Kylie Jenner’s “disturbing” Paris Fashion Week look has The Kardashians fans in an uproar.
On Monday, Kylie attended the Italian fashion label Schiaparelli’s runway show in a strapless black velvet gown with a massive, creepily lifelike stuffed lion head affixed to the right breast.
The eye-catching design is apparently part of Schiaparelli’s spring 2023 Haute Couture collection, which also includes a wolf-head version modeled on the catwalk by Naomi Campbell.
The animals in the collection, though hyper-realistic, are not actually real.
In the caption of an Instagram photo set capturing the wild look, Kylie thanked Schiaparelli’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry, writing: “I loved wearing this faux art creation constructed by hand using manmade materials.”
But fans still weren’t happy with the makeup mogul, taking to social media to slam the safari-inspired look as “disturbing” and even one of Kylie’s “worst fashion mistakes of all time.”
Fans accuse Kylie Jenner of promoting hunting
Although no lions were harmed in the making of the garment, some fans on social media accused the reality star of promoting or glorifying the killing of real-life animals.
“Guess more Americans will be flocking to Africa now to get the latest wildlife accessories,” one person wrote in Kylie’s Instagram comments, adding that “as a South African,” they found the look “wrong on so many levels.”
“The king of our jungle,” the commenter wrote, “is not a fashion statement.”
“Why even imitate this,” another wondered. “I’m thankful it’s faux,” the commenter wrote, but added that “the imagery is still disturbing.”
On a Reddit fan forum devoted to Kardashian-Jenner cynics, fans had more harsh words for Kylie.
One person wrote that Kylie’s Paris Fashion Week look was “giving ‘rich girl goes to Africa to poach’ vibes.”
But another thought the outfit was more 101 Dalmatians’ Cruella de Vil.
But not everyone on social media found the look problematic. “I don’t hate it,” one Redditor wrote, noting that the avant-garde Italian fashion label “stays pushing the envelope.”
Inside the making of Kylie Jenner’s lion-head dress
On Monday, Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry shared a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the wild garment.
He revealed that the lion’s head was constructed from hand-sculpted foam, wool, and faux fur made out of silk, and hand-painted to resemble the real thing.
Schiaparelli’s three-part Inferno Collection, inspired by Dante’s Inferno, includes the lion and “she-wolf” designs, as well as a snow leopard version.
On Instagram, Roseberry revealed that these three animals had been chosen for their symbolic meanings.
The leopard, lion, and she-wolf, Roseberry wrote, represent, respectively, “lust, pride, and avarice in Dante’s iconic allegory.”
As long as the lions are safe!
The Kardashians Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Hulu.