It is impossible to know which events and to what degree those that occur will impact an artist while waiting for their next creation to manifest into existence. The artist has traditionally been our social canary in the coal mine of social direction, taking observations on day-to-day life and translating them into objects to be admired or studied or to provoke emotion within. Although fashion may not, to the average consumer, be seen in this light, the fashion designer is an artist nevertheless who must translate their vision into marketable items to profit.

Designers have the additional task of having creative end dates, putting added pressure to their process. Some designers (like Karl Lagerfeld) are so adept at the process that they handle more than one vision interpretation based on parameters established by their employers, creating multiple marketable and profitable looks season after season. But all creative forces within our society are susceptible to influence from external events as they are influential in creating cultural inspiration that shapes the emergence and end of a trend direction.

It is too soon to say how the events of Japan are to impact our society as they have yet to be fully played out. Although it is hoped that enhanced compassion for our fellow man and a realization of priorities will be the result, there are also grim corollaries to be made from observation summaries, many playing into the apocalyptic point of view we will see society focusing on now and in the months leading up to December 2012. But, despite our most noble intentions, we are human and can only witness and process so much tragedy. This doesn’t mean that we care less; it’s just that the human psyche does have its limits and, from time to time, need a pause to recharge. Hence, contrary events can sometimes be inadvertently embraced in times of social crisis to escape the self-induced depression resulting from our social empathy.

Recently there was a world-wide announcement that the legendary Atlantis may have been discovered in Spain in a salt marsh just north of Caldiz, and the media gave this plenty of attention amidst the bleak news updates. The romantic notion of making this discovery has been around since Plato fist spoke of this legendary place thousands of years ago, bringing with it a confirmation of legend and renewed hope of discovering artifacts that could confirm the stories of the civilizations’ reputed incredible advancements.

The search for Atlantis was given a reprieve for centuries but in the 20^th century it regained focus, especially as exploration for extinct civilizations became a focus in the teens and 20s, such as the discovery of Machu Pichu in 1911 by Hiram Bingham or the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter.

When King Tut’s tomb was unearthed, the news was so powerful it heavily influenced the early Art Deco years, transcending all forms of design from décor and architecture to fashion and art. We see this in the detail work of buildings still standing, in the sculptures and jewelry, in every creative aspect. Such inspiration it evoked was epic, a bridge between the past and the classic lines that modernity aspires to.

It is hard to say whether this discovery will be as influential. The belief of the existence of this city grew in our 20^th century culture, so much so that Jorge Bonsor, a Spanish archeologist, was looking for it in Spain in the 1920s and even the Nazis made a concerted effort to uncover evidence of its existence and location in 1939. Confirmation will depend on more substantial evidence, although the radiocarbon analysis in Doñana National Park recently coupled with satellite photos is giving credence that this discovery may have sincere merit and that the legends may not be so mystical.

Should this be confirmed with artifacts, you can bet that, although Alexander McQueen referenced the fabled description by Plato, working this into the theme and title of his SS2010 collection, the ramifications of artifact discovery , if found, could prove as inspirational as the King Tut discovery of the 1920s. And this ties in nicely with the current FW2011 collections’ Deco influence as well as 80s archeological references from successful pop culture influences of that decade. Such is the coincidence that serendipitous cycles of influence can bring. That is, if it proves to be so.