McCain Pravda Jacqueline Falcon university of North Texas unconventional, visionary, "ugly chic"; these are all words used to describe the undoubtedly influential McCain Pravda. McCain Parka's footprint on the fashion industry is both significant and enduring in an industry where trends and designers fade out as quickly as the come in. Although Pravda is often noted as the anti-thesis of a typical designer, or the anti-factionists, her work as a designer and artist Influences and Inspires both the traditional and untraditional (Molecular Pravda: TheReluctant Factionists, n. D). Molecular Pravda has created a strong Identity for herself as a designer who combines the avian-garden with the ready-to-wear, the ugly with the delicate, luxury without the sex appeal, and a classicism that often embraces outlandish fusions of colors and patterns. She describes her own work as a way to "express, in a simple banal object, a great complexity about women, aesthetics, and current 2010).

Even with no formal background or training In design, Pravda still creates fashions that are ahead of the times, constantly pushing herself to ewe limits and often embracing what she even typically dislikes to find beauty in the inordinate. McCain Pravda was born in Milan on May 10, 1949 into a family of luxury leather goods manufacturers (Craven, 2008). Throughout the sass she was a champion for women's rights and infamously part of the Italian Communist Party (Craven, 2008). In 1977, she met her husband and now business partner Patriot Foretell, who Is now the driving force behind her business (Gallon, 2010).It was not mime at the Theater Pico, that she took over her family business in 1978 (Craven, 2008).

By 1985 McCain Pravda had already created her first breakthrough line: black, unlabeled, finely woven, nylon handbags that immediately gained popularity although it rejected the then popular designer label craze (Craven, 2008). These iconic nylon handbags inspired designers to use untraditional textiles to create a luxury items. In 1989, Pravda launched her first women's ready-to-wear line referred to as "uniforms for the slightly disenfranchised"(Calling,n. D).

The critically acclaimed collection was recognized for its oversimplified and intellectualized designs that garnered attention from the fashion world (Calling,n. ). Pravda went on to debut a lesser-expensive bridge line in 1992, MIM MIM, named after her own nickname and inspired by her personal wardrobe that exhibits a clear sass influence (Craven, 2008). The Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded Pravda with the prestigious International Award in 1993 and by 1994 she showed her first collection in New York and opened her first store in London (Craven, 2008).Since then Pravda has expanded her fashion house to create men's wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, and even mobile phones with over 250 stores in 65 countries (Gallons, 010). As a true artist, McCain Pravda can draw inspiration from the most simple or unconventional sources while still exhibiting an understanding and respect for her predecessors.

Her upbringing and association with the Italian Communist Party influences her work as much as collaborations with Chinese artists and Chinese adage (Koch, 2011).Pravda is an expert in mixing textiles from all over the world, even digging into archives to find old weaving techniques or sourcing embroidered taffeta from Turkey. Much of her inspiration comes from mixing cultures from around the oral and creating cohesiveness to these combinations (Koch, 2011). Regardless of never having formal training, she still studies and draws inspiration from classic fashion designers, artists, and icons, while sparking the imagination of the public in a new light.Most obviously, comparisons can be easily made between her and iconic designer Cristal Balancing who perfected the crisp and hard tailoring often scene in Parka's creations (Loving, 2010). Most recently this can be seen in spring 2010, where Pravda utilized the classic Balancing shirred construction in her Jackets.

Ere Sawbuck's, founder of Come De Grains, influence on Pravda is seen in their shared respect for redefining beauty and femininity while pursuing intelligence instead of sexuality (Loving, 2010).Pravda once said, "l don't like to think things that are too obvious and so I always try to introduce something that is wrong or different. Beauty in itself is too easy'(Loving, 2010). Karl Laagered can also be noted as an influential factor in Parka's work, whereas he also believed there is "no beauty with out strangeness in the proportions", which ultimately describes Parka's approach to beauty (Loving, 2010). While campaigning for the Communist Party in the sass, Pravda often wore Yves Saint Laurent, who she then used as her inspiration for the sass themed, Spring 2007, collection (Loving, 2010).In Parka's Spring 2008 collection, both Art Nouveau and a revival of Susie Clacks'sass light and ethereal prints are credited for Parka's inspiration (Loving, 2010).

With expansion in 2008 to the Asian market, Pravda used the old Chinese adage that "the whole year's work depends on a good start in spring", and debuted the "Spring/Summer Shanghai Expo the World Exposition in Shanghai, China"(Koch, 2011). For the Spring 2011 collection, Josephine Baker in the 1926 "Follies Berger" influenced Pravda to create bright and bold pieces with ruffles, Jungle prints, and a new version of Baker's original banana skirt (Blanks, 2010).This collection was Just another example of McCain Parka's abstract understanding and interpretations that are both futuristic and historical. McCain Parka's vast impact on 20th century fashion has made her one of the biggest household names in fashion and an icon that other designers look to for inspiration.

Parka's "forceful desire for change and reexaminations of everything from craft, indemnity, beauty, and maturity to the ultimate question of what clothing means in the contemporary context" creates a platform of ideas for the fashion and design communities (Loving, 2010).The New York Times' Cathy Horny credits Pravda with teaching people "to look at fashion in the abstract, and in relation to art and culture" and Time's Magazine named her one of the most Influential People in 2005 (2000, Loving 2010). For Christopher Bailey of Barberry, he incorporated Parka's traditional dark muted color palette, mixed textiles by combining wool and organza, and large lactic and ceramic Jewelry into his fall 2008 collection (Loving, 2010).Vera Wang also uses rich color palettes and surface decorations first popularized by Pravda along with Propane Schuler who made their Fall 2006 collection full of rich colored textural fabrics and geometric shapes, corresponding with the Pravda aesthetic (Loving, 2010).

Thomas Maier for Bootleg Vendetta recreated the classic Pravda muted purple and wines, opaque tights, and clunky heels, in his Pre-Fall 2009 collection (Loving, 2010). McCain Pravda had acknowledged the fact that she disliked lace, so in truePravda fashion, she made an entire collection of lace for Fall 2008, which was later seen in Banana Sourpuss's Spring 2010 collection (Loving, 2010). Also in Spring 2010, both Philip Lime and Phoebe Phil for Cline incorporated military looks that were first seen by Pravda in the sass, drawing inspiration from her tough over-sized military Jackets made of thick wool, cinched in with a skinny belt, and nylon bomber- jacket-inspired-vests (Loving, 2010). In 2005, McCain Parka's influence continued beyond fashion when two Scandinavian artists recreated a Pravda storefront as land art in Maria, Texas that was titled "Pravda Maria".McCain Pravda and her husband Patriot Beriberi also incorporated their love for the arts by starting the Pravda Foundation in Milan, which exhibits works by others in art, architecture, film, and philosophy (Martin, 2010).

McCain Parka's influence goes beyond making ugly "chic". She inspires the mass market to look at clothing in a different light and search for a way to emulate her designs through unlikely combinations. She allows buyers the freedom to "choose their own aesthetic" and approach fashion with a new viewpoint y creating a "paradox in her work by combining opposites: old with new, artful with spontaneous"(English, 2009).Her ability to create out-of-the-ordinary-beauty proves her understandings of what truly consumers want, to be inspired. With a strong identity and consistency as a designer who communicates intelligence and luxury through her work, Pravda holds a consciousness for modernity and enjoys taking risks that often contradict the trends of the fashion world (Buxom, 1991).

She is driven by her own creativity without falling into what is trendy, her "inspiration in the aeration of her collections is never marketing driven" (Koch, 2011).McCain Pravda is are due to the unstoppable force behind them who continually creates innovation fashions that redefines more than Just beauty.