Big, bold and brash, logos epitomised the flashy Eighties spirit. But now they’re back – with a millennial twist. Stylist reports on how branding yourself became cool once more

Words: Clare Coulson

Versace. Lacoste. Chanel. What are the first images that spring to mind when you hear those names? If it’s Medusa’s head, a crocodile and a (rather chic) pair of interlocking Cs – congratulations! You’re a logo connoisseur.

Perhaps not exactly the legacy designers had in mind after all those years climbing the atelier’s ladder, it’s true. But this instant recognition isn’t surprising when you consider how popular logos were in the Eighties and Nineties, imprinting them on our cultural memory. Back then, wearing your first logo was a veritable rite of passage, signalling your entry to the world of grown-up cool.

In fact, ask anyone who grew up at that time what the first logo in their wardrobe was and from the misty-eyed recollections of Tommy, Ralph or Calvin that ensue, you could be forgiven for thinking they’re talking about a first love. Logos were – literally – the ultimate style statement, saying, “I get it, I’m in the know,” and, most crucially, “I’m with the gang.” After all, there was one for every tribe: from the graffiti-style tag of Stüssy that made even straight-A students feel like couldn’t-give-a- f**k skater kids; DKNY’s bold typography on a plain T-shirt, which miraculously elevated the wearer to smart fashion insider; to the iconic Adidas stripes – shorthand for street, whether to you that meant Snoop, All Saints or Oasis. Hell, Calvin Klein even persuaded us to sport logos on our knickers and made it seem cool to flash them at every opportunity (with a little help from a certain Kate Moss). Why pay for billboards when customers will walk around and do the advertising for you?

But as we approached the new millennium, the tide turned and flashy logos became more than a little naff on both aesthetic and ethical grounds. In 1999, activist and writer Naomi Klein wrote the international bestseller No Logo: Taking Aim At The Brand Bullies, arguing that while many logos were marketed as representing a desirable lifestyle, the garments themselves were often made by exploited workers in the poorest parts of the world. Brands were forced to radically rethink their approach as a new social conscience emerged. By 2003, displaying such slavish devotion to labels was so out of fashion that the protagonist in William Gibson’s novel Pattern Recognition – a branding consultant – had the buttons on her Levi’s ground smooth to make them logo-free. And in 2004, bars in Manchester banned anyone wearing Prada Sport’s red stripe for being “the wrong sort”, while Burberry’s signature check became so ubiquitous (often appearing on fake goods), that the brand curtailed its use in the same year. Shouting about your status, social group or wealth (which, let’s be honest, is essentially what wearing a Chanel T-shirt did) suddenly felt cringey rather than cool. The mood was now far more sophisticated than the boom years of the Eighties, with a minimalistic aesthetic to match. “That’s not to say fashion lovers didn’t want others to know they were wearing Chanel or Céline,” says Stylist’s fashion director Alexandra Fullerton. “It just required a lot more insider knowledge to spot the signature silhouette of, say, a Dior jacket.”

The new retro

But now logos are back – in myriad guises. The early signs came a few years ago when nods to the Eighties started trickling back into collections. By s/s 2016, catwalks were rife with slogans, logos and iconic brand monograms, although this being fashion – the industry of reinvention – all with a distinctly modern twist.

Return of the logo: How the flashy branding of the 80s is cool again thanks to a millennial twist