What is in a brand | Guest Post by Farfetch

 

Welcome to Lucinda Bounsall, fashion writer from farfetch.com, who is guest posting for Kimba Likes on what is in a brand.

With the rise in recognisable icons and brand’s logos, we ask – what is in a brand?

I clearly remember, back in the day, my sister had this amazing Prada backpack.  It was pretty small, like impractically small – you couldn’t really fit much in there – but I don’t think that was the point.

The thing that I remember most vividly was the shining black and silver Prada logo that sat pride of place on that backpack that brought out magpie-like qualities in me.

There are quite a few years between my sister and I and of all of her clothes it was the ones with the big gaudy designer labels that I coveted most as a ten year old.

Obviously as I’ve grown up, I moved away from that school of thinking.  I developed my own personal sense of style and the idea in wearing such brass declarations of designer snobbery appalled me. I liked the idea of being a bit more subtle about my taste in fashion but it seems that I’ve come full circle.

The last two years or so has seen designers re-introducing recognisable logos and images back into their collections but with a new fresh approach to how these logos shape their brands.

You don’t have to be a fashion blogger to be able to instantly recognise the Chanel interlocking Cs or the clean lines of the Dior monogram but now there are a whole new generation of designers making their marque on the fashion landscape, if you’ll excuse the pun.

Nowadays designers are more inclined to sell their brands with images and motifs rather than bold lettering, it might not be as easy to recognise as designer but the fashion insiders will instantly know who you’re wearing and after all, they’re the ones who count right?

Designers the world over have embraced technology and how it can help them in the design process, playing around with digital manipulation and creating unique and eye-catching images.

Fashion features editor at Vogue.co.uk Jessica Bumpus traces the trend back to autumn / winter 2012; ‘The Balenciaga sci-fi jumpers which –with Kenzo – kicked off the sweatshirt craze. Now all high end labels are doing sweatshirts, I think this in itself has almost become its own logo in some respects.’

She’s right of course; you can’t peruse street style snaps from the world’s Fashion Weeks without being bombarded by images of bloggers and stylists with bright bold logos and iconic monograms emblazoned across their chests.

Bumpus continues; ‘I think it’s a nostalgic thing and right now we’re stuck somewhere between the nineties and millennium in our fashion referencing and there’s something oddly appealing and strangely novel about the logo once more.’

So if, like me, you’re sartorially inclined, you might be interested to know what the new season’s iconic prints and logos are going to be, so we’ve put together a little guide to next season’s key pieces.

The good thing about this trend is that you can get your hands on it, there may be a designer dress with an iconic print at thousands of dollars, but at the same time you can pick up a jumper with the same design for a fraction of the price. A much more budget friendly way to work designer items into you’re repertoire without having to take out a bank loan.

 

 

 

Kenzo  

Kenzo were the game changers when it came to recognisable logos, the deconstructed embroidered tiger that has been seen everywhere last season is easily one of the most popular sweaters for the last couple of years. When it first came out it sold out in record time. That roaring tiger heralded the return of the designer logo in its truest form. The new season collection see’s the brand move away from the tiger, although you can still get your hands on new colourways. The new print for Kenzo next season will be this feminine and fun cloud print which comes in everything from sweaters to tees and skirts, a real investment item for the winter.

1. Kenzo Cloud Print sweater – £210
2. Kenzo Tiger sweatshirt – £140
3. Kenzo Signature Logo Red Heathered wool blend sweater – £260

 

 

 

Christopher Kane 

Chris Kane’s dark wintery florals make his garments some of the most coveted items in the industry. Last season it was all about the cool Frankenstein print T-shirts and this season is even cooler with vibrant coloured scans of brains emblazoned across sweatshirts.

1. Christopher Kane Print T-shirt – £200
2. Christopher Kane Embroidered Velvet Backpack – £990
3. Christopher Kane Brain Printed Cotton Sweatshirt – £275

 

 

Givenchy 

For the last couple of season any fashion blogger worth their salt will have been snapped at least once in a Givenchy studded Doberman tee and the doggy print looks set to stay well into this season and beyond. Alongside the Doberman, Givenchy has introduced repeated patterns of religious imagery to its repertoire with really cool effect.

1. Givenchy Black Multi Print T-shirt – £305
2. Givenchy Doberman Tee – £370
3. Givenchy Oversized Printed T-shirt – £290

 

But it’s not just high fashion labels that have embraced logos and images into their collections.  If you don’t quite have the bank balance to support such a hefty shopping bill, then you can easily find similar styles from the high street. Prints, patterns and logos are back in a big way and it’s turning the way we wear fashion on its head.

Scottish born designer Holly Fulton notes that it’s the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ nature of this crass and blatant imagery that makes it so appealing: ‘I am a firm believer that you need a bit of fun in fashion’.  I couldn’t agree more!

Guest blog post has been written by Lucinda Bounsall who works at farfetch.