Luxe brands revisit archival elements

The last few seasons have seen international fashion houses looking deep into their own archives, putting the spotlight on their iconic insignias and recontextualising them with an of-the-moment touch. Alessandro Michele at Gucci revived their Flora scarf (made for Grace Kelly in 1966) print in separates, Prada brought back their game-changing nylon in neon hues and ’90s geometric prints, Versace reignited its Renaissance, Animalia and Andy Warhol prints and Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent re-imagined YSL’s  ’80s strong shoulders in mini dresses and smoking jackets.

Combine this wave of self-referencing with street cred, logo lust and the all-pervading un-gender movement, and you’ve pretty much summed up the current fashion movement, which celebrates the spirit of reinvention. We get experts to share their take on this delightful osmosis of the past with the present... 

Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga pushed layering to a new level, thereby rekindling visuals of Christobal Balenciaga’s ’50s shapes. And the recent example is the Dior Saddle bag being reinterpreted by Maria Grazia Chiuri in beaded panels in contrasting tones. Stylist Prayag Menon observes that this trend of revival stems from the idea of making iconic/historic styles relevant in today’s time. He says, “A maison/brand marries its past to its present, and this potentially births its future.” 

The past, or history as I  prefer to call it, provides inspiration and also helps a brand in understanding which of its designs have been received well by consumers. Reinvention and reintroduction of iconic styles is an example of just that (modern-day relevance),” says Prayag.

LENDS AN UNDENIABLE CHARACTER

The past, as they say, is what connects us to the future and fashion always looks behind to carve a way ahead as it maintains the echoes of a distinct language that gave the brand an undeniable character. FDCI blogger Asmita Aggarwal says, “What’s interesting is also to note how Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia plays with humour by refashioning the Ikea bag or the daddy big shoe making it contextual with what’s relevant today. He also gave Cristobal’s memorable cocoon and sack dresses a fresh makeover with his puffer jackets. Karl Lagerfeld recreated the iconic power suit with cinched waists and pussy-bow blouses giving Coco Chanel’s vision a new twist. The idea is to keep the template the same but tweak it in keeping with the socio-political and cultural climate of the world as fashion is a true mirror of the times we live in.”

PAST DETERMINES THE FUTURE

The past is what designers mine for the future. Every house has certain logos/ imagery that makes them immediately identifiable. Chanel’s camellias and Dior’s bar jacket being a few examples. Fashion writer Nishat Fatima says, “They need it, they build it, and they spend millions to entrench it into the public consciousness. The balancing act they have to perform is how much to use it because sometimes it can be too much of a good thing. That’s why Burberry ’s famous check went from being ON products to being inside products, and now is making way for an old/new logo. What most houses do is to rotate their icons, so when Alessandro Michele took over at Gucci, the emphasis went from being the bamboo to the stripe. The flora print had made an appearance during Frida Giannini’s Gucci as well. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri is bringing an easier, younger vibe to the label, and the saddle bag, first introduced in 2000 by Galliano fits that vibe perfectly especially as it comes on the heels of a decade of the more formal Lady D and the Diorama.”