The fashion of the Hunger Game's Capitol is about to make its way here in reality. Net-A-Porter paired up with Trish Summerville to design a new clothing line reminiscent of the eccentric and extravagant fashion the Capitol citizens are known for.
Move over Cinna, we have Trish Summerville!
While the citizens of the Capitol are known to dress in outlandish costumes complete with candy coloured hair and bright makeup, I expect the line to be more subdued, reminiscent of Cinna's designs for District 12. Net-A-Porter says the capsule collection will launch in November, featuring "laser-cut leather, streamlined silhouettes and dramatic evening-wear."
Personally, I'm hoping for a recreation of Katniss' mockingjay dress and some amazing boots.
The collaboration between Summerville, Net-A-Porter and Lionsgate is not the only part of the Hunger Games fashion. As a part of the it's viral marketing campaign, the marketing team for the new movie,
Catching Fire, launched the
Capitol Couture website. The site features different designers, their opinions on how they would dress the different characters and what their interviews would be like, as well as collections that could have been inspired by the 12 districts.
While this collection delights us fashion-lovers and fans of the book, others are not so sure about the message, debating whether or not designing such a line is causing us to "become" the Capitol.
I understand the message of the books, having read them soon after the first movie came out - the Capitol thrives on violence between the districts as a course of pleasure and entertainment - which is seen by the way they dress, in luxury and extravagance. The gross perversion of the Capitol is meant to be an extreme mirror of the life of the 1%, or even the first world compared to developing nations. We lay back in our ignorance akin to the majority of the Capitol's citizens, while our governments condone wars and violence against each other in countries such as Syria or Iraq. While I wouldn't say we consider these wars to be entertainment compared to the Hunger Games, it's a form of control, used by both the Capitol government and the governments of our world.
I can't say I disagree with Suzanne Collin's message, however, I do disagree with those saying that by designing a line inspired by the Districts and the Hunger Games, we are suddenly becoming the Capitol. I get that yes, by slapping the Hunger Games name on it, it becomes a part of the viral marketing for the new movie,
Catching Fire, and yes, it will be making money due to the viral campaign as well as the name. Summerville is an award-winning costume designer, where the fashions she designed for the Capitol received attention from fashion- and beauty-lovers around the world. Who couldn't love the sleek lines of Katniss' and Peeta's opening ceremonies costumes, or the whimsy of Effie's promotional photos featuring Paperself false lashes. Is it really a surprise that when she finally designed a collection for Net-A-Porter, available to all, that she wouldn't use her well loved designs for the Hunger Games movies and adjust them to suit our own needs? While it may be considered easy success, it also means she knows her audience and is catering to them and current trends, in this case, the new movie. Can we really consider using one's own designs to inspire a new collection as giving in to the same values as the Hunger Game's Capitol? Is it truly any different than the new collections appearing every fashion week?
