In all aspects of life, it’s fun and refreshing to be out with the old and in the with the new — sometimes you just need to ditch that hairstyle, burn that t-shirt and toss your lover to the trash. But in the fashion biz, where trends and fads are ever evolving, change can mark the end of an era (and the start of history in the making) or the beginning of the end. When a fashion house appoints a new top dog, a fresh creative direction is inevitable. But as with new boys and bouffants, this can go one of two ways: either a long and successful partnership or a failure to live up to expectations. In recent years, the fashion landscape has offered us both — we’ve had dream teams, like Raf Simons and Dior, and we’ve had some disastrous conscious uncouplings, like Justin O’Shea and Brioni, and Alexander Wang and Balenciaga.
But the latest to cause a stir is Riccardo Tisci, who took up his tenure at British label Burberry earlier this year, and divided opinion with a (somewhat lacklustre) logo and divisive new monogram. But as we await his debut show at London Fashion Week (when we can truly decide if the union will be a happy one), we take a look at the key ingredients of a successful rebrand — and pick out some of our highlights and lowlights when it comes to label shake-ups.
THE NAME GAME
What’s in a name? In fashion: everything. Haute couture houses only seem as old as fashion itself because their names have been around forever. Thus, a name change is a very bold move — there’s no testing the waters, it either sinks, or it swims.
THE BEST:
Calvin Klein 205W39NYC
This name change is absolute hell for any interns out there writing up fashion credits, but it’s Raf marking his territory — literally. 205W39NYC is the address of the Calvin Klein headquarters, and its incorporation into CK’s branding is more than just a tool for drunken employees to find their way back to work after over-indulging at a fashion party. The rename is a nod towards Simons’s desire to solidify CK’s status as a NYC brand. Further expressing his love of new-Americana, the designer recently featured the Jenner-Kardashians, unofficial USA royalty, in his latest campaign.
THE WORST:
Saint Laurent
When Hedi Slimane dropped the “Yves” from Yves Saint Laurent, upon joining the label back in 2012, he swiftly found himself the most controversial figure in fashion. Concept store Colette even started stocking statement tees bearing the words “AIN’T SAINT LAURENT WITHOUT YVES”, leading YSL to draw all stock from the store as a result — the shade!
THE LOGO
Behind every strong brand name is an even stronger logo, and the rise of logomania has meant that an iconic and instantly recognisable insignia has become the single most-deadly tool in a designer’s arsenal. In an era when an Instagram influencer can sell-out a branded swimsuit in seconds, it comes as no surprise that fashion powerhouses like Fendi, Loewe, Dior and JW Anderson are all logo-ing the F out of their latest collections.
THE BEST:
Gucci
Bringing the disregarded ’80s logo back from the dead, Alessandro Michele of Gucci utilised the double G motif to brandish belts and bags when he joined the Italian label back in 2016. As ever, Michele’s timing and eye for detail proved impeccable, sparking a must-have trend and helping to re-establish Gucci as a fashion behemoth following Frida Gianinni’s rather tired and regimented reign as creative director.
THE WORST:
Burberry
He’s barely had a chance to get his feet under the table but Tisci’s new logo for Burberry seems to have left everyone feeling a little underwhelmed. While staying true to Burberry’s sophisticated and elevated ethos, the new material has lost a lot of character. What once was instantly recognisable now feels a bit… cheap. Soz Riccardo!
THE CREATIVE DIRECTION
Always intent on putting their own spin and identity on a brand, every creative director brings a new artistic vision. While it’s fundamental to produce something new and keep things exciting, it’s also important to stay true to a brand’s heritage and overall aesthetic — too much change and you run the risk of alienating the label’s loyal clientele (Ahem, we’re looking at you Justin O’shea).
THE BEST:
Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton
Virgil Abloh is everyone’s fashion fave at the moment, and if his debut collection for Louis Vuitton menswear is anything to go by, it’s more than just a fad. His first show at Paris Fashion Week Men’s struck a balance between originality and statement classics — gaining fans from both his hype-beast fandom and the LV diehards. So, when’s the first drop day gonna be?
THE WORST:
Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent
A recent fashion flop in terms of rebranding was Anthony Vaccarello’s unimaginative and lacklustre menswear debut for Saint Laurent. Evidently only interested in womenswear, Vacarello appears to have been pushed into producing a menswear line — nearly two years after he was named as the new creative director of the brand. Showcasing the menswear against a backdrop of the New York sky-line, the designer seemed to play it safe with a pretty nondescript collection consisting of sequinned coats and standard suiting — boring!