By Giulia Piceni. Cover image by
Are fashion and literature the new cool duo? When Kendall Jenner posted a stack of books featuring reading suggestions a few years ago, she was coming out as a fashionable bookworm. However, it was later revealed that the collection of readings she had been sporting around luxurious yachts and side-swimming pools was instead curated by Ashleah Gonzales, a top model agent who helped revamp the top model’s image, at least on a surface level.
Over the past summer, we saw viral paparazzi photos of Grimes reading The Communist Manifesto after her breakup with Elon Musk (quite ironic, I must say) or Emily Ratajowski recommending books during her Vogue Interviews and even writing her own.
It’s clear that fashion- icons have an interest in literature in all its forms, whether it’s a genuine interest or not. Ultimately, it’s up to each person to discern.
It may look like a contemporary trend, but fashion and literature have been flirting for a very long time, especially when it comes to discussing feminism or, more broadly, womanhood and what it means to be a woman. Here are two recent cases where fashion and literature have come together, making it like a perfect match between the two worlds.
FASHION AND LITERATURE: MIU MIU LITERARY CLUB – WRITING LIFE
Literature and fashion have intersected ingeniously through Miu Miu’s Literary Club – Writing Life. The club is named after the autobiographical link between the literary works discussed and the writers’ lives. On April 17th and 18th, two separate talks took place in the afternoons of both days, focusing on two Italian women writers from the past century who were true pioneers in feminist literature.
The first session was dedicated to Alba de Cespedes’ novel Quaderno Proibito (Forbidden Notebook). The novel, written in 1950, is presented in the form of a diary and tells the story of a young woman named Valeria Pisani. Valeria purchased the diary on a Sunday in November 1950, which gave the notebook a forbidden dimension since Italian laws only allowed sales of tobacco-related items during weekends. Through the diary, Valeria documents all the injustices and social contradictions of post-war Italy, highlighting the inequalities that women had to endure.
Miu Miu’s Literary Club second day was dedicated to Sibilla Aleramo, an early-century Italian writer who was actively involved in feminist politics and later became a committed communist after World War II. Her novel Una donna (A Woman), which was published in 1906, stands as one of the earliest examples of Italian feminist literature and is highly autobiographical.
The story is about a woman who wants to escape from an oppressive family and an abusive marriage. Throughout the novel, she reflects on her heritage, the concept of freedom, and motherhood. The book discusses the role of love in a woman’s life, the importance of female friendships, and how the legacy of past female writers can shape a contemporarywoman’s identity.
@miumiu @Julia Hobbs shares the 5 Things She Learnt At Miu Miu Literary Club in Milan, the two-day event curated by Italian writer and researcher Olga Campofreda bringing back into focus the work of Sibilla Aleramo and Alba De Céspedes. #MiuMiuTV #MiuMiu #BookTok ♬ original sound – Miu Miu
The Miu Miu Literary Club has been highly successful in gaining media attention. What sets the initiative apart is its genuine interest in promoting a certain type of culture that is becoming increasingly popular among younger audiences and in highlighting important narratives about womanhood. Writing Life isn’t merely a collaboration that results in a product; rather, it has a more conceptual outcome that is not necessarily tied to materiality, which is an unconventional choice for a brand. Miu Miu, as a brand, has always been deeply invested in promoting various narratives of femininity, as seen with the initiative titled Woman’s Tale, which highlights their interest in this matter. Additionally, the idea of incorporating literature into the realm of fashion resonates particularly well, especially considering that the brand has always been regarded as fitting for bookworms and sexy librarians with a coquettish twist, which was the dress code the attendees opted for during this literary yet fashion-related event.
@nadirataniaa Back in Milan for the #milandesignweek and the first stop on my agenda is the #miumiu Literary Club's inaugural event ‘Writing Life’ which celebrated the timeless works of #SibillaAleramo and #AlbaDeCéspedes — IG: @nadirataniaa — #milan #salonedelmobile #miucciaprada #mdw ♬ Desmond Blue – Paul Desmond
In Italy, where the government is predominantly male-minded and espouses right-wing ideologies, there is an ongoing debate concerning women’s right to make choices about their bodies and the taboo topic of abortion. Against this backdrop, discussing the story of Aleramo and Cespedes can be seen as a political statement that aims to take a stance, shedding light on the fact that women’s freedom and agency continue to be suppressed even today.
On the other hand, this choice has further strengthened the brand’s image and given young people the opportunity to connect not only with the products it sells but also with its values. This has been a consistent trait of Miuccia Prada, who is said to have distributed communist party leaflets while wearing Yves Saint Laurent in Milan.
The framework provided by this initiative is a fitting choice for discussing womanhood in our contemporary world while keeping our literary heritage in mind. Such efforts should be highly encouraged as they educate new generations, introducing them to knowledge that often goes unnoticed and topics not covered in the traditional programmes at school, and they also help re-educate young society to love and appreciate books.
MARCUSE MEETING MCQUEEN: “COMUNISMO A TIMES SQUARE”
Giada Biaggi has recently authored a book titled Comunismo a Times Square, which expertly blends literature, philosophy, and fashion published by Feltrinelli under the Tagli series. To better understand its content and philosophical connections, it’s intriguing to paraphrase a video shared on Instagram by the author and stand-up comedian.
Comunismo a Times Square is a philosophical novel that highlights a key concept from Marcuse’s philosophy, known as institutionalised desublimation. This concept involves suppressing libido as an attainable horizon, which represents an emotional investment in a world beyond immediate reality.
Our imagination is hindered by the anaesthetising effect of society, which is saturated with machines, Xanax, Instagram, and stifling environments that keep us from envisioning freedom that is detached from capital accumulation. In this context, buying clothes or conforming to the latest trends creates not just a persona but an identity that is bound to capitalism. The book’s characters are aware of this truth and attempt to find a way out, a dimension beyond it. Biaggi presents these concepts in a captivating narrative that caters to a diverse audience with varying levels of philosophical knowledge..
The story is about Agatha, a young aspiring actress from Rome living in Vienna, as she quests for an alternative life when her family’s financial support is cut off. She reluctantly takes a job with an airline company, relocating from the Austrian capital to Abu Dhabi. During a layover in New York, she meets Mark, a middle-aged man who becomes a significant figure in her life, offering her an escape from the oppressive world they both live in.
The book has a strong connection to fashion, which is evident through the narration that is interspersed with a McQueen’s skull motif scarf belonging to Agatha and gifted from her impossible lover, Walther. The life of McQueen is described throughout the book, including shows such as the first one to be broadcast online, Plato’s Atlantis. This is not only a way to showcase Agatha’s interest in fashion but also to give a vivid description of the cultural environment of the early 2000s. Additionally, the chapters are rich with fashion-related vocabulary as well as aesthetic-oriented descriptions of high-society environments in New York and Vienna.
Biaggi’s own persona resonates strongly with Gen Z due to her connection with fashion. During her book presentation at Feltrinelli in Florence, moderated by fashion journalist Giuliana Matarrese, Biaggi stated that she deliberately incorporates aesthetic codes reminiscent of Berlusconism or early 2000s Italy as well as elements inherent of a Pradesque vocabulary into her outfits. She has eventually created her own unique style, which blends denunciation and admiration without embracing absolute truths in her way of dressing and writing. This choice and her stand-up comedy performances, in which she wears Miu Miu and Etro, portray a modern Lolita with philosophical awareness that continues to intrigue and appeal to the fashion audience.