With Gucci’s latest campaign fronted by Emily Ratajkowski bringing bold branding back into the spotlight, we couldn’t help but revisit fashion’s complicated love affair with logos.
This logomania think piece unpacks the power plays, cultural cachet, and the fine line between timeless and try‑hard when it comes to wearing your labels loud.
The Power Behind the Print
Gucci’s current campaign, shot between Cannes’ alleys and beaches, isn’t just about pretty visuals, it’s a logomania manifesto. The GG monogram pulses through every frame, acting as a “visual constant, a silent yet recognisable signature”. Emily Ratajkowski carries the bags almost like companions, elevating logos from accessory embellishment to focal narratives.
But wait – Gucci isn’t alone. Burberry’s reimagined check print is rising in popularity too, offering an interesting twist on logomania: it’s not about shouted labels but whispered heritage. Think less billboard, more subtle signal.
Takeover by Texture: Prints That Speak
Louis Vuitton’s partnership with Takashi Murakami is a poster child for print as identity. Debuting in 2003, the Murakami multicolour monogram wasn’t just flashy – it was revolutionary, injecting over 33 vibrant hues into traditional leather pieces and generating over $300 million in its first year. Fast‑forward 20 years and LV is reigniting the trend with re‑editions of these prints on trunks, totes, and trunks, proving that prints, whether monograms or motifs, can carry huge cultural weight .
What Murakami achieved goes beyond pure branding: he blurred the line between high art and luxury commercialism. As he said, “I don’t think of it as straddling [the line]. I think of it as changing the line,” reinforcing how logos and prints can be both art and statement.
From Status Signal to Post‑Irony
Logomania has worn many masks: from overt status-branding in the 2000s to today’s subversive remix. Vogue notes that early‑century logomania was flashy – it screamed “look at me,” powered by celebrities like Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, and Beyoncé . Now, it’s more tongue‑in‑cheek: people wear monograms with irony and insider awareness. As The Guardian put it, logos are now “in‑the‑know statements,” abstracted, bootlegged and playfully deconstructed.
When Quiet Luxury Lost Its Voice
After dominating fashion discourse throughout 2023, the “quiet luxury” aesthetic – characterised by minimal silhouettes, hushed colour palettes, and stealth-status branding – has started to fizzle. Once seen as the pinnacle of taste and discretion, it now feels somewhat… safe. As fashion cycles turned, so did consumer appetite – for drama, dopamine, and designers who aren’t afraid to turn up the volume.
Enter the return of maximalism. Think Celine travel bags, Vivienne Westwood tartan, and Gucci leaning full tilt into their GG monogram with Emrata as the face of the movement. It’s not just about the logo itself anymore, but the joy and flamboyance it represents.
Even the so-called “clean girls” can’t resist posting their monogrammed LV toiletry bags on bathroom counters.
Fashion’s current mood? Loud, layered, and logo’d.
Social Media: Fueling the Hype
Instagram has become the runway where logos gain cultural traction – or get memed into obsolescence. Take @databutmakeitfashion’s post featuring the Burberry revival: it reveals how brand visuals can spark both admiration and irony in equal measure, inviting audiences to ask, “Is this chic heritage – or kitschy overkill?”
Meanwhile, Gucci’s campaign echoes that silent omnipresence – promoted on influencers’ feeds, echoed in street style, replicated in filters, ensuring the GG monogram is more than decoration; it’s cultural currency.
So: Iconic or Ironic?
Iconic
- Cultural resonance: Murakami’s prints and Gucci’s GG line survive decades with both nostalgia and relevance.
- Art & commerce: Collaborations like Murakami’s reframe fashion as canvas—not just cash register.
Ironic
- Post‑logo play: Logos now function as jokes, memes, and commentary—an “in‑the‑know” wink.
- Satire-ready: With bootleg beauty trends and logo mash‑ups, logomania has developed a self‑aware sass.
Final Stitch
In the end, logomania doesn’t have to choose. It is iconic when rooted in heritage, artistry, and cultural relevance – you feel that electric charge when LV trunks resurface or GG silhouettes stroll through Cannes. And it is ironic when brands wink at their own excess – scratched, scribbled, meme‑fied. This blend of gravitas and playfulness is logomania 3.0: smart, self-aware, and never just about the label.
So, next time you spot a GG everywhere, a hectic monogram Dior Saddle Bag, or even a Burberry nail‑art, ask yourself: is it iconic? Or ironic? Odds are – it’s both.
Image credits: Pinterest, Instagram