THE TRUTH BEHIND FASHION LOGOS
A recent interview with Nike co-founder Phil Knight and CBS News unearthed the meaning behind the iconic Nike logo and it’s fascinating.
The “wing,” as it used to be called, was supposed to symbolize the sound of speed. Knight paid a college student just $35 to draw it and he thought it looked like a “big fat checkmark.”
This new discovery on the meaning behind one of the most famous fashion logo made me curious about other famous logos.
I was researching the iconic Chanel logo when I remembered seeing something similar in Tours, a city in Central France famous for its chateaus in Central France. The interior of the beautiful Château de Chenonceau is decorated with an H, for Henri II overlaid with interlocking Cs (just like Chanel’s logo) for his queen, Catherine de Medici. This decoration was a clever bit of mischief as well because the H with the Cs also formed interlocking Ds, representing Henri II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers.
It’s only a conspiracy theory but as a french woman, Coco Chanel would have most certainly visited the Chateau and seen these interlocking Cs. Maybe this is where her iconic logo comes from.
A logo that we do know the meaning behind is that of Versace. Gianni Versace was inspired by greek mythology, born in a town in Southern Italy that had been influenced by Greek culture and tradition after Greek colonization centuries earlier. It’s no surprise that Versace chose the head of Medusa for his label’s logo.
Medusa in Greek mythology is a beautiful Gorgon who was turned into a hideous monster by Athena. She goes from alluring woman to snake-haired monster who turns men to stone with a glance. Versace was inspired by the pre-monster Medusa who symbolizes power, strength and beauty. This is clear in his logo that portrays her with flowing hair instead of snakes.
Donatella Versace said her brother’s reasoning for using Medusa’s head was “whoever falls in love with Medusa can’t flee from her.” Not a bad inspiration for a fashion label hoping to keep loyal wearers.
Her head is encircled by a ring of Greek keys. This is less symbolic, but represents the labyrinth from the story of Theseus and the Minotaur in Greek mythology. It was often used as a border on Greek temples and pottery.
One last inspiration: Hermès. Ever wonder why the fashion label has a royal carriage and horse as part of its logo? It turns out that Hermès didn’t begin as a luxury design brand but as a small harness workshop in Paris. They originally manufactured luxury harnesses and bridles for horse-drawn carriages, much like the carriage in their logo. Hermes turned to leather goods when the brothers were given the exclusive right to use the zipper, bringing the feature to France for the first time.
The inspiration behind many famous logos, fashion or otherwise, remain a mystery. It’s up to hard-hitting journalists to ask fashion designers these pressing questions.