The element of fire in fashion history All the times the catwalks have taken their cue from the elements, starting with fire

Fire was discovered by man 400,000 years ago, but only landed in the world of fashion during the last Century. It was the beginning of the Second World War when, at a gala evening, the designer Coco Chanel invited her historical rival Elsa Schiaparelli for a dance. After a few waltz steps - and maybe an unwanted joke or two - Chanel pushed the Italian designer against a lit candelabra, causing her precious tree-shaped dress to catch fire, later quickly extinguished by other guests with soda water. Although less amusing, the fashion world is full of anecdotes about fire; in more recent times, several designers have been inspired by flames for their creations, as in the case of British designer Robert Wun, who portrayed a Schiaparelli-like incident in the form of a deliberately burnt wedding dress for his first couture collection 'Fashion Accidents'. From 'fiery graphics' to catwalk fires, here is a review of all the times fire has been the absolute protagonist:

Fiery graphics

Only one designer in the world has truly been able to use fire as a cunning mean of provocation: Alexander McQueen, the English genius of breathtaking shows and irreverent spirit who challenged the system even at the head of an antiquated fashion house like Givenchy. Flames made their debut at his fashion shows in 1997, thanks to a lucky accident. At the presentation of 'It's a Jungle Out There', McQueen's tenth collection and the first after his appointment as Givenchy's artistic director, the ominous atmosphere created by the designer stacking some cars on the catwalk was heightened by a sudden fire, caused by some people who had tried to climb over the barricades to attend the show incidentally dropping some heaters - also part of the set - on the cars. Despite the fact, Lee McQueen told his models to carry on with the show, thus managing to complete a fashion show that is still remembered today as one of the most memorable in history.

A year later, the designer deliberately chose to use flames in the Gatliff Road warehouse for the presentation of 'Joan', the collection dedicated to the character of Joan of Arc. It was this work that made the colour red the universal symbol of the brand, baptising the designer as a prodigy of creativity, not only dyeing dresses and coat padding red, but also the models' contact lenses, and the cocoon of fabric from which they emerged. The electrifying performance culminated with an image of intoxicating charm: a model trapped in a circle of fire in a dress made entirely of red beads covering her face, while Diana Ross's voice sang out loud: 'You're gonna make it, you're gonna make it'.