The logo is back. At Gosha Rubchinskiy’s SS17 show, Russian teens sported branded garments made in collaboration with the labels of the 1980s — Fila, Kappa and Sergio Tacchini. At Dolce & Gabbana, “fake” logo T-shirts were made a central part of the women’s SS17 collection. At Balenciaga AW17, designer Demna Gvasalia emblazoned a sweater with the logo of the luxury conglomerate group, Kering, which owns the brand.
Alessandro Michele has been instrumental in reviving the logo at Gucci. His first look for the house on becoming creative director in January 2015 featured a belt fastened with giant interlocking Gs. The logo was first made a status symbol under Tom Ford in the early 1990s. Back then, it was a symbol of raw materialism. By contrast, Michele’s new take has been faded and antiqued to lend it a vintage appeal. For his cruise collection, Michele designed a soft-washed T-shirt with printed logo detail. Innocuous enough, until you discover it cost £400.
Net-a-Porter ordered 1,000 T-shirts and it sold out globally in just 10 weeks. “It was our top investment for pre-spring summer and due to its phenomenal performance we are introducing two new colourways for next season,” says Lisa Aiken, the site’s retail fashion director. She credits Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana for having kicked off the current logo trend “by reworking counterfeit tees to create ‘genuine fakes’. [The French brand] Vetements is another power player; we sold 500 pairs of their logoed sports socks (£60) in just one week, which is incredible.”