“Boo! I know why you’re scared” thundered the metallic voice in the background. There was no music, just a letter written with force by Jezabelle Cormio and her team—read by artificial intelligence—punctuating the sound of footsteps. According to Cormio, garments are never the destination but always the medium. “I didn’t believe that men could be truly frightened by women until I experienced it,” she said. “I wanted to resist the idea that they were trying to restrain us because we are intimidating, but what happened in Iran made me think. The response to a call for independence was nothing else than chaotic panic: the fear of losing privilege fuels male paranoia.”
Her increased awareness led the designer to craft the storyline for “Why you scared?” her spring 2024 collection, starting with what she described as the point of tension between the genders. Hers is the perspective of a young rebel who, with a more aggressive and explicit approach to references compared to previous collections, has forged a new balance between punk style and Tyrolean dress codes, which are emblematic of her aesthetic. At the heart of her narrative was the demon Jezebel, a biblical figure with a name resembling her own. She is a dangerously beautiful woman who seeks to seize power, and for this reason she must be restrained.
On the runway there were studded belts—a nod to Y2K fashion—and adorned cuffs. Floral embroidery graced knitwear and ribbons, Capri pants and vests were inspired by doublets from the 18th century, leg warmers were worn as socks and bandanas were twisted with charms, together with graphics reminiscent of Dario Argento s Suspiria posters. Emphasizing the dialogue between loungewear and eveningwear, seen from an adolescent perspective, there were boxers and pajama pants contrasting with romantic flowing dresses worn with clogs or grunge boots created in collaboration with Ugg. Soccer-ball-shaped bags symbolized a cultural appropriation of something that has traditionally belonged to men.
However, fear did not silence the conversation. During the finale, the notes of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor acted as a megaphone for Cormio’s thoughts.
