Let's talk about this: should you avoid visible logos in fashion? 🧵
derek guy@dieworkwear
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Oct 28, 2024
~4 min read
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Let's talk about this: should you avoid visible logos in fashion? 🧵
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IMO, our judgements of fashion are not wholly neutral but rather shaped by the bodies underneath the clothes. It's important to understand this because it allows you to appreciate the role that class, race, and other markers of identity play in our judgments of taste.
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We see this dynamic constantly throughout history. Just before the end of the Second World War, wealthy British guards ordered bespoke Edwardian-style suits from Savile Row tailors. It was all the rage among those with a bit of money.
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But when young, working-class Brits known as the Teddy Boys started rocking the style, it was considered gauche. The wealthy elite moved on, as they didn't want to be associated with hoi polloi. Thus, we can see it's not just about the look, but who wears the look.
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IMO, our judgements of logos is often about class. On King Charles, no one protests. But on someone who's not part of the monarchy or aristocracy, it's believed that wearing a visible logo betrays your socio-economic position ("low taste" = "low class").
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I happen to like Old Money aesthetics, such as dusty tweeds, gabardine suits, and Macclesfield foulard ties. It's true that members of this class mostly avoided logos because they bought their clothes from bespoke tailors and shoemakers, not brands.
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But I also don't think that's the only class with cultural capital. Roger Burton's book Rebel Threads is full of countercultural aesthetics that would make Old Money elites blush.
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These fashions are cool partly because of aesthetics—use of texture and patterns, layering, shape and drape, etc. But they're also cool because of who wore them. Such people gave these clothes cultural meaning.
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In the same way, there are lots of cool fashions that involve visible logos, worn by people who give the styles meaning. Such as the Lo Heads, which is a subcultural group that emerged in the 1990s around the wearing of Polo Ralph Lauren. RL insignia features prominently.
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In the 90s, freestyle dancers hit the club in Polo, Guess, Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, and other visibly identifiable brands. The stuff was cool because of the talented dancers who wore the clothes—simple as that. Here's the Mop Tops crew in NYC
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This is the culture that made that aesthetic cool. These clips are from the PBS documentary titled Wreckin Shop: Live from Brooklyn.
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Or take Dapper Dan, a custom clothier based in Harlem who famously made clothes for people like Mike Tyson, Eric B and Rakim, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Peppa, and Jay Z. He made "bootleg" versions of designer brands, often in custom designs and with visible logo prints
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Designer labels sued him back in the day for copyright infringement, only to then collaborate with him decades later when they realized that the aesthetic was both artistically interesting and culturally cool.
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If you think it's gauche and tacky, I would ask you: how is this different from rich, old white ladies who wear Hermes or Louis Vuitton scarves? Those are also highly identifiable and decorated with logos. Again, is it about the aesthetic or the bodies underneath the clothes?
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I care about aesthetics and think many different types of groups can give a look cultural capital. Visually, something like the look on the left is much cooler and more interesting to me than the plain "quiet luxury" look on the right.
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I've never understood the appeal of these plain "quiet luxury" caps. This one from The Row costs $690 😭. Go get a plain $20 baseball cap if you must.
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Ultimately, I think people should be wary of overly simplistic rules, such as "avoid logos." These are often crutches people rely on when they don't yet have a sense of taste. Instead, think of aesthetics as cultural language and appreciate the wide world of culture.
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If you're wearing a very modern minimalist or classic tailored outfit, that might mean avoiding visible logos bc that's part of the look! But that's not the only legitimate aesthetic. There are lots of aesthetics. Striving to look higher class is also very middle-class behavior.
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An example of an all-over logo item that I think would look great: Budweiser sport coat with a vintage t-shirt, Bryceland's 893 jeans (or Wrangler Wranchers), and a pair of cowboy boots. IMO, it's all about the item, styling, and cultural aesthetic.
