Logos logos logos - Topic of the day 1/10/24
Throughout MFA history it's been a common stance that logos on clothes are universally bad. Do you agree or think there's more nuance to this? If the latter, examples would be appreciated.
98 Replies
I love logos
Foundation of streetwear is logos
Not even joking
I agree
logos can be cool
Logomania is overdone today, but logos are still a big part of the clothes in streetwear today
Some brands are very annoying with their logos
Your logo has to be good for the garment to be good.
I think jw Anderson is REALLY annoying with their logos
Aww i like that one
Casablanca's monogram print is part of what turned me off of them
To each their own!!
I think stylized logos are really nice
Like when supreme adds supreme to an unexpected part in a font that isn’t their bogo futura
I'll say sometimes it just fits with the brand even if the logo isn't amazing
like pleasures shirts
the completely out there shirt + caption and then pleasures, just fits even though its just the word pleasures
on its own its pretty bad though
a small interesting side discussion to be had on the "logo" aspect of some items that MFA has traditionally liked, eg yellow welt stitch on docs.
honestly shoes are different cause its almost impossible to get logoless shoes (not that its stopped MFA from trying lol). That said theres been clear double standards in what logos are acceptable and whats not
wisdm and theinhibitionist have some really good logo heavy looks
I really love the prada triangle logo
fendi logomania umbrella hat
Logos are cool but big brains do brand-unique details like C.P.’s goggles thing
I generally don't enjoy wearing logos. Telling people what brand I'm wearing just isn't really part of what I want to express with my clothing, particularly if it's something widely recognizable. For people for whom fashion is primarily a signaling device for class (not really people here), they become kind of gross imo.
Very true
craig green’s signature laces?strings? almost fall into this category as well
CP also has a logo, its the stamp on the heel. All their shoes have it. Its less in your face than the swoosh or something but its there
Do signatures count as logos? Cuz I feel like this can just become their most popular pieces being signifiers of the brand themselves (i.e. Camions for Our Legacy, even though they're completely logoless)
I separate signatures and logos personally.
signatures and logos do the same thing of branding though
dont like logos that much but its very much a thing of where i dont like people to know what im wearing rather than me explicitly disliking the design
You know which logo I never had a problem with
CDG Play
Never considered buying a shirt at retail
i feel like signatures play more into the design of it?
docs stitching is a signature but iconic, and everyone knows its docs
But it's still cute
I think you can put advertizing on one side and ifyyk branding on the other. The line is very fuzzy, of course.
I've considered buying woven embossed Loewe crewnecks before, that's just what speaks to me
Ik people have a lot of mixed opinions on Bode here but they work their branding in very well imo on their outerwear especially
im usually fine when its not the main focus and part of the design, but just overall i like brain dead and cav empt's logos on a design level so fine with wearing both if that the only thing on the shirt
nike, i just dont like how the swoosh looks, so usually stuck to adidas shoes lol, but thats less of a hate logo thing and preferring one logo over another
I’d call it a motif
Need more fantasy logos. Lil knights, dragons etc. that’s my jam.
I love the cav empt logo
I love the acne logo
hell yeah I love fun lil characters. Reminds me of my favorite local graffiti/taggers, the ones that have lil' characters are the best
just wish it didnt say acne!
ami logo is also nice
oh and maison kitsune. but prefer it being front and center rather than being a embroidery in the corner of the shirt
I like Noah's lil' cross.
just overall dont like small embrodery logos on the corner, cause i feel like they dont add enough
polo bear
polo horse
The father the son and the holy spirit
think overall the blank hate against all logos is dumb since i feel like theres a lot of nuance to it
definetely hated all of them when i first joined mfa though
there are a couple categories of clothes that i think are actually weirder for not having logos, mainly sneakers, ball caps, technical outerwear, etc. but im generally against logos on basically everything else, though im not entirely consistent about this tbh lol
For jeans i like any of the paper tags except for naked and famous. Levis is classic, orslow is nice and simple, SDA piggies etc
I may have to take my s logo out of retirement because of this photo…
Also logo flips go hard
It’s so weird to see a shoe without a logo
*sneaker
It’s like a car without a logo… who makes it???
Common Projects
I guess they got the lil numbers tho don’t they
CP company and Common Projects are different brands for anyone reading along
My attitude towards logos is very silly and irrational. I don't like them, with certain arbitrary exceptions. For some reason, I don't mind the PRL pony on a shirt, or the 3 adidas stripes. It makes no sense.
The pony on a shirt is cool and hot is why
Next think you’ll say arket and asket are different companies
Most balenci sneakers don’t have logos I think
Osweegos don’t either I think
Fair, though I think they have very distinct silhouettes
They don’t look like the ISO standard for generic sneaker
I love the jwa converse because of how subtle the logo placement is
The line between logos and signature details is so interesting. Like Evan Kinori tops are instantly recognizable by the pockets, so they sort of serve a “logo function”.
Maybe Loro Piano should make a fabric like Conor McGregor's "fuck you" suit, with dollar signs woven into the fabric.
Real talk I had a pair of jw converses that didn’t have logos
Then I stepped in poop
The real MFA flex is logos/details that are so subtle that only the "right people" know you spent a lot of money for something that's superficially indistinguishable from the cheaper version. Like the SLP "blue dot". Also, I have some jeans with a piece of selvedge sewn into the coin pocket, just so the "right people" know I spent too much money on them.
The details I want people to notice is how fucking good I look
Oh...I don't mind the Patagonia logo either, for some reason. Again, makes no sense.
I prefer things that aren’t quite a logo but are very distinctive as to what brand it is
Like the pull tabs on blundstones
Or the different stitching on the back pockets of jeans
Struggling to think of other examples
Gucci monogram is extremely cool
Polo player logo is only acceptable on ocbd
Related but does anyone else hate the leather patch on jeans
I always take them off
leather patches don't bother me. But, then, I don't own any N&F denim.
I want the red/blue/yellow glitter pair real bad
Wym
i like them, only dislike cause its a bit uncomfortable sitting
but like they way they look
The margiela white label stitches
N&F has specific and weird embossing on their patches
Because it’s mainstream
Me either tho. I like it too
For me its that i teach children and dont want a poorly stylized naked lady on my ass
Pour one out for the worst logo ever from Morjas
Logos are very case by case for me
Some faves: Loewe, the YSL Cassandre, ,jw Anderson (In small doses), miu miu, the swoosh, TNF half dome, Reebok, Burberry (but only the bigass knight), the Levi’s two horse
Hates: the Levi’s batwing, Oscar dlr, Fendi, ASICS, that weird square Dior thing, givenchy, the Gucci monogram, Chanel
,jw Anderson (In small doses), miu miu, the swoosh, TNF half dome, Reebok, Burberry (but only the bigass knight), the Levi’s two horse
Hates: the Levi’s batwing, Oscar dlr, Fendi, ASICS, that weird square Dior thing, givenchy, the Gucci monogram, ChanelReminds me of the MUNI logo
But a lot i can like or hate depending on the instance I feel like
Bro named every good logo
I’m sure there are others but those are the ones that come to mind
it's just a lady
Givenchy's sucks so bad
I was talking about the one with the beaver that was posted on here which is more specific and weird
Logos are fine. Its when they become the entire focal point of an outfit that it can suck
just a comfy little logo for a comfy little brand
My whole thing with logos boils down to do I care if people know what brand I’m wearing and do I care about all the associations that can go with that brand. I prefer no logo, small logos, out of the way logos ( bottom of shirts or above back pockets) and hidden detail like rivets or pocket bags on denim. I begrudgingly accept the small Flat Head and Iron Heart logo on their flannels because no one else makes them like they do. And because the brands aren’t super well known outside of internet clothes nerds. The logo needs to fit in with the overall theme I want to convey. That being said I do love some logos like all of Left Field NYCs on their pants and jeans.
my 2c on logomania:
especially if you're from a streetwear background, it was super easy to be sucked in by logos. heavy jil sander text on a white t, balenci with the bernie campaign logo, big gucci font are the things i think of when i think of this 2014 - 2018 period.
i think the pandemic shifted things pretty significantly in terms of what people were wearing at the time and we kind of left logomania behind. we've corrected into seeing logos as fairly gaudy (same as we've corrected wide fits from slim fits). trends like 'quiet luxury' emphasise logo-less design. all of this rising in popularity post-pandemic. hard economic and world events tend to push fashion into being more conservative.
in the world where we have rising income inequality, a global recession looming for the past 4 years, it's no wonder that logos are dead. who wants to be the goofy motherfucker in a gucci x northface puffer while most people are struggling to make ends meet.
in the place of logos, motifs signify the brand. material, cut, design, pattern. these inform the brand on a iykyk. people can look at a pair of pants and say it's kiko without seeing a logo and maybe that's more powerful than even the logo itself. i think this is a shift from thinking less about logos and thinking more about brands.
I feel anti-logo consumer attitudes of "Why should I advertise this brand for free?" or "I want my [garment] to speak for itself, rather than the brand" are engaging in a sort of irritating self-deception; Adbusters magazine is more than 30 years old, you're not escaping a consumer identity by eschewing branding but rather jumping headfirst into a parallel, often equally exclusive, one. Personally I find extreme luxury branding usually pretty ugly but that's a very different and more subjective discussion.
Also the whole point of "quiet luxury" is to flex in the exact same way as logos imo.
I just think logomania was a bit played out more than there's economic reasons or something behind the switch
Yeah this is ground that's been covered a hundred times but "Dressing like a mall fashion brand's interpretation of a TV costume department's interpretation of a satirical television script about the ultra wealthy" is far from authenticity
It's trying to signal intelligence or taste through being able to "understand the simplicity and elegance of the garments as opposed to those yucky logos"
Does the thing about clothing becoming more conservative during economic hardship hold up throughout history or is it just a recent anecdotal coincidence? After the panic of 1893 were people less ballin?
Mostly I don't think there's really a difference between "everybody should know this shirt costs $500" and "these plebs don't even know this shirt costs $500". The mindset is cringe either way and I don't view it as a reason to switch from one to the other
There was plenty of distaste for logos at peak logomania as well
Also when the most iconic logo from logo mania was tied far more to exclusivity in supply more than being super expensive (new, the exclusivity made the secondhand market extremely expensive ofc)
I have an amusing story about being a tourist in japan lol
At some point I told my tour guide that the boots I was wearing were made by Sugar Cane, and she laughs and shows me this ancient photo of her wearing a denim vest from The Flat Head. At some point I met her husband and after I tell him how cool Harajuku is he complains that the The Flat Head store there is getting worse. In an unlikely coincidence it turns out he went to college in the US only a few minutes from where I live now and we've been to a lot of the same music venues.
so ig there's at least 2 ppl who're not online clothes nerds that care about such things
I wear clothes with logos so they don’t have to spend money on marketing. Cutting out the middle man 
Help those low overhead direct to consumer brands cut down their instagram advertising budget