The Four Hundred: Literal Fashion Sins

Emma McIntyre

There are many fashion sins out there, but this certain edgy sector of style is worth watching. Material pentagrams, devil horns, and Pagan emblems are becoming a hit with luxury fashion designers and giving edge-cutting fashion a new definition. 

Lil Nas X recently threw the internet up in a flurry when he released his “Satan Shoes,” a collaboration with Brooklyn-based company MSCHF, which features a black and red Nike Air Max 97 with a pentagram charm on the laces and a drop of blood in the sole. 

Nike denied involvement with the production of the shoe and sued MSCHF for putting their iconic “swoosh” on a pair of “Satanic” shoes, which may have caused confusion and false appeal to a rather, risky shoe concept. 

His release of 666 pairs of shoes also came with the verse “Luke 10:18” stitched on the side that reads in the Bible, “He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’.” 

This shoe released along with the debut of his music video “Montero” which showed the rapper pole dancing down to the Underworld and dancing suggestively on the presumed Devil of the video. 

Videos of pastors condemning the shoe and his music video in churches arose on Twitter, and Lil Nas X’s sentiment: delight over free publicity. 

And while the rapper does make a point with his demonic design garnering a lot of attention, he was not the first to delve into devilish fashion. 

Seen as seductive and risk-taking, the fashion statements made by designers like Anna Sui and Dilara Findikoglu are turning heads and earning some gasps.

Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu has been known for her darker styles. In her SS18 London Fashion Week show, her models paraded devilish designs and gothic-romance religious themes in London’s Saint Andrews church. 

This stirred controversy around the church hosting a Satanic-themed fashion show that glamorized the models walking up and down the pews, some partially nude and others clothed in blood-red ensembles with upside-down crosses and witchcraft imagery. 

But nonetheless, Findikoglu remained unapologetic for her line much like the other designers and creatives who have made their image in line with the now trending dark and ghostly themes. 

TV shows like American Horror Story: Apocalypse elevated the refreshed interest in occult culture and the history behind it, with characters dressed in black Victorian-style garments with some modern flair. 

Dublin-born designer Simone Rocha played with eerie Victorian vibes in her AW20 show, hosted in a grand, opulent space almost alluding to the Church and its decadent interior. 

Black ensembles were accessorized with cascading, red jewel earrings that visualize blood pouring down the model’s dresses and some carried black beaded prayer ropes matched with beaded purses. 

In her recent AW21 show, her models walked the grand floors of an actual church, presenting black puffy-sleeve dresses and long, black silk trenchcoats giving a “funeral-chic” feel. The black tulle skirts and military boots were contrasted by colorful lights that peeked through the stained-glass windows of the church. 

Rocha and Findikoglu carry a reputation for putting dark, religious motifs into their collections. Still, the two designers, like Lil Nas X, have made their designs notable for pushing the boundaries despite venturing into a style that has repulsed masses. 

Deemed the “Satanic Panic,” or the societal fear of the occult culture, has frightened our country since the ’80s, with depictions of satanic rituals and sacrifices in the name of the Devil shown in mass media. 

Even now, true crime documentaries like Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness on Netflix, elevates the fear of modern cults showing just how widespread Satanic cults and groups can reach. 

Through the different Twitter pages of “@ChurchofSatan” or “@SatanicNYC”, there comes much criticism from a community of people who believe the spreading of Satanic trends within fashion and film disrespect religion and encourages individuals to be “godless.” 

Co-creator and host of Hollywood Decoded Jay Dyer tweeted photos of Givenchy and Avon magazine spreads displaying models holding what he perceived to be Baphomets or the pagan idol, which resembles a goat head that is said to be praised by occult members. 

“A reminder that ‘fashion’ is a bizarre and degenerate world of social engineering based in witchcraft, openly. It’s a manufactured, ridiculous world of Satanic consumerism, as we said for many years, and now this is all in the open,” Dyer tweeted. 

But all the while worshippers of the Devil find no problem in sporting their dark garments, with popular stores like Hot Topic and Dollskill following suit in selling more devilish garb. 

Back in the fall of 2020, the Satanic Temple of New York City hosted a virtual fashion show on Twitter, with many followers tagging #SatanicFashionShow and displaying their “Blackcraft” shirts and pentagram-emblazoned outfits and accessories. 

With a quick search on Google, it is easy to find Pinterest collections that display the many stores people could find Satanic styles at (if Rocha and Findikoglu are out of their budget), and many repetitively make fun of religious purity and utilize the upside-down cross imagery in the designs. 

So while there may be a lot of backlash and side-eyes, there is no slowdown of occult fashion in sight and summer might be the season where style icons snag some leather boots in place of sandals.