This was a period of logo mania and de-logoing at the same time.
In the newly released Milan-Shanghai Shuangcheng 2022 spring and summer series, the Italian luxury brand Prada replaced the previous classic triangle Logo with a blank triangle. The new stripped down triangle is made of fabric and is embedded in the same left chest position as the traditional triangle logo.
For decades, Prada has adorned its bags and other accessories with an enamel triangle, Prada's most iconic logo. Previously, Prada's use of its triangular trademark was almost uniform, that is, the words "PRADA Milano" were printed within the inverted isosceles triangle frame, and the brand's year of establishment "DAL 1913".
In recent years, the triangle logo has been used more on nylon products that have regained popularity, but with the addition of new co-creative director Raf Simons, Prada not only pays more attention to the triangle, but also tries to interpret it in a variety of ways.
In addition to the appearance of a blank triangle on the invitations to the Prada Autumn/Winter 2021 fashion show, triangular elements are also reflected in strappy sandals with triangular tongues, blank triangle decorations on the sides of men’s caps, triangle logos made of jacquard knitting, various style triangle bag pieces and a series of triangle Logo metal accessories. Blank triangles and the Prada brand name-only triangle appeared in almost every look, from earrings to ready-to-wear to toes.
Miuccia Prada admitted Raf Simons was fascinated by triangles in an interview with FT earlier this year. Raf Simons bluntly said, "We have to be honest, since labeling brands is a reality in the fashion industry now, I would rather look for something to clarify what a brand is, rather than sticking 40cm long Prada letters on clothes. I'm fascinated by how to bring Prada's logo into the fabric of the garment, such as the iconic jacquard, a cutout, a rose, instead of just putting a metal triangle on it. I know how important the brand's logo is, but I prefer There can be more originality.”
According to FT reviewer Alexander Fury, the triangle is a quieter, more restrained brand identity than the brand name. For Raf Simons, who is obsessed with youth culture, the triangle can be seen as a kind of identity badge for the exclusive crowd. For Prada, who has long explored the relationship between fashion and uniforms, the triangle has also become a potential uniform badge.
The triangle logo in previous seasons seems to be a restrained expression of the Prada brand logo, but it actually expands the Prada brand logo. The further abstraction and generalization of the latest Spring/Summer 2022 collection is aimed at seeking a more low-key luxury, but its essence is to break the limitation and expand the expression range of the brand.
The Fashion Law, a podcast focused on fashion legal issues, explained this as saying that Prada is looking to expand its rights to the triangle mark. In June, Prada filed a trademark application for a simplified triangle mark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, and it has also filed a number of applications for the registration of a simplified triangle mark in the United States.
Back in 2012, Prada's lawyers filed and approved a registration application for a stylized blank multi-triangle trademark. The flurry of filings could eventually pave the way for the brand's larger trademark rights, enabling it to use a completely blank triangular logo on specific items.
Since many brand symbols are taken from common elements in daily life, it is often impossible to fully enjoy the exclusiveness of such elements. But even if it cannot obtain the trademark right of the blank triangle symbol, Prada also tries to deepen the impression of consumers through the interpretation of various triangle elements, so that every time they see the triangle Logo, they can think of Prada.
It is worth noting that, while emphasizing the new concise triangle symbol, Prada has not given up its original complete brand identity, and the two appear on different products in turn. As a result, Prada seems to want to cast a bigger net and cater to a wider range of luxury consumers by offering a variety of products.
Prada's ambition to occupy the minds of consumers with a triangular logo is because, on the one hand, under the influence of increasingly fierce market competition and street trends, luxury brands must further symbolize their identities. The emphasis on trademarks may also be directly related to Bottega Veneta's aggressive use of triangular elements since creative director Daniel Lee took over.
Since the early autumn series of 2019, Daniel Lee has subtly implanted the shape of the triangle into all aspects of the brand. This element is inspired by the triangle Logo previously launched by Bottega Veneta in the 1990s. On the Cassette crossbody bag, known as the Pillow Bag, the adjustable shoulder strap is decorated with a triangular metal buckle, which is the bag's only metal hardware.
For the Wardrobe 01 collection late last year, Daniel Lee launched a series of pieces with triangular elements, the latest Point handbag also has a triangular cut handle, and a terry-knit dress has a fringed V-neck.
These triangles are said to represent the "V" in Bottega Veneta's name, but Bottega Veneta's "V" is intentionally completely different from the glittering letter logos used by some luxury brands such as Versace and Valentino. Bottega Veneta's subtle treatment of the logo is in line with the brand's understated luxury style, which focuses more on the shape and texture of the product than the brand name. Some analysts believe that this quiet and luxurious style has resonated with today's luxury consumers, who are tired of the loud Logo mania.
In just three years, with the strengthening of design elements by the new creative director and intensive social media marketing, Bottega Veneta has become popular at an alarming rate, and its sales have risen against the trend during the epidemic. With the continuous birth of explosive models, the connection between the triangle and the brand has become more and more popular. In addition, Bottega Veneta's move to use bright green as a brand logo has also triggered a follow-up effect in the industry, once again proving the dark horse brand's ability to lead the trend.
The aggressiveness of Bottega Veneta undoubtedly made Prada, who originally regarded the triangle as the classic symbol of the brand, feel a strong sense of crisis. Although the triangles of the two are slightly different, compared with Prada, Bottega Veneta's interpretation of the triangle is relatively more de-Logo and fashion, but it is undoubtedly still very confusing for consumers.
Considering the thriving performance of the two brands Bottega Veneta and Prada, this competition is even more prominent. In the first half of the year, Prada Group’s revenue rose 60% year-on-year to 1.501 billion euros, of which the Chinese mainland market rose 77% compared to 2019. In the first half of the year, Bottega Veneta recorded a strong growth of 40.6% to 707 million euros, and its operating profit rose 197.5% year-on-year to 129 million euros. Leather handbags accounted for about 70% of total sales.
Conversely, the growth of the two brands is largely due to the success of the two brands in the communication of symbols such as logos. Although both brands hope to make the expression of the logo more restrained, in essence, the two brands' preemption of the triangle symbol is a manifestation of the emphasis on symbolic expression.
The consumer market has gradually formed a consensus that large-scale communication can only be achieved through symbols. As one of the tentacles of creativity, it repeatedly links brands and consumers. The protection of the brand logo, secondary logo, printing and commonly used colors, elements, etc., just reflects that these have become hard currency in the market.
The competition of luxury brands for the above symbols other than Logo proves that they also shoulder the important task of innovating brands, revitalizing performance and driving growth. When the logos of luxury brands are overwhelming, and almost every brand has launched Logo T-shirts, sweaters, sweaters and scarves, trying to print Logos wherever possible, the market inevitably returns to subtlety, but the commercial effect of Logos has been difficult. give up.
The brand is trying to find a compromise between the overwhelming English font logo and printing, trying to use more classic elements besides the text logo to confirm the brand identity without having to be stuck on the monotonous logo font.
In the new trend cycle, the logo is extremely important, but it may become less and less public.