International Tiger Day: The Stripes & Claws in Fashion

Here are a few unforgettable tiger-inspired moments and creations in fashion, art and history.

Tiger-torn distressed jeans:

Remember that day in 2014, when fashionistas were roaring about claw-scratched and fang-torn jeans designed (kinda) by tigers, lions and bears? Oh my! Yes, ‘the only jeans on earth designed by dangerous animals’ (that was the tagline). The Kamine Zoo in Japan’s Hitachi City came up with this strange idea of wrapping gigantic rubber tyres and balls with denim fabric and throwing it in the pits of tigers, lions and bears. And well, the animals did what they know best. Tore, fanged, scratched and chewed the fabric that was later stitched into four pairs of jeans – two were ‘designed by lions’, one by tigers and one by bears (that’s how the credits rolled). The jeans were sold on Yahoo’s Japanese auction site – one pair of ‘lion-designed’ jeans sold for $1,500. Oh my!

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Sarojini Naidu & her real tiger-claw pendant:

The poet/activist Sarojini Naidu was often called the Nightingale of India, but the songbird did not grace her neck, a tiger claw did. Two claws, actually, dangling at the end of a long gold chain lying lazily on her chest always. Tara Ali Baig mentions the claw pendant in her 1974 biography of Naidu. She wrote, “Sarojini adored beautiful jewels and clothes as much as any other woman.… Later, twin tiger claws mounted on a gold pendant and chain were a permanent feature of her jewellery….” That pendant is also visible in the 1946 portrait of Sarojini Naidu taken by Margaret Bourke-White.

Nike Air Force 1 Low:

Nike honoured the Year of the Tiger with an Air Force 1 Low. The uppers of this Low version were crafted with a white canvas material that came overlaid with golden yellow and black tiger-striped swooshes. Instead of the traditional Nike Air branding on the tongues, there’s a “T” logo, and the lateral heels were embroidered with an intricate image of a tiger.

Necklace at The MET with 10 sets of tiger claws:

The MET Museum in New York has a 19th century 39.1 cm long tiger claw necklace made in Tamil Nadu. Weighing 137.2 grams, the necklace has gold, gold beads, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, spinels and tiger claws. According to the Museum’s description, “The use of tiger claws as symbols of power and protection is an ancient motif in India, seen also in gold pendants from 9th-century Java and other regions of Asia. Here, their talismanic properties of the necklace are enhanced by the navaratan gem setting (nine auspicious gems, although here, ten, since there are ten sets of claws)”.

Sabyasachi’s Royal Bengal Minaudière:

Sabyasachi’s dainty 8.75 x 4 x 2 inch leather Royal Bengal Minaudiere is one of the most liked and in-demand offering from the art-deco maison. Available in multiple iterations across collections and themes, the Minaudière is embellished with Sabyasachi’s signature Royal Bengal tiger logo.

Zippo’s Tiger Lighters:

In 2022, Zippo, perhaps the world’s most coveted lighter brand, launched a range of tiger-themed lighters featuring a fierce Bengal tiger engraved on the surface of the lighter. That’s not all – Zippo has a series of tiger motifs ranging from Woodchuck USA Cherry Tiger Head, Tattoo Tiger, Mystic Tiger, Dragon Tiger, as well as Royal Blue Colourful Tiger.

Zendaya in tiger stripes:

There could not be more stripes on Zendaya than this one – a mini tiger stripe short suit with a tiger stripe blazer and a pair of knee-high tiger stripe boots that she wore to a Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion week. The only non-stripes were her black bralette and miles of uncovered skin.

Tiger rugs:

Tiger rugs gained popularity during the Qing dynasty, the last of the imperial dynasties of China, spanning the years 1644 to 1911/12 and. were considered valuable possessions. History tells us that the first antique Tibetan Tiger Rug in wool and cotton graced the western world in 1976 when it was purchased by Charles W. Engelhard Bequest — a collection of the Newark Museum in New Jersey. According to the museum, these ‘Flayed Tiger Skin Rugs’ were utilised by Tibetan lamas as sitting mats, symbolising the taming of the ego-centred mind in Buddhist philosophy. Depicted alongside Buddhist deities, the tiger motifs were believed to protect the monks in the monasteries. Today, there are fewer than 200 antique Tibetan tiger rugs in existence,

Roberto Cavalli Spring 2022 ready-to-wear:

To celebrate the Chinese Year of the Tiger (2022), Roberto Cavalli unveiled a series of tiger-inspired dresses that ranged from a half tiger-face mini skirt teamed with a bikini top; a long dress with gigantic tiger faces; pant suit with tiger motif; even men’s itsy-bitsy brief with a tiger’s head tilted just enough to cover the crotch, among others.

Cigarette-tiger art installation:

In 2011, the art world woke up to an unusual tiger. A tiger rug art installation at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) made of 500,000 ‘1st Class’ brand cigarettes. Created by pioneering Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing and titled 1st Class, the installation was part of his Tobacco Project (2000-2011), a research on tobacco, its consumption and global circulation. Using tobacco as both material and subject, Bing traced the history and production of the cigarette global trade – tobacco was one of the first products from the United States to enter the Chinese market.