style
Labeling
Labels
by A.M. with contribution by Eugene Rabkin
Traditionally, labels on clothes
have indicated the brand and a garment size, and tags have usually had similar information
along with price and other details. Some designers, however, seem to put more emphasis on
these small details, as well as on packaging and product presentation. Those who are
superficial about the retail market might say these details play no role when selling or
buying clothing, but some may disagree.
Take for example the Belgian designer Martin Margiela, whose white, nameless label filled
with seemingly meaningless numbers is quite anonymous, and revealing at the same time. The
numbers on the label, which is attached to garments with four white, clearly visible
stitches, symbolize the different clothing and accessory lines produced by Margiela, -the
one to which the garment belongs to is circled. To some, the label won’t make much
sense, but to others it will make the garment recognizable by just the 4 stitches in the
back of the neck and tell absolutely everything.
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Brands such
as Label Under Construction, by former Carpe Diem designer Luca Laurini, have taken
labeling to the next level. The garments themselves might not have even the smallest care
tag on them, but can be recognized by a signature knit hole situated in the back of a
shirt. Not only will the hole have people telling you about a flaw in your sweater, but it
also serves a purpose. The tag, which consists of long, papery strips with printed text,
is attached to the small hole with a piece of metal wire held in place by two ferrules. In
a way, this makes the tag a part of the garment itself. In addition, LUC supplies select
retailers with display supplies; metal hook springs from which the garments can be hung in
a very peculiar and intentionally careless way. To further elaborate the interesting
choices on display, garments have sometimes been placed in metal buckets at the labels
buying event. |
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Packaging is something that has gotten more attention from designers
recently. Traditionally, garments went from brown delivery boxes to hangers on the
store’s racks and into the customer’s bag, but nowadays customers can
occasionally receive products in various kinds of packages. Visvim, the Japanese
streetwear label known for very high-quality footwear, is easily recognizable for its all
white cardboard boxes and paper packs. In addition to shoes, some smaller products such as
wallets and belts come in similar small white boxes equipped with a very traditional
string enclosure; clothes are contained in matching foldable paper envelopes. Another
brand focusing on this is Wings+Horns; their s/s08 products come in stylish black
hardcover boxes.
Amadei is
known for his artisanal skills in garment making and leather work, which he has also
applied to the packaging
One of the most interesting packaging concepts comes from m.a+. Pronounced m.a. cross, the
Italian label is designed by Maurizio Amadei, another ex-Carpe Diem designer. Amadei is
known for his artisanal skills in garment making and leather work, which he has also
applied to the packaging of m.a+. All items come in folded envelope-like canvas pouches
secured by a long elastic string. Like some of his garments, the packaging is also made
from a single piece of fabric and the emphasis is put on texture and pattern.
This brings us to
the question; why do some designers put this much emphasis into details that are quite
insignificant when thinking about the actual product? Sure, a nice box can always be used
for storage, but maybe it can be considered a further display of a designer’s
creativity and emphasize the thought put into the product. In some cases packaging and
tags can follow the design of the garment or even be considered to be an integral part of
it. Much like with m.a+, some Carpe Diem clothes have come in a canvas tube with a
shoulder strap that could be used to carry or pack the item. In many cases, details such
as these can make the garment feel special.
Perhaps this feeling
of getting something special also explains why paying $500 for one thing might not seem
much while in other cases it might seem crazy, but that’s a whole other story… |
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