By Sanika Achrekar
Here’s why logo-printed clothing is taking over runways and collections, and how you can be a part of this cool fashion movement
Logo-printed clothing isn’t a new thing — classic luxury brands have been making a statement with logos for years. Louis Vuitton monograms, Chanel’s iconic two interlocking Cs, Versace’s medusa baroque print, Burberry’s classic monogram, and many others that have been some of the revolutionary prints that are recognisable everywhere.
With the logo came logomania, a trend whereby obvious branding is embedded all over clothing. Instead of placing a brand name hidden away in a shirt on a tag, a fashion house’s logo was now worn to be seen. According to the New York Times, it was the music industry, specifically ’80s and early ’90s hip-hop, that made logomania what we know it to be today.
“Logomania started in the ’80s, an era that was known for opulent excess, and then the ’90s saw peak logomania as brands used branding and alphabet monograms on clothes and accessories to assert their status, which led to what is known as logomania today. Brands from the ultra-luxury ones to sportswear, from ramps to streetwear have taken this route of expressing themselves in a creative manner and directly having a conversation with their audience,” explains Abdon Lepcha, creative director at FILA India.
Thanks to celebrity culture, the late 2010s saw a re-emergence in the maximalist aesthetic, but as street style gained moreclout in the last decade, and as nostalgia for the ’90s took over, the logo, once again, is almost everywhere. Even online fast-fashion retailers have hopped onto the trend. There has also been a recent rise of designer collaborations infusing fashion house logos, bringing out some unique pieces. At Milan Fashion Week, we witnessed the swap between Versace and Fendi, also termed ‘Fendace’ by the fashion community. The logo was the highlight through which the hacking between Gucci and Balenciaga was expressed last season, and now there’s also Adidas x Gucci, where the sports universe teamed up with the luxury house, giving us enough reasons to believe that we’re in the most collaborative space fashion has ever been in, and that logomania is bigger, better, and fancier.
“Logos are a form of visual communication that enables a customer to align with the brand’s identity. A well-designed logo is far more memorable, and lends a unique identity to the brand in the marketplace that makes it easy for a customer to identify and purchase its services, and recommend them to friends, yet again. Today, logo-infused T-shirts are a staple, as customers who make these purchases either have an emotional connection with the brand and its heritage, or showcase their support to the teams and players that the brand sponsors,” explains a spokesperson from ASICS India.
“When brands construct collections, they always see their branded logo products as entry-level price points. Drawing a parallel, if Drake’s making an album, he’s covering sad songs, hip-hop songs, and he does pop songs that essentially top charts. Branded logo T-shirts are the equivalent to the pop song that tops the charts. They are one of the few products that are easily accessible because of their price points, and give aspirational customers a sense of status — they feel like they are a part of this brand they aspire to consume one day. Additionally, these basic easy logo tees are the easiest to wear, no matter what you wear them with, they always look good because they are made that way,” explains Arnav Malhotra, founder of No Grey Area.
Apart from high-fashion houses, independent designers and retailers are also infusing logos into their collections, such as Vero Moda, ONLY, Jack & Jones and others. “Today, fashion is a means of self-expression, and consumers tend to gravitate towards brands that reflect their personalities. Thus, a shopper tends to identify with brand logos as they represent the brands of their choice, and the values they stand for. The aspirational appeal of logos is here to stay. Apart from the metro cities, we have noticed that our Jack & Jones logo T-shirt does extremely well in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, hence proving that this trend is being accepted and followed countrywide,” says a spokesperson from Jack & Jones.
Delving into details about the demand for logo-printed everything, Iconic India, which houses brands like GANT, True Religion, Kendall & Kylie, explains, “This summer, we are noticing a big jump in the salesof logo-printed T-shirts across all our Iconic Exclusive stores, as well as our website. Men, especially, are opting for T-shirts that have either brand names printed on the articles or have some quirky logos that speak of their personality. Antony Morato’s iconic tiger-printed T-shirt has been a customer favourite and was even picked up by Boat’s CMO, Aman Gupta. In terms of brand logos, GANT is the client’s first choice.”
Similarly, ASICS India explains, “We have seen an uptick in the demand for logo-infused apparel. If the logo is placed compellingly, it makes the product more impactful and memorable, leading to more purchases. Since there is an emotional connection with a logo, people who truly resonate with the ideologies of the brand are more likely to love and carry these pieces. At ASICS, we have seen an upward trend for such pieces around Novak Djokovic’s tournaments; there is a faster sell-out of whatever the Siberian superstar dons during his tournaments.”
Lepcha adds, “FILA is known for its loud logo and the colourblock look. From the beginning, the F-box logo has been an iconic part of the fashion industry. The recall of being a brand with heritage and history is what is considered a prized possession and gives the wearer the feeling of nostalgia. Creating products with logos in different forms and languages from placement prints to allover prints is a way of telling our story of the brand’s Italian heritage.”
“It is a form of branding for labels and it helps them reach out to a pool of people who may not be accessing the brand at that point. If you look at Gucci and Prada, they earn primarily through their leather goods given the margins; however, their branded tees or smaller accessories serve as a branding element to reiterate that they are here and relevant, and create that visibility,” thinks Malhotra.
Independent brands are getting into logomania in their own way. “Unless a brand has the stature, there is not going to be any demand for it. An independent that has managed to do this well is ESSENTIALS. ”
The influence of logo trends is going to find its way into your wardrobe one way or another, so why not start now?
Reproduced with permission from Mansworldindia.com
