Logo Tees: From Street Stalls To Designer Brands

The rise of the logo tees

Published on8th February 2017 at 9.17am

Slogan t-shirts and logo t-shirts are everywhere we turn at the moment, with even the likes of Kendall Jenner sporting a t shirt branded: Dior Addict. (If only we could relate...)

We’re used to seeing street stalls knock off designer brands, but here’s a turn out for the books: this season, the designers have taken their cue from the market traders. Until recently, the only place you’d see logoed t-shirts was between the butcher’s stand and the one selling polyester lilies and those giant striped shopping bags that Balenciaga paid homage to for AW16.

Gucki, Louie Vuitton, and Burberrie tees – misspelt, pixelated, and highly flammable, could be yours for five pounds each, two for a tenner. Maybe it was thanks to Daniella Westbrook, but wearing your label splashed across your chest was just not done in the fashion world.

But with the 80s fashion revival at full tilt, athleisure making branded sportswear cool again, and labels like YSL and Fendi stamping their logoes on everything from stilettos to ski suits, it was only a matter of time before big fashion brands reclaimed the logo tee – with a designer price tag to match.

Gucci’s £320 white cotton is a favourite with the fashion set, getting more Instagram love than a wicker basket full of newborn puppies, while Gilda Ambrosio and Pernille Teisbaek have both pledged allegiance to the Cult of Chanel in Karl’s Cuban tees. But if the real McCoy is out of budget, there’s only one thing for it: go rogue and – dare we say it - try a fashionable homage. Chiara Ferragni and model Soo Joo are both fans of Bleached Goods’ tees, which combine our favourite fashion houses’ logos with band tour-merch graphics – think Saint Laurent meets the Rolling Stones, or death metal’s answer to Chanel. And whichever you pick, one thing’s for certain: you won’t find this lot on Petticoat Lane…

So many designers have now jumped on the logo tee bandwagon, so we've got a selection for you of what you can get, where from, and for how much! Take a look at our gallery below: