fascination for animal print in particular, the leopard print, started only a few years ago. As I saw animal print (leopard, ocelot, zebra, cow, giraffe and snake to name a few) being used so widely in almost every possible way, from clothing, accessories to furnishings and even car seats! I began to read about the history of animal print, narrowing down to the leopard- my favourite big cat with the jaguar coming a close second.
Leopards have always worn leopard.
As we are all aware, animal skin was worn as first human clothing. In ancient times wearing skins of big cats (leopards, cheetahs etc) were a sign of a person’s place within their group/tribe or society. Big cats have always been a symbol of power. Most times it was only adorned by men in power, however that began to change and women who held powerful and influential positions in their society/tribes or kingdoms also started to wear animal skin, to wear a prettier animal skin.
Leopards, with their beauty, along with their power, adaptability and ferociousness set a standard well worth emulating. The wearers of this print show their intention to be powerful and the choice to wear this pattern of ferocious felines makes a clear statement.
When genuine fur was banned and became illegal, the textile printing industry took over. Just as well! I am strong advocate for animal welfare and it took me a long time to warm to wearing leopard print.
On that note here’s a bit of information on the Leopard.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (IUCN Red List) is the most comprehensive register of the global conservation status of biological species. According to their classification the Leopard (Panthera Pardus) is in a vulnerable position- high risk of extinction in the wild.
The leopard is one of nature’s beauties. Its legendary coat is distinguished by broken black circles, which zoologists have romantically termed ‘rosettes’, on a cream back ground. The circles are filled with a darker shade of gold and over the belly and legs, and head the pattern moves into more solid spots on lighter coloured fur. The coat is an evolutionary adaptation of light and shade of jungle and forest environments. As one of the ‘great cats’, a generic term that includes the four largest members of the genus Panthera- tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards- the leopard has the ability to roar, a specific vocalization not shared by any other felines outside of these four. This spectacularly powerful cat has the ability to run at speeds of upto 56km/hr and can climb trees while carrying up to triple its own body weight
In the 1970s when genuine fur became illegal and unavailable, leopard print began to appear more overtly on turbans, scarves and boots (platform in those days), worn by those who didn’t mind the touch of outrageous.
Leopard print also became a symbol for feminism.
It’s the year 2020, and to this day, leopard print accessories provide a visual flair and allow the wearers to carry a bit of the cat’s power to fortify their daily resolve. There’s nothing quite like wearing a basic black or beige suit and looking down to see one’s leopard print scarf or shoes; a reminder, we are not entirely tame!
Many style experts still say that a touch of leopard print is the best option for most women who are not yet comfortable with going for the full wildcat look.
I am hardly the first person to proclaim that leopard is a neutral. The black-and-tan pattern looks great with almost any colour palette — jewel tones, oranges, reds, blues, black and camel. It can be dressed up or down, it flatters every skin tone, and it pops up on runways so often that it hardly seems fair to call it a fashion trend. Leopard print is here to stay, season after season, style forever!
This collection- Fierce is based on this principle. You will notice that I have not painted the scarves all over with the rosettes however, I’ve subtly incorporated the leopard pattern in the scarf with a variety of colours with hints of jewel like gold borders and sprays. Here’s why I chose to hand paint leopard print- I wanted to keep it subtle, make it wearable by those who are beginners and new to this sense of feline prowess, to have that space to connect with one’s own fierce side and make their own statement, however subtle or bold it may be.
Go ahead… be fierce!
I would like to thank my beautiful model- Mercy Woods for doing such a wonderful job of showcasing this collection.
Model: Mercy Woods Photo credit: Forever Yours Photography Scarf: Savannah Leopard
The visual presentation of this collection was done as a collaboration with Forough Yavari as the photographer (studio and outdoors) and Mercy Woods.
Model: Mercy Woods
Contact: insta @mercyashie email: mercywds@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Forever Yours Photography by Forough Yavari
Contact: info@fyphotography.com.au