The She-Wolves and Lionesses of Fashion Week

Ignoring male beasts and their bravado had freed the filmmakers to capture the wisdom of nature’s matriarchs, such as the elephant who leads her herd along ancient savanna pathways. But there were divas, too, including an iridescent orchid bee in the Central American jungle. “She would absolutely be at New York Fashion Week,” Darlington said. “Female leadership isn’t always pretty. She basically gets her daughter to do all of her work.” Bonobos were gentler. “You’ve got these beautiful elders—which I love, being an elder—and they make love to calm everybody down.” She clarified, “I’m not advocating we all go and do that.”