Eve Z: A reimagined exploration of Genesis

EVE Z is a reimagined exploration of ideas around the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. The traditional story as you probably know, sees God’s first two human creations Adam and Eve living contently in a paradise-like state. Until Eve, tempted by a snake, eats the fruit forbidden by God and shares this fruit with Adam, causing banishment from the Eden state and entrance into a state of suffering. Throughout history literal interpretation of this story has fueled damaging misogynistic ideas, presenting women as temptresses, naive, and even as the foundational blame for human suffering. This editorial takes the character of Eve and reimagines her through a current Womanist perspective, each look depicting pertinent bible verses from the story through this lens.

Look One “The Snake”

Look one is an interpretation of the verse “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die“. This aspect of the story is more often seen as a negative interaction between Eve and the snake. In this scene the snake interacts with Eve’s sculpted hair art as a means of communicating with her in a mutual exchange of knowledge. For this look, model Emily wears London College of Fashion Graduate Petra Raissa Nogueira’s nude dress as a metaphor for spiritual nakedness.

Look 2: “Bite the Apple Eve”

A romanticization of another verse, this time “…when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat…”. In this look Emily wears The Fecal Matter Blue Two Shirt Dress representing unapologetic choice, vintage Givenchy gloves by Alexander McQueen, which communicate ideas around the innovation of tradition, and platform shoes by Central Saint Martin graduate Anna Kayode-Newman. The shoes here add to the earthy aesthetic, a reference to the garden of Eden.

Look 3: “Enlightenment”

A reinterpretation of “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden” the editorial diverges from the original passage and instead suggests that Eve’s interaction with snake and consumption of the apple, does not result in banishment but alternatively Eve enters the highest realm (the alternate reality) of pure enlightenment. The white Fecal Matter frilly dress and unmanipulated natural hair is a metaphor for the purity of this state.

Throughout this century, artists from John Collier, to Franz Von Stuck and French photographer Marta Bevacqua have expressed their own interpretations of Eve, with each depiction altering based on the artists’ ideas of the character, fuelled by cultural ideas of women at their time. This editorial uses fashion, hair, and make-up to depict this story from a current perspective, whereby the character of Eve is placed in a positive light, fuelled by modern womanist ideas around womanhood.

Creative Direction and Styling: Letty-Rose Smith

Photography: Ofilaye and Olivia Brissett

Videography: Ofilaye

Model: Emily

Designers worn: Fecal Matter, Givenchy