Nature As a Muse, II
Beyond inspiration lies a deeper dialogue, one where designers don’t just borrow from the earth, but honor it.
In Nature as a Muse, II, Lauren explores the work of visionaries who have blurred the boundaries between design and the natural world—Di Petsa’s fluid femininity, Alexander McQueen’s raw theatricality, Iris Van Herpen’s fusion of science and sculpture, and Stella McCartney’s unwavering commitment to ethical innovation.
Each designer channels the muse in their own way, proving that nature is not just a reference but an integral force in shaping the future of fashion.
Happy reading,
Amarissa
Di Petsa
The liquid silk beneath the sun
Draws the muse into Di Petsa's hands.
The Wetlook dress, a symbol of woman empowerment,
Transcends the spirit, reshaping its meaning
A woman’s form, once silenced and betrayed,
Her body, a battlefield where respect was frayed,
Now drapes in wetness,
Exposed yet untamed.
A body, not for the taking,
But for honoring.
Wetness drapes the skin,
Fluidly, sacredly, untethered
Defying the weight of the gaze.
Di Petsa's hands unravel the weight of desire,
Subverting the frame that confines.
A devotion to the ethereal essence
Where we reclaim the wetness,
Wallow in our own embrace,
Curves celebrated, not concealed.
A truth unapologetically revealed.
From London, Dimitra Petsa’s craft unfolds–
A tribute to the tides, where eco-feminism breathes.
Bound by the same hands that take,
Woman and Earth, stripped yet enduring.
The "wetlook" dress becomes a tide itself,
Honoring what is pure and true—
A dance of grace and freedom, a canvas of resistance,
Standing in nature’s glow.
The essence of woman,
Once silenced, now speaks through the skin.
Through mindful materials, longevity is sewn,
Silk sways softly, pearls gleam,
With no trace of harm lingering.
Yet there is progress to be made.
Her work, a testament to balance,
Invites a deeper journey—
To entwine inspiration with action,
To conserve the source from which she draws.
Transparency ascends, curating truth,
Charting a course through supply chains,
Ensuring every hand is honored,
Every seam a promise of dignity.
Let us drape ourselves in truth,
Where love and purpose blend.
Alexander McQueen
Shining with brilliance, intertwined with nature,
Alexander McQueen unfolds a vision–
Theatrical, untamed, tender.
His artistry, a fevered dream,
Weaving innovation with raw emotion.
Creating moments that linger in the soul,
where every gesture resonates long after the final curtain falls.
The ordinary transforms,
The extraordinary ignites.
A house that transcends limits
Where British heritage and modernity collide
Each collection a tale of beauty and brutality.
In Irere, shipwrecked souls emerged,
Chaos reborn as tropical wings.
In Plato's Atlantis, the earth shifts–
The tides reclaim us,
Humanity surrenders to the deep,
Evolving in the wake of climate’s call.
McQueen's voice, an urgent whisper,
A reminder that the muse is fragile,
Of the profound solidarity of all life above and beneath the surface.
Threads of conscientious choice entwine his legacy.
Fabric Donation breathes new life,
Waste turned to opportunity,
Empowering future hands,
Those of fashion students and emerging talent.
Lower-impact materials take hold,
A scientific course set to diminish harm.
Both in his domain and the far-reaching supply chains
McQueen and Vestiaire Collective Stand Side by Side,
Reviving garments,
Fostering a circular life.
He turns from fur,
Honoring the rightful kin of the earth.
The Five Domains frame his ethic–
A delicate balance of nature, nourishment, and well-being.
Each stitch, a promise,
Each fabric, a commitment
McQueen's artistry illuminates the muse.
Iris Van Herpen
Renowned for her boundary-defying artistry,
Iris Van Herpen intertwines nature’s elements into avant-garde creations,
Honoring the muse that moves her.
Her work is a testament to transformation,
Capturing the delicate essence of the natural world.
She draws from intricate structures, reflects compelling shapes,
And leaves us breathless with wonder.
A storyteller of form and motion,
She invites us into the space where nature and design converge,
A realm between reality and dreams.
From Ernst Haeckel’s lens, she gazed upon flora and fauna,
His Kunstformen der Natur—a study of life’s unseen beauty—
Set her on a quest to understand,
To interpret the muse’s design through fabric and form.
Her craft bridges past and future,
Time-honored techniques entwined with modern pulse.
3D printing breathes life into her visions,
Where experimentation dances with imagination.
Art and science converge,
Steel blends with the softness of silk,
Iron filings meld with resin.
From the unexpected, new textiles rise—
Umbrella tines transformed, magnets in playful alignment,
Challenging convention,
Bridging fashion, nature, and technology.
She explores life’s intricate web,
Where form mirrors function,
Where the microscopic world reveals itself—
In 2012, the dance of microorganisms took shape,
Patterns mimicking the cellular rhythms of existence.
As she journeys deeper into the fabric of life,
Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life guides her hands,
Roots of Rebirth emboldened.
In the Wood Wide Web,
Plants, trees, and all living beings bind in an invisible embrace—
A silent language of sustenance and unity.
Fungi, the swift architects,
Captured her imagination,
A glimpse of a future—
A transformation from organic beings to forms refined, yet alive.
Her devotion to the muse transcends design,
Fashion becomes a vessel for renewal.
Natural and reclaimed materials entwine,
Anchoring beauty and complexity in responsibility.
In her 2021 Earthrise collection,
She joined forces with Parley for the Oceans,
Breathing life into discarded waste,
Turning plastics into ocean-born couture.
She embodies the spirit of reciprocity,
Crafting biotechnological fabrics,
Designed to return to the earth.
Born of life’s essence,
These materials embrace the cycle of existence—
Flourishing, decomposing,
Nurturing the very ground that bore them.
Through the creativity that flows,
The conversation deepens.
Van Herpen, a seeker of future cries,
Threads sustainability into every stitch.
Her partnerships with scientists, architects, and artists
Push fashion’s boundaries,
Inviting the industry to embrace innovation,
To walk lightly upon the earth.
A story of responsibility,
A vision of hope for our muse’s future.
Stella McCartney
In the realm of design, Stella McCartney blazes a path,
Her legacy shaped not just by name, but by vision.
Where beauty flourishes, yet impact stays light,
Her choices echo with purpose,
Each stitch a testament to persistence.
She is more than a designer—
She is an activist, an innovator, a force of change.
Not merely challenging the norms,
But pioneering a new era in fashion.
She trades the burden of leather, fur, and feather
For the gentle embrace of Mylo, Econyl,
Organic fibers and upcycled threads—
Proof that luxury and responsibility can entwine.
Sourcing from the earth, yet treading lightly,
She redefines what fashion can be.
Yet her impact stretches beyond materials.
Integrity is woven into her supply chains,
A beacon of fair labor,
Where voices are honored, where dignity stands firm.
She embraces the dance of water,
Championing conservation,
Powering production with renewables,
Weaving sustainability into every seam.
Zero waste is not an ambition—it is a foundation.
Her Loop Strategy calls us to repair, reuse, recycle,
To cherish in a world that discards.
Her garments transcend the fleeting,
Outlasting the relentless tides of fast fashion.
She invites us into the cycle of renewal,
A promise stitched in every thread.
Yet in a world where clarity is hidden,
How can we choose without knowledge?
Transparency is her ally.
Through reports, she unfolds her progress—
A journey written in openness,
A pledge of trust.
Beyond the atelier, her voice reverberates.
She wields social media as a catalyst,
Not just as a beacon for her brand,
But as a force that ripples through the industry.
She walks alongside giants, yet moves with purpose.
With Adidas, she strides toward a greener tomorrow,
Unveiling eco-friendly sportswear,
And the first vegan Stan Smiths.
With Bolt Threads, Natural Fiber Welding, Balena, Spiber, and more,
She explores the alchemy of sustainability—
Forging solutions, uniting muse and material.
But her influence does not stop at fabric and form.
In harmony with the United Nations and fashion’s leaders,
She speaks for change,
For policies that protect the muse that nurtures us all.
Her work is not just about fashion—
It is a movement.
Threads of Responsibility
We must reclaim our muse—
Reclaim fashion, woven from the fibers of our choices.
We hold the power to reshape, to demand,
To honor the craft with intention,
To preserve beauty by being mindful.
We can do better.
Quality over quantity.
Dignity over disposability.
Ethical over exploitative.
I loathe the word "sustainable"—
An umbrella under which brands hide, casting unclear shadows.
Reclaim. Move forward with ethics blazing.
Sustainable? Yet what does it truly mean?
To maintain, yes, but to preserve.
In an ever-changing landscape,
Amidst shifting trends and fleeting desires,
Let our values remain—
A new path, transparent, bold, and natural.
We reclaim the essence of creation,
Moving forward in appreciation of our muse.
Pause the chase of momentary trends.
Invest in what endures.
Each worn thread tells a story,
Yet beware, for greenwashing is spun from deceit.
As ethics stretch thin, their frailty revealed,
We are led to uncertain shores,
Misled by murky claims.
We must peel back the layers,
Seek knowledge, the key to clarity.
Look beyond words—
Seek certifications, the seal of third-party trust.
Divide the pure from the deceptive.
In a world where intentions wear a mask,
Let us wander where stories of the past unfold.
Explore secondhand storytelling,
Where thrift stores hold forgotten fantasies,
Where resale platforms wait for garments to bloom anew.
Save them, before they become relics—
Lost in Earth's graveyard of dreams.
Veer onto the path of transparency.
Support those who uplift the earth,
Who honor the hands that labor,
Who guide our choices with care.
Mend what is torn,
For worth lies deeper than the surface.
Transform the old into the new,
Flipping forgotten dreams into fresh ambitions.
As we turn away from waste,
We offer our old coats to those in need—
A second life, a continued story.
Yet even in good spirit, caution is needed.
Careless donations may condemn,
Discarded, depreciated in distant lands,
An afterthought in Earth’s graveyard of dreams.
Rise and demand.
Let accountability resound.
Hold brands responsible for the muse’s cries,
For every stitch carries the weight of lives.
Enlighten yourself, and share with the souls.
As mindful guardians of this woven world,
Let us be intentional, let us be informed.
Instead of rushing through the waves of trends,
Pause. Consider the footprints we leave—
Resonating through time,
Shaping our muse for those yet to come.
Cultivate a mindset that cradles mindful consumption.
Recognize the delicate beauty of fashion.
Fuse art, inspired by the muse, with responsibility.
To seek inspiration but neglect the soul is hypocrisy.
We must honor the muse,
Honor the vibrancy that surrounds us.
Our actions ripple far and wide.
Let compassion guide our choices.
Let peace reign upon our muse.
Contributing edits by our Winter ‘25 Student Writing Program editor, , with final oversight & edits by Amarissa.
Today’s writer…
Lauren is a participant in Fashion Talk's Winter 2025 Student Writing Program. Aligned with our mission to uplift emerging voices in the fashion industry, we’re excited to share her fresh and insightful perspective with our community.
Get to know her here!
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