In Greek mythology, the Naiads are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
Naiads had healing and prophetic powers, but they could also be dangerous and were known to occasionally exhibit jealous tendencies. Their origin varies depending on both mythographers and legends. Homer, for example, refers to them as “daughters of Zeus", elsewhere they are believed to be related to the lineage of Oceanus, but for most authors they are simply daughters of the god of the river they inhabit. Melosine, a figure of medieval European folklore, is probably inspired by Naiads.
The ears are inspired by a more modern imagery of mermaids.
The torn clothes (made of cheap plastic tarp) are merging into the water foam and are a direct reference to McQueen’s Oyster dress (2003).
Some of the Naiads show more aggressive stances, given the different dispositions they had. One of the Naiads poses like Narcissus, the young and handsome hunter who fell in love with his own reflection and drowned. A reminder that empty beauty is shallow, sterile.
Inspired by water, Alexander McQueen’s ‘Irere’ SS 2003 show opened with an underwater short film directed by John Maybury. A young woman plunges into the sea, wearing a torn dress, hinting to her metamorphosis from shipwreck survivor to Amazonian princess, for Irere means ‘transformation’ in one of the indigenous Amazonian languages.
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