From Chanel to Prada, going through fast fashion, labels are back at the center of contemporary fashion. Hidden, destructured or displayed in plain sight, the label is transforming itself from a mere commercial signature to a whole new aesthetic and identitary code
by Domenico Casoria
Nowadays, as fashion has seen, explored, codified and shown basically everything, the true revolution doesn’t revolve around volumes or silhouettes anymore, but it stands on the various micro-worlds that compose a piece. In the era that we live in, the detail absolutely prevails, and the true identity of a dress is hidden – or, more and more often, revealed – in its details. Among them, there is one that can be considered as a potential contrast to recent times, even though it is actually experiencing an extraordinary second wind: it’s a matter of labels.
A matter of labels
Until yesterday, we were witnessing the triumph of quiet luxury and the progressive refusal of displayed brands. Indeed, Millennials and Gen Z used to cut and tear up any visible signature in order to claim an impersonal aesthetic, free of obtrusive logos. Nowadays, however, it’s all about labels; as in a fascinating short circuit. But, we aren’t referring anymore to mere commercial labels. Instead, we can consider them as small textile archives; miniature works of art to display (not always). In fact, in the past, quality labels were created to tell a specific and personal story and they were tucked into the collar or hidden along one side of the item.
From the beginning
This intimate story usually revolved around the production period, the tailoring techniques or the place of manufacture. Just as with vintage clothing, where typography, sophisticated graphics and meticulously crafted embroidery transformed the label’s logo into a designer signature, today these rectangles of fabric adhere – once again – to specific aesthetic codes.
A cross-sectional detail
Brands are studying fonts, experimenting with three-dimensional yarns and working on tactile textures that captivate at first touch. But the true novelty lies in the attitude with which it is experienced. It is the start of a completely cross-sectional phenomenon which brings together, without break in continuity, high fashion runways and the designers of the most niche underground brands, all the way to fast fashion ones. Finally, above all, we can say that the label freed itself from its own internal prison.
A new approach
The younger generation have reversed the rules of consumption: labels are no longer hidden but are now worn on the outside. Stitched in the center of the back; visibly sewn onto the hem of a sleeve; sewn in a contrasting color right on the pants or roughly secured with precise stitches, it is the visual focal point of the whole outfit. It is transformed into a manifesto, a collector’s item which reflects adherence to a specific aesthetic code.
The new logo
It represents the definitive metamorphosis of the logo. From a symbol of ostentation to a tactile, conceptual detail. The contemporary label is no longer just for telling who produced a specific item, but it tells how it has been thought. And, for this reason, it is a cross-sectional theme. For the Spring-Summer 2027 collection, Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s creative director, sent down the runway a jacket with a well-hidden label that, however, featured an embroidered reproduction of the whole look. Two figures that mirrored each other. A double thread. Prada – instead – is going in the opposite direction: the iconic triangle, symbol of the brand, is becoming less and less obvious. Stitched on jackets and bags it is even losing its “Prada” lettering, slowly coming back to a simple triangle or, perhaps, a label.
A declaration
Last year, for instance, Pull&Bear commercialized a long sleeve t-shirt with a label that hung loose on its back. With a minute detail. It was sewn outside on the back in order to be more visible, and it contained some precise information: a daily to-do list. “Go outside, drink water, take a nap, laugh out loud”. In short, a reminder that transforms an industrial detail into a personal message. Hidden, stripped down to the essential or visibly displayed, the label now tells a lot more than just a brand. It is, perhaps, about identity, belonging and brand new forms of expression.
Photo by Prada, Chanel and Pull&Bear
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