On: Diet Prada
Diet Prada is an Instagram account that has gained an immense following recently. The brand exposes copycat fashion on the runway and does so with incredible humor. Tony Liu, one of the founders, says “We would sit and scroll through what used to be Style.com and click through the runway shows. We would crack ourselves up and be like, ‘That's so 2000s Galliano, what were they thinking!’ It got to the point where we were collaging them together to show each other and we were like, ‘We need to put this on the internet.’”
The reappropriation of fashion is a topic that is interesting and related to the subjects explored. The stance that anonymous accounts take in not caring about the audience reaction is why the work is so successful.
Diet Prada: Exposing Copycat Fashion
On: Mr. Brainwash
Mr. Brainwash is the name of street artist Thierry Guetta who was an amateur videographer associated with Shepard Fairey and Banksy. On a whim he began to create work that draws strongly from the work of Banksy, and tends to lack originality of idea. His first show sold for extravagant prices, due to a misuse of endorsements. He is the subject of Bansky's documentary 'Exit Through the Gift Shop,' which makes a mockery of Guetta.
Banksy's ability to "turn the tables" so to speak in the film are quite astounding and make for a very entertaining work.
Banksy: 'Exit Through the Gift Shop'
On: Street Art
I came across a stenciled graffiti of the Queen in Soho with a Louis Vuitton print on her jacket. I was particularly taken with the idea of stenciling a print, as this could be the method I use to place the logos onto the objects I sourced. I think the contrast between a luxury logo and graffiti is an interesting one that I can take into the project.
On: Hermés Silk Scarves
I found a text that featured many Hermés silk scarf designs over the years. The scarves are incredibly delicate yet feature immense detailed prints. Vibrant in color and rich in tonality, these are an item that would be both sold at Harrods and worn by customers. I think a potential idea would be to create my own prints for silk scarves, essentially creating a series of these for the store.
On: Harrods Catalogue, 1929
At the library I came across a 1929 catalogue of Harrods products. There is some rich imagery in the catalogue, and the vintage type photos I found interesting. Indeed you can buy anything at the store, as advertised, from bespoke clothing to saddlery to china. The type of lifestyle that was normal at this time is very different from what is currently viewed as normal, and this made me think about how consumer culture has changed. Shopping and the types of products typically bought have shifted and the formality of lifestyles differ.
On: London A to Z
The London A to Z street atlas has become a symbol of the city's culture in the same way that the Green Men are. I particularly like the text that makes up the cover, and the idea of creating a series of items from A to Z. Thus far I have been more interesting in product design rather than garment design, and I always think it's funny when there's an A to Z listing.
On: 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
I was particularly taken with the scene in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' in which Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak get a ring monogrammed at the titular store. I think that the entire film is quite incredible from the way the characters act and how they mock uppity culture. What I find most interesting about this store interaction is how a low brand item can be rebranded as a high items. Simply the action of monogramming something cheap at Tiffany's instantly presents it in a different context.
On: The Green Man
The Green Man is a symbol of Harrods as a brand, acting as doormen for the store and a reflection of the luxury feeling associated with shopping in such a place. Many of the images found of these are incredibly clichéd and I wanted to play up this culture in many ways. The image of them with Cara Delevigne was particularly interesting to me, for the mix of the traditional and the contemporary. Their uniform is seemingly unchanged, a very traditional three-piece ensemble fashioned from green wool.
On: Imran Moosvi
Imran Moosvi (@imran_potato) creates bootlegs versions of luxury items, placing repeated brand logos on any object imaginable. He says of the work, "It was always kind of random; there’s not one thing specifically that inspired me to start bootlegging. And plus, there’s been people doing this forever, with Dapper Dan obviously being the OG. But I personally just always liked how the Gucci and Louis monograms looked visually – that’s why I use them the most."
The objects become humorous items and definitely reflect an anarchist approach taken to the work. Rebranding has been the main theme explored in my project, and the way in which Moosvi does it is incredibly successful. The items chosen are at random and that is why the approach works so well.
On: Poundland Bandit
Poundland Bandit is an Instagram accounts that created starter pack memes that mock stereotypes of contemporary culture. I was particularly interested in memes that centered around shopping and consumer culture, and even found a Harrods bag in one of the posts.
The post definitely gives insight into the perceived Harrods customer, and the type of items bought at such a store.
On: Bethnal Green
I went to Bethnal Green to sources objects to rebrand for my project. What I found most interesting was how different shopping and consumer culture is here from Harrods. The pound shops in this area are rich with many different items, any you can find anything from hardware to toys to around-the-house necessities. The owners of these stalls come from very different backgrounds than those at Harrods do. I also spotted a woman walking with a Chanel backpack which featured a spray painted motif. This made me think about spray paint as a method by which to brand the items.
On: Harrods Primary Research
Julia and I ventured over to Knightsbridge to get primary research about Harrods. The entire situation was really ridiculous from the start, as there was a £25 charge to check a bag and the Green Men wouldn't let us take photos of them "without permission." The shopping culture of the customers there was what became most interesting to me. Some of the items sold there were entirely inappropriate for such a high end store, particularly the Juicy Couture-esque Vetements track jackets. The use of branding gives many of these items value, and I am really interesting in the idea of teasing the Harrods name in my project.
On: Menashe Kadishman
I found a series of screenprints from Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman which visually resemble the Vetements window display at Harrods. I think that there is incredible beauty to these pieces, and I love how three-dimensional textures can be rendered flat. Screenprinting is not something typically done with such photographic imagery, and I really enjoy the way the paper has taken the image. The difference between full color and monochrome changed the vibe of the photograph as well.
On: Vetements at Harrods
I was most interested in finding images of brands that are entirely unsuitable for Harrods. The store is a reflection of tradition in luxury and Vetements is quite the antithesis of that. I actually like the visual of the store display but Vetements is such a trashy brand that it's interesting how Harrods has given in to selling it for the consumer.