Alan Crocetti, the London-based jeweler whose golden "band-aids" catapulted him to the forefront of fashion, has a new object of fascination: butt plugs.
Shifting focus from plasters to sex toys, Crocetti transforms the bedroom novelty into an opulent ornament, a gilded reimagining that encapsulates the purpose of Crocetti's Fall/Winter 20222 collection.
"'Deep Fantasy' is a collection that dives into people’s vivid mental experiences and reimagining of realities," he says. "It invites the dislocation of one’s subjectivity; accepting multiple selves who dare to escape and explore radical and fantastic possibilities."
But what do butt plugs — a motif also mined by Gucci's Alessandro Michele — have to do with the inner psyche? The Central Saint Martins graduate explains.
"I wanted [to] force people to disconnect the image they already have of butt plugs and think of them as a symbol of something more meaningful," he says. "The butt-plug has been a tool for one to use on themselves... So the 'fantasy plug crystal' is an emblem of self-discovery, self-awareness, self-love and freedom."
To the designer, self-love is the punkest thing anyone can practice. "I wanted to convey what for some could seem rebellious, glorifying it, turning it into royalty," he continues, highlighting the juxtaposition between the subversive nature of the butt plug and the high-brow hoopla of fine jewelry.
Crocetti's creative questioning of reality extends to the collection's campaign, starring eerily beautiful models outfitted in winged, elven ears. Shot by Szilveszter Makó, the images showcase Crocetti's non-butt plug centric designs: winged dolphin pendants symbolize "euphoric freedom" and crystal stalactites, jutting out of rings and earrings, "refer to births... an escape from one's old and limited self."
Welcome to Crocetti's Deep Fantasy, where butt plugs, dolphins, and crystals are sacred symbols of self. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling it.
