Animal House: Pet Logos Make a Fall Comeback
A zoo-load of animals were on the loose and prowling, motif-style, across crew necks and jackets on fall runways from Kenzo and Altuzarra to Prabal Gurung, Burberry, and Proenza Schouler. This isn’t the first time brands have adopted wildlife into their collections. Back in the early nineties, Hermès’s
horse and carriage, Polo Ralph Lauren’s pony, and Lacoste’s crocodile
roamed and skulked across polo shirts and tees setting one brand (or
breed) apart from another. And now these beastly distinctions offer
designers a playful approach to marking out their territory once more.
“It’s important to have something instantly recognizable,” believes Jason Wu, whose owl, named Ms. Wu, graces his accessories line. “It’s whimsical,” he shrugs. “And that carries over into the construction of the garments—I want there to be a lighthearted side as well.” Derek Lam, who uses a sculptural metal ram’s head (a nod to his astrological sign, Aries) to identify his bags and shoes, agrees: “I’m not a fan of making my name a noticeable element,” he shrugs. “The ram’s head is graphic and bold, but I like to think it’s discreetly conceptual, too; a clever wink rather than an in-your-face emblem of usual commercial branding.”
This recent migration on fall’s runways could arguably be traced back to Balenciaga and Givenchy’s pre-fall collections last year, when Nicolas Ghesquière unleashed a German shepherd, and Riccardo Tisci a growling Rottweiler onto sweaters. Then later that fall, Givenchy released a family of panthers to lurk on pencil skirts, jackets, and oversize sweaters. But Lam is quick to point out that animal logos, by way of astrological significance, were also embraced by Chanel and Anne Klein: “They both used a lion’s head to represent their work—they were Leos!”
CLICK to read more and see more images!!
“It’s important to have something instantly recognizable,” believes Jason Wu, whose owl, named Ms. Wu, graces his accessories line. “It’s whimsical,” he shrugs. “And that carries over into the construction of the garments—I want there to be a lighthearted side as well.” Derek Lam, who uses a sculptural metal ram’s head (a nod to his astrological sign, Aries) to identify his bags and shoes, agrees: “I’m not a fan of making my name a noticeable element,” he shrugs. “The ram’s head is graphic and bold, but I like to think it’s discreetly conceptual, too; a clever wink rather than an in-your-face emblem of usual commercial branding.”
This recent migration on fall’s runways could arguably be traced back to Balenciaga and Givenchy’s pre-fall collections last year, when Nicolas Ghesquière unleashed a German shepherd, and Riccardo Tisci a growling Rottweiler onto sweaters. Then later that fall, Givenchy released a family of panthers to lurk on pencil skirts, jackets, and oversize sweaters. But Lam is quick to point out that animal logos, by way of astrological significance, were also embraced by Chanel and Anne Klein: “They both used a lion’s head to represent their work—they were Leos!”
CLICK to read more and see more images!!
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