What is happening to luxury fashion?
Some time ago when I was browsing through Business of Fashion, I saw this article about luxury brands and their new brand logos.
If you haven't seen it already, brands are, one by one, changing their iconic logos and they all kind of seem to be using the same font and design these days. Virgil Abloh, creator behind the very successful brand Off-White, claims that fashion is at the "dawn of a new Renaissance", I'm wondering whether fashion is at the dawn of creative suicide.
He goes on by saying that the old logos are apparently outdated as they stand for white patriarchy with all the creators having been white males and that nowadays fashion can be created by anyone. This is fair enough but a brand logo also stands for a brand's history, its challenges it had to overcome, its talent, its creative vision and its heritage. A brand logo makes a brand recognisable, I mean can you imagine McDonald's or Apple without their distinctive branding?
To be honest, I think some of the logos don't even look half bad, such as the new Balenciaga or Saint Laurent logo as their minimalist font actually represents the lifestyle they are trying to sell. But that a brand like Balmain which sells opulent, flashy garments changed their logo to a minimalist one baffles me. How is that logo accurately representing the brand?
With brands following this trend of minimalism while showcasing similar, streetwear inspired ready-to-wear collections, where is the individuality and the creativity? How does a fashion house stay relevant if everything looks the same?
Personally, I think by going viral. Balenciaga selling bags that look like Ikea shopping bags or crocs inspired high heels, makes me want to think that they do this with the pure intention of becoming a meme.
Viktor & Rolf's recent collection is another prime example. It has gone viral and been made into memes because the gowns had silly slogans printed on them to which a young demographic could relate to.
If this is how luxury fashion is staying relevant in an age of minimalism, I am dreading the future.
At the end of this blog post, I'd like to take time to praise some luxury brands who are crushing it in my opinion. My favourite brand at the moment is Gucci. Alessandro Michele does exactly what needs to be done, keeping the brand essence and staying unique while still being commercial and appealing to a large audience. When Gucci launched their #TFW meme campaign two years ago, they were in charge of the meme and weren't made a joke of by internet trolls. It was a fantastic campaign to show they're a cool and fresh brand.
What do you think about this recent change in luxury branding?
Love always,
A
If you haven't seen it already, brands are, one by one, changing their iconic logos and they all kind of seem to be using the same font and design these days. Virgil Abloh, creator behind the very successful brand Off-White, claims that fashion is at the "dawn of a new Renaissance", I'm wondering whether fashion is at the dawn of creative suicide.
He goes on by saying that the old logos are apparently outdated as they stand for white patriarchy with all the creators having been white males and that nowadays fashion can be created by anyone. This is fair enough but a brand logo also stands for a brand's history, its challenges it had to overcome, its talent, its creative vision and its heritage. A brand logo makes a brand recognisable, I mean can you imagine McDonald's or Apple without their distinctive branding?
To be honest, I think some of the logos don't even look half bad, such as the new Balenciaga or Saint Laurent logo as their minimalist font actually represents the lifestyle they are trying to sell. But that a brand like Balmain which sells opulent, flashy garments changed their logo to a minimalist one baffles me. How is that logo accurately representing the brand?
With brands following this trend of minimalism while showcasing similar, streetwear inspired ready-to-wear collections, where is the individuality and the creativity? How does a fashion house stay relevant if everything looks the same?
Personally, I think by going viral. Balenciaga selling bags that look like Ikea shopping bags or crocs inspired high heels, makes me want to think that they do this with the pure intention of becoming a meme.
Viktor & Rolf's recent collection is another prime example. It has gone viral and been made into memes because the gowns had silly slogans printed on them to which a young demographic could relate to.
If this is how luxury fashion is staying relevant in an age of minimalism, I am dreading the future.
At the end of this blog post, I'd like to take time to praise some luxury brands who are crushing it in my opinion. My favourite brand at the moment is Gucci. Alessandro Michele does exactly what needs to be done, keeping the brand essence and staying unique while still being commercial and appealing to a large audience. When Gucci launched their #TFW meme campaign two years ago, they were in charge of the meme and weren't made a joke of by internet trolls. It was a fantastic campaign to show they're a cool and fresh brand.
Fendi is another brand to watch as they really surprised me with their logomania success. Fendi showed exactly how important a brand logo is. By printing their iconic monogram all over their products, they created a lot of noise around their brand and gave the young consumer exactly what they want! The products looked amazing too, btw.
What do you think about this recent change in luxury branding?
Love always,
A
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