We see them every day—in our homes, on TV, out in the street. They’re the famous logos of the brands we’ve come to know and love. These logos not only accurately represent the famous brands they’re attached to, they’ve become a part of our shared pop culture. Just about every major fashion giant logo has a fascinating story behind it. For that purpose, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite luxury fashion logos with hidden meanings, secret truths and exciting origin stories behind their design.
1) Versace Medusa
Gianni Versace found the inspiration for the logo of his company in floors of the Roman ruins he once played in as a child. The floor was emblazoned with an image of Medusa, one of the most compelling and deadliest figures in ancient Greek mythology. The lore depicts Medusa as a beautiful woman cursed to have a head full of snakes and a gaze that turns people into stone when they look into her eyes, thus there is no turning back for those who falls for her allure. It is the House of Versace’s sincere wish to have the same effect on their clients.
2) YSL’s Letters
Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron or simply Cassandre – a Ukrainian-French painter, commercial poster artist and typeface designer – created the YSL logo in December 1961 only a few years before his suicide. As some have put it, “The challenge [was] in how Cassandre dared to break the unwritten rule of not mixing – in the same word – two typeface features that are, in principle, incompatible.
3) The Hermés Carriage
Hermès began as a small harness workshop in Paris, which was dedicated to serving European noblemen and creating luxury harnesses and bridles for horse-drawn carriages. The Hermès logo is a royal carriage and a horse – and uses a slightly modified form of the Memphis typeface which was originally designed by Dr. Rudolf Wolf in 1929.
4) Chanel’s Interlocking C’s
The Chanel logo was designed by Coco Chanel herself in 1925 and remains unchanged to this day. A popular story suggests that it was inspired by the stained glass windows in an Aubazine chapel which featured interlaced curves and also housed an orphanage where Chanel spent the latter half of her childhood.
5) The Gucci Double G’s
The instantly recognizable logo for Gucci represents the initials of the founder, Guccio Gucci, and was created by his son, Aldo, in 1933. While undoubtedly similar to that of Coco Chanel, there has never been any public litigation regarding their likenesses.
6) Prada’s Rope Emblem
While Prada chooses to solely use their name for most branding, they do in fact have an emblem with a rich history. The classic rope design that aligns the periphery comes from when the Italian house were appointed as the official suppliers to the Italian Royal Household in 1919 – thus allowing them to use the House of Savoy’s coat of arms.
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