Fashion's Enduring Fascination with Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc remains a recurring muse in high fashion, most recently at Balenciaga's July couture show in Paris where artist Eliza Douglas wore a 36kg 3D-printed armoured dress. Creative director Demna Gvasalia suggested the armour might have prevented her execution. The teenage martyr has inspired designers for decades: Alexander McQueen's 1998 'Joan' collection, Jean-Paul Gaultier's 1994 embellished armour, John Galliano's 2006 gold half-shell, and Dilara Fındıkoğlu's 2023 'Joan's Knives' gown referencing Mahsa Amini. Joan's image oscillates between warrior queen and victim of patriarchy, often stripped of her religious visions. McQueen's interpretation remains the most unsettling, featuring models in chainmail and a finale with a figure in a ring of fire. Academic Marina Warner's 1981 book argues each era reshapes Joan to its own ends, adopted by feminists to far-right nationalists. Fashion typically takes the courage and armour while discarding the divine, reducing her to surface-level symbolism. McQueen and Fındıkoğlu stand out for engaging with martyrdom's darkness rather than mere aesthetics.