Fashion Forward: Slogans make bold statements

The fashion industry is one that constantly evolves and pushes different boundaries every day. On the personal level, the world of fashion is also open to interpretation, giving individuals a chance to reflect their personal style. Each week, columnists Alexis Williams and Aubrey Yeo look at a different topic in fashion, and find out what keeps fashion moving forward at UCLA.

Accented with gold sequin from top to bottom, the iridescent exterior of the full-length Pre-Fall 2015 Moschino dress certainly knows how to catch the attention of people. But its most eye-catching detail is the words “I HAD NOTHING TO WEAR SO I PUT ON THIS EXPENSIVE MOSCHINO DRESS,” embroidered in black – a phrase that certainly takes advantage of the length of the dress. The Moschino dress takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a fashion phenomenon that has found recent prominence worldwide: slogans.

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I think the beauty behind slogans – more than just how it can completely transform a basic article of clothing – is how it always feels like an extension of the personality of the person wearing one.

My take on sloganed clothing is that they’re best used to bring a light-hearted appeal to one’s outfit. Similar to sports teams producing shirts that feature the names of star players, UK-based fashion label Missguided has done the fashion equivalent by compiling the names of several British models: Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn are featuring them on its Jourdan supermodel boyfriend T-shirt.

Other than pop culture references, slogans also allow the wearer to exhibit some of his or her own cheeky brand of humor.

For second-year psychobiology student Adrienne Berry, her humor comes out in a black Forever 21 leotard, featuring the slogan “I ONLY GOT ICE FOR YOU,” a play on the common expression “I only got eyes for you,” but with a completely different meaning.

“It’s just funny. If it’s really funny, I’ll just have to get it,” Berry said. “I have (gotten) questions about this shirt, because they were like, ‘What does it mean?’ and I just told them it’s like a curve.”

Personally, I prefer treating my slogan tees as the main course of my ensemble and not the entire meal, and pair them with some form of layering, be it with a jacket or a buttoned-down shirt. The layers add some contrast and complexity to the inherent simplicity of slogan tees, but should be unzipped or unbuttoned to not obstruct the message in the front.

I’m especially partial to my “Last clean t-shirt” slogan tee by Polish label Local Heroes, made famous by Cara Delevingne. I feel the sense of humor it represents is something that I would be proud to display on my chest, literally. A quick look at the Local Heroes online catalog shows an added range of slogans in various fonts, including my new favorite, “JUST ANOTHER DAY OF NOT BEING RICH AND FAMOUS.”

I might just have to add that to my repertoire.

– Aubrey Yeo, Bruin senior staff

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Slogans have been represented by all the best – Lanvin, Balmain and Balenciaga have all jumped on the graphic tee bandwagon at one point or another.

Then they’ve been redone. Brian Lichtenberg, now widely considered to be the king of high-fashion logo spoofs, has taken world-renowned, highly recognizable designer logos like Hermés and Céline, transformed them into his own “Homies” and “Féline” designs, and used them to inspire celebrity-endorsed hats, sweaters, tees and tanks.

While the trend was most prevalent last winter, a quick glance through the lookbooks of successful labels like Brandy Melville – which almost always carries numerous styles of graphic tees with some sort of sayings on them – leads consumers to believe the graphic T-shirt has the potential to become a wardrobe staple.

If you ask me, it’s all in the versatility. While most Brandy Melville models pair their cropped graphic tees with high-waisted jeans, celebrities like Rita Ora and Zendaya Coleman have been known to wear theirs on the red carpet paired with pantsuits and pumps.

And while Lichtenberg’s “Brianel” tank – a play on the Chanel brand – is and always will be on my fashion wishlist, what I find especially inspiring about some UCLA students’ take on slogan tees is their ability to use them as both a fashion piece and political instrument.

Take fourth-year global studies and Asian studies student Kimberly Grano’s sweatshirt. From afar, the cursive font and deep color had me convinced it was designed by Obey. A closer look revealed the message “People Empowering People, Liberty in North Korea.” The non-profit organization, Liberty in North Korea, uses apparel to gain awareness and raise money in an effort to rescue North Korean refugees hiding in China.

“Awareness is definitely a part of it. A lot of people have asked what it is, so that’s always good. They’re fashionable too, which is good,” Grano said.

Grano embraced the sole purpose of graphic clothing: She used her sense of fashion to make a statement.

– Alexis Williams, Bruin reporter