«Banality is like entropy; everything collapses into it in the end», So begins the letter with which Jezabelle Cormio kicks off her disturbing critique of contemporaneity
Cormio Spring Summer 2024: the rebel label
Being a woman in this world is not easy, and Jezabelle Cormio expresses how harsh reality can be in today’s world. The woman she proposes through her brand, although several of her garments may be considered genderless, is once again a fighter, a force of nature with rebellious traits. And so it is that the clothes are adorned with studs, real or designed, with chains and provocative slogans.
Lace and strings recur adorning tops as well as pants and skirts. The patterns chosen also echo a mix of the terrifying and the sensual: panties, legs and bats. Contemporary meets disruptive in the Cormio SS24 fashion show. And so it is that a pair of trendy boxers is adorned with a studded belt, a classic sweater or floral vest are studded with a series of holes in the fabric.
Unmissable is the cropped pinochle that contrasts in length with the very short shorts and briefs offered on the runway. Also returning to the show is the bikini, alternating top and bottom that are paired with pinstripe pants with classic lines or sweatshirt in a garish blue. The brand’s union with UGG allowed for models in line with the collection, also adorned with bright studs. Also returning among the accessories is the ball-shaped bag, which appeared as early as last season when a group of girls invaded a soccer field, the FW23 runway.
Jezabelle Cormio’s letter for all women
In her intention to work and interact politically with the figure of the current woman, the designer welcomed the guests of the fashion show with a letter. Some of the themes addressed are fear, judgments, the amount of daily responsibilities, and of course work. On this aspect, including domestic work, the gender gap is still evident.
«Hardly 51% of Italian women work, and 51% of those have part-time contracts earning an average of 30% less than male workers. Female ceo’s head less than 3% of Italian listed companies, and cover about 22% of board director positions», can be read in the statement. These are some of the data presented by the letter of the designer who reflects critically and through her clothes on the issue.
It is no coincidence that some of the data highlighted concern precisely the fashion system in which women represent about 70% of the total workforce. In the industry, however, considering the largest companies, less than 25 percent of women occupy a leadership position.
The labor industry is the one most taken into consideration by the designer’s critique, which then also makes a reflection on the generation gap in Italy. «Italian pension spending will reach a peak in 2044 to meet the needs of the baby boomer generation. By 2030, 2 million workers will have entered retirement with no corresponding new members of the workforce to pay their pensions», Cormio points out.
The Jezabelle spirit: when a manifesto replaces the soundtrack
The soundtrack for the Cormio SS24 fashion show comes only in closing. The focus, also relegated to the sense of hearing, is always on Jazebell’s manifesto letter. The irreverent and provocative tone is intertwined with a bitter irony that through scenes from the everyday wants to reflect on contemporary issues.
The first lines capture a chat between friends «So basically last night I was at the bar, right? Just hanging with the ladies, right? Just the usual, you know… yeah. I was talking about this guy…». And then all the data already mentioned above along with the question of motherhood. The designer talks about glitter and girly things but also about tears and being silenced.
So she warns against her own spirit, Jezabelle spirit, capable of possessing women and putting any man on the spot. «If she looks hot, You know like, studded belts, a lot of pink, all-over leopard print, lurex knits, fishnet dresses, skimpy one shoulder tops, or even worse, bikinis!». And the identikit matches the SS24 collection proposals. The girls scare, but they will not do what has been done to them. They will not look judiciously at clothing or grope someone under the table or stop them from studying.
The theme of motherhood: a continuous return for Cormio
On the theme of motherhood and, especially, non-motherhood Jezabelle returns just as she did last season. In the first part of his letter he talks about care work, which is never paid and often not even considered. About how this and motherhood strongly influence women’s life choices, especially in the work environment in Italy.
Accompanying this she examines other data in a detailed analysis of the situation. «One in three Italian women quit their job when they become mothers, invest more than twice the time in childcare than fathers, and contribute to 74% of all home care duties», can be read in the statement.
Among the things a woman would not do, however, is to force the other person to bear a child. Echoing this firm statement is the voice of Michelle Wolf, stand up comedian, who at the end of the letter states «I don’t want to have a baby». Choosing not to want to experience motherhood still appears as a controversial issue in a cultural context such as Italy. Already in FW23 the shirts were studded with satirical phrases such as To the world you are a mother. This duality of thoughts meets and clashes on Cormio’s catwalk, which contrasts the quoted words with a pregnant model in the casting.
Cormio
The Cormio brand was born in 2019 and is named after the eponymous designer Jezabelle Cormio. It is distinguished by a girly aesthetic that always has something to say about the condition of women. A distinctive aspect of the brand is it’s all over Italy production that is communicated in every garment.
