I was talking to a friend of mine from Spain today, remarking to him about the extraordinary amount of hits that the blog received based on the story of Sergio Lo Re, the muscle-bear model whose appearance on the runway in Milan has confused and intrigued a bunch of blogs and bear lovers alike.

So what’s the deal? My Spanish friend tells me it’s not some anti-skinny statement, nor a daddybear fetish manifesting itself on the runway.  Vivienne Westwood showed this collection, with these specific models, in Milan, for political controversy. Apparently the local Italian politicos are very unhappy too. (I did my best to translate from Spanish, from Elpais.com):

On the runway there was a string of darker-skinned men, like a scenic voyage between Roma and Macedonia, and it has caused controversy in Italy, a country whose government has commanded power over the massive “gitano” or gypsy immigrant presence.  Silvio Berlusconi has given extraordinary powers to the governmental delegates of Rome, Milan, and Naples to resolve the “gypsy crisis.”  The ordinance allows the commissaries to “census, rehouse, relocate, or expel” the ethnic gypsies by “administrative or judicial means.”

Vivienne Westwood’s collection was a poignant statement to all that have feared those who are different, and justify such discrimination.  It attempted to change fashion from something superficial into a forum for debate, and used it to raise awareness of social issues.  “My collection is a tribute to a little-understood population,” she tersely explained. . . .

. . . The idea hasn’t pleased Tiziana Maiolo, a government councillor of Milan, in Berlusconi’s party.  “I believe that the designer has an idea of the Romas that does not correspond with reality.  If she wants, I can accompany her to a (gypsy) camp,” he said.  “She is misinformed, the Romas are people that don’t want to go to work and send their kids to peddle for money or rob people. I tried to incorporate them in my years here, but in the end, I had to understand that these people want to live without respect for the law.  If it’s like this, they need to leave our cities,” he concluded.”

What I did not know, and what the American media has failed to see about this mystery bear is that it wasn’t a singular instance of artistic rebellion, or edginess, as much as it was a brazen, ironic political statement about the treatment of gypsies in Italian cities.

What my spanish friend told me was this (in Spanish.. again translated): “The designer wanted to protest against the decisions of the new government of Berlusconi that wants to kick out the gypsies (often from Romania, and sometimes illegal immigrants, but ultimately are of the EU) from Italy. European governments and their citizens have protested this, and Westwood, in the middle of the biggest event in Milan, presented her own protest.”

So the bear is there for political reasons, you might say.  The tattoos, the chains, the clothing, and the gold teeth, all represent something more than a fashion statement–

They are reminiscent of the gypsy population that is actively being expunged of Italy.  Clearly, Westwood has sympathy for these people and chose a path of irony to articulate her sentiments.

Thanks to Dídac for the help.  Article from Elpais.com

UPDATE: It seems some English media outlets have picked up on the story–

“Italians have launched a series of xenophobic attacks against immigrants in recent months, who they blame for much of the crime in the country, and a class of Naples primary school children shocked Europe recently by submitting homework backing the burning of gypsy camps.”

-From telegraph.co.uk

Also, Westwood gave an interview with a radio station:Interviewed on FashionFM, an Italian radio show and website, Westwood acknowledged that the menswear collection, designed for the most part by her husband Andreas Kronthaler, was intended to make people think about their ethics. During the interview Westwood insisted fashion is a cultural and artistic force that has the power to challenge people’s prejudices. “It’s not enough to say, `I’m open-minded,’” she said. “People need to think for themselves. We need a different ethic.”

From thestar.com