Often, while walking through the narrow lanes of Napoli's Centro Storico, I find myself admiring the little remnants of religious iconography from the Renaissance in shop windows, in paintings, and in art hidden and lost to time. Religion and faith live and breathe in every aspect of life in Italy, from the grandeur of the cathedral frescoes to the old antique stores filled with decor and sacred objects. From the humble rosaries around the necks of believers to crosses worn by youngsters in the form of jewelry and motifs on clothes as a testament to fashion. Religious iconography prevails against the passing of time, finding new ways to be reborn.

One symbol that has always fascinated me is the "Sacro Cuore." There's something about the crimson red and gold burning heart, plastered across nearly every jewelry store window in Napoli, that has always stayed with me. It often came up in conversation between a friend and me. One such time, while walking through the city center, she pointed at a piece of jewelry with the motif and casually referred to it as the "Dior Heart."

It was in that moment that I realized how easily the true origins of an icon as beautiful as this can get lost, blended, and blurred into the ever-evolving world of fashion. Something once painted by the devoted hands of an artist, who saw the divine love and sacrality, had almost, unintentionally, become the face of fashion.

Living in Napoli, I've heard from many locals how ingrained the Sacro Cuore is in the culture. To the casual observer, it's simply a beautiful heart motif, but for many believers, it represents emotion, love, and devotion. Traditionally, it was depicted as a flaming heart, pierced through with thorns. The heart is a representation of the heart of Christ, symbolizing sacrifice, forgiveness, and unwavering love. Even its origins are no less than miraculous.

Although much of the iconography we know today originated in the Renaissance, the Sacro Cuore appeared in the late 17th century. It emerged from a series of visions, seen by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun, and was then painted by fellow devotee artists who lived around her convent. From there, the image grew and spread across Europe, becoming one of the most famous icons of faith.

Despite the Sacro Cuore coming into focus much later, it was the Renaissance that became the most influential art and cultural movement in European history. This era played a pivotal role in shaping the visual language and identity of faith. Artists laid the foundation for Religious Iconography itself, creating symbols and imagery of divine devotion and how they would be seen for centuries to come.

In the contemporary world, the icons have found a new home: the runway. Once considered symbols of devotion, they were reborn in the hands of designers as powerful statements. They showed rebellion and reverence, stitched deep into the fabric and identity of fashion.

It was in the 80s that Punk rebellion was brought to the runway by Dame Vivienne Westwood. She sparked a revolution. Her designs blended the raw energy of punk with the iconography of holy devotion, tradition, and religion. She used the cross along with other religious iconography, not as a way to show her faith, but to provoke and confront the ideas of cultural orthodoxy that were backed by religious authority.

At her boutique "Sex" that she ran with Malcolm McLaren, Westwood created rebellion itself. She combined the aesthetics of bondage, tartan, ripped shirts, heavy metals, and, of course, religious iconography. The style felt intentional, like it confronted you about your faith and belief. She understood the power of visual alchemy and used it as a statement of identity, a rejection of the status quo. In her hands, faith was reclaimed, not as obedience but instead as radical self-expression.

Then, in the 90s and early 2000s, religious iconography found a paradoxical identity in the emo and alternative subcultures, one that shaped the identity of an entire generation. This time, devotion and faith stood juxtaposed with emotional turmoil, angst, and melancholy. People wore their inner conflicts openly while layered in icons of hope, redemption, and faith. The cross was the defining icon of this movement, shifting into a symbol of existential searching and longing. In a sense, the icon symbolized exactly what it always did, yet at the same time, it absorbed and reflected the identity of despair.

In more recent years, the use of iconography has grown and taken on a maximalist flair. In a way, its inspiration feels more closely drawn from its origins. Contemporary fashion has adopted the iconography with a certain theatrical and opulent eye. It displays it with extravagance and flair. From the world of Avant-Garde, haute couture, and even contemporary street style, icons have an expression that is renewed yet layered and nuanced, with a cultural impact.

Take Dolce and Gabbana, for instance; their designs are layered in the spectacle of religious iconography. Maximalism becomes devotion in their hands. Their latest show, "DG Alta Sartoria," was religious extravagance in all the right ways. From bedazzled and embroidered papal robes to bas-relief sculpted chest plates, bejeweled double-breasted suits, and rosaries layered like royal jewels. The show opened with 40 Vatican bishops walking down the runway in bright red robes with sunglasses, adding to the dramaticness of it all. It was true etherealness dressed in couture.

Sacred, opulent, and unapologetically theatrical.

Meanwhile, Daniel Roseberry's latest collection under Schiaparelli explores a different type of iconography. He reimagined Salvador Dalí's 1953 "Royal Heart" as an anatomically correct, beaded, and beating heart. Schiaparelli's work fits more in the realm of surrealism, and even so, there is an unspoken aura of religious iconography that shines through. Although the heart was not a direct reference to the Sacro Cuore, Dali's original piece evokes a sense of familiarity through the jeweled crown, the vivid red tones, and the theatrical reverence, almost as if it were a surrealist homage to the sacred symbol. And despite surrealism rejecting the ideologies of religious orthodoxy, you can't help but see the draw of inspiration from the great masters of the Renaissance and art movements alike.

Perhaps for most designers, it's only natural that their inspiration stems from their European heritage. For Dolce and Gabbana, their heritage is deeply rooted in Sicily, and it is reflected profoundly in their designs. Similarly, for designers like Versace, Schiaparelli, as well as Dior, their inspiration is embedded in their culture, where faith and devotion are deeply intertwined in the lives of the people. Even if you aren't a devotee, you can't help but appreciate the rich historical context of the art and architecture found in every morsel of life. And even though devotion may not prevail as it did in generations past, the inspiration it brings, through the lens of artistry, will always remain.

In tracing the path from religious iconography to the runway, these symbols become more than just a representation of faith. They become a vessel for visuals and meaning to be housed, created, and explored. In a way, their significance grows and evolves, taking shape in the hands of the designers and artists who carry them, yet in the end, they represent the devotion, not to religion but to the human soul.