What you didn't know about the logos of Burberry, Versace and other top brands

Brand identities

1/13

We see them everywhere - on our earrings, sunglasses and bags.

It is how we connect with the brands we know so well (and love), and how we meet other fans of the brand too.

But what are the stories or inspirations behind these symbols?

In celebration of Her World’s recent brand refresh, we gathered a few other brands that we grew up with.

Here are their stories and ours too.

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Brooks Brothers

2/13

Almost two centuries ago, Brooks Brothers began dressing America’s most elite. They’re known for their quality clothes and for using the finest wool.

Their logo is of a lamb suspended from a ribbon. 

In London in the mid-19th century, shops that sold the finest wool would have the symbol of a lamb suspended by a ribbon hung on their doors- reflecting the brand’s products, made of the most fine and pure cotton.

At the same time, the symbol of a winged ram with golden wool in Greek mythology, is the Golden Fleece which marked kingship, which reflected who donned Brooks Brothers’ clothes - the most elite.

In Europe, the Order of the Golden Fleece was awarded to the most prestigious. Brooks Brothers’ logo of the Golden Fleece not only assures customers of its quality cotton, but also pays homage to the symbol’s prestigious prestigious and fine history.

Photo: Brooks Brothers

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Burberry

3/13

Established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, did you know? The company used to specialise in only outdoor clothing? 

It was the first retailer to design a material that was both waterproof and light- this material was used to create the Trench coat, then known as the Tielocken in the early 1900s. 

In those days it was known to be the best protection in all terrains- rain, snow and wind. 

Burberry became the outfitter of choice for those in these terrains like polar explorers, pilots and even soldiers.

Known for the durability of its products, Burberry has been present for over 160 years offering protection to the traditional explorer and modern woman. 

That is exactly what is represented through the black colour in its “Equestrian Knight” logo - elegant products that are durable and strong to survive even battles. 

The knight represents pride, purity and grandeur while the shield he bears depicts protection which in this case, refers to the trench coat.

Photo: Burberry

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Calvin Klein

4/13

Calvin Klein started retailing in 1968 selling mainly coats and dresses that even youths could wear. It later on expanded the range of products to sportswear, lingerie and its iconic jeans with the logo printed onto the back pocket.

Throughout all its releases, Calvin Klein’s clothes are known to be subtly sophisticated with their designs and simple colour palettes of neutral colours- just like its logo.

There’s always a prominent white colour to symbolise Calvin Klein’s charm and purity, and black to represent its sophistication and everyday elegance.

Their darker logo was used on Haute Couture collections while the grey logo was used for regular collections, and white for sportswear.

After a few changes to the logo, Calvin Klein’s revamped logo changed from a big ‘cK’ to a similar recreation of its original logo- now in capitalised, thicker and cleaner font with lesser spacing.

The new Creative Director, Raf Simons, did this to pay homage to Calvin Klein himself, by returning to its original spirit and acknowledging the founders and foundations of the brand.

​Photo: Calvin Klein

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Chanel

5/13

Gabrielle Chanel founded Chanel in 1910. She started off selling hats, which were adored by the most reputable French actresses. She slowly gained popularity and was recognised for her designs.

As she released more products like sportswear and Couture clothes, her brand gained more attention, but she never had any logo. 

Then in 1925, she introduced Gardenia, her favourite scent from her line of perfumes. 

Alongside it was the iconic double C logo. 

There are many versions of what the logo really means. Whilst some say that it was inspired by an emblem in the house she grew up in, which consisted of overlapping double Cs. Some also say that it was inspired by the design of a museum which her close friend owned. 

There’s also the theory that it is simply the initials of the French designer brand, Coco Chanel.

​Photo: Chanel

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Coach Inc.

6/13

Founded in 1941 by Miles and Lilian Cahn, Coach Inc. is also home to brands Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.

It started off as a family-run workshop in New York City. Coach Inc. were the pioneers of leather goods and accessories. This established them as the original American house of leather.

The inspiration behind its bags actually came from baseball gloves. Miles was fascinated by how the gloves were manufactured. He decided to take the attributes of a baseball glove and with the help of six artists, he created a collection of 12 handbags. So just like a baseball glove, the bags were made from tan, supple, high quality leather with the top-notch stitchwork and craftsmanship. 

In 1962, Bonnie Cashin was hired and she created the brass toggle hardware that’s on Coach’s bags and duffle bags. Her beliefs of making bags were simple, yet punchy as seen in her classic debut collection which had simple designs with bold colours and and a striped interior. But Coach still wasn’t well-known, till 1979 when Lev Frankfort, who’s Coach Inc’s CEO today, joined the company and made it a world-renowned brand. 

The bags, which were seen as luxurious, filled a gap in the market then for affordable luxury bags, which is reflected in its logo.

It embodies luxury, high social status and dignity - which are values which were associated with those who rode in coaches like in its logo.

Photo: Coach Inc.

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

 

Comme des Garcons Play

7/13

It was almost like love at first sight with the CdG Play logo. The collection, launched in 2002, was one of the more successful ones in CdG. 

It’s most known for its logo - a heart-shaped character with a pair of eyes. 

The artist behind the logo, Filip Pagowski, explains that he’d been a follower of the brand since the 1980s. 

The heart shaped logo had not much significance behind it. Filip had an idea one day of this logo, and he had submitted it for another CdG collection but it was rejected.

Then word came out that the Japanese brand was looking for artists, and Filip’s first draft of the iconic and trendy heart character became what we see on products today.

​Photo: Commes des Garcon

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Fendi

8/13

Adele and Edoardo Fendi opened up Fendi in 1925. It first started off as a fur and leather shop and was well known as the first handbag shop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome

The association of class with Fendi has long been there, Romans saw a trip to Fendi as an ‘atas’ date. 

It then became a family business and the daughter of Adele and Edoardo took notice of Karl Lagerfeld. 

He invented the two reverse F letters in the 1960s and Fendi’s recognition grew larger and larger. The logo is sported on a multitude of products, from clothes to belt knuckles and of course handbags.

The black in the logo reflected its growing recognition under Karl’s guidance, as well as the supremacy the bag’s bearer possessed while being elegant all at once. Meanwhile, the yellow stands for all things positive. 

Besides being a tool to identify the brand, the reversed F letters are also a way to spot a counterfeit Fendi product - which has been in the market since its popularity went up.

​Photo: Fendi

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Hermes

9/13

Hermes opened in 1837 as a small harness workshop in Paris, where they made luxury harnesses and bridles for horse-drawn carriages - just like what you see in its logo. 

The Hermes brothers were the first ones to bring the zipper to France, and so they turned to leather goods.

Since then, Hermes has been known for its luxury style.

Besides paying tribute to its origins as a harness workshop, the logo’s horse and carriage are also symbolic of the brand and how they associate themselves with high society - such as those who ride in carriages.

​Photo: Hermes

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Kenzo

10/13

The Japanese brand was founded in 1970 by Kenzo Takada. Kenzo, originally from Japan, shifted to Paris in 1964 and was well known for his Asian and Japanese influence in his designs. It had also influenced European high fashion. 

His first boutique in Paris was decorated with a jungle theme. Kenzo’s clothes were known to be flamboyant and Japanese-wrap style - nothing like the designs that come to our minds now. 

Years later after Carol Lim and Humberto Leon took over as creative designers, they came up with a deal breaker- a knit sweatshirt, which would have either failed completely or gone through the roofs. 

When the sweatshirt sporting the tiger and Kenzo logo were launched in stores, they were an instant hit.

Whilst refreshing their roots, they stayed true to their roots of the ‘Jungle Jap’. At the same time the loud design was intended as a way for customers to meet each other, forming a community.

No matter how much the logo changes as the brand develops, it will always pay homage to Kenzo Takada and his ‘Jungle Jap’ boutique. 

​Photo: Kenzo

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Levi Strauss & Co.

11/13

Founded in 1873, the founders Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss were also the inventors of blue jeans made with their patented process of securing clothing at ‘points of strain’ with rivets - which resulted in strong and durable jeans. 

At that time, the jeans were used by miners and other individuals in work-heavy industries. 

The brand knew that the patent would expire soon so in order to let customers understand the fine quality its jeans were made of, they had to tell a story of how their jeans were made.

As you probably know, the story they told was that two horses – each pulling in the opposite direction on the same pair of Levi’s jeans, trying in vain to tear them apart.

Besides that, the logo was also used to explain to non-english-speaking customers how durable the jeans were, but eventually became the one way people recognised the brand - as the ‘Two Horse’ brand. 

​Photo: Levi's

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Versace

12/13

The brand was founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. He was born in Southern Italy - known for its close association with classic Greek traditions. As a child, Gianni was playing at Roman ruins when he saw an engraving of Medusa on the floor. That was where his inspiration came from. 

Medusa is one of the most dangerous yet compelling Greek monsters. She turns heads with her beauty, and turns those who fall for her into stone.

Versace’s designs are known for being glamorous yet sultry, groundbreaking and extraordinary. Its logo evokes authority, attractiveness and fatal fascination, all while being elegant. 

At the same time, representing how Versace hopes to keep loyal customers - just like Medusa.

​Photo: Versace

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO

Her World

13/13

Her World was launched in 1960 and was a magazine about mainly dress patterns and beauty. 

Over the years, the content has grown to cater to what the modern woman needs to know about fashion, beauty, health, relationships, career and everyday issues. 

The recently refreshed logo is Her World's eighth refresh in the past 57 years. However, women's favourite topics - fashion, beauty and lifestyle - are still the backbone of Her World.

In this refresh, the formulaic nature of women's lifestyle magazines has been done away with and in its place is a more modern, positive and inclusive reflection of how we live now to bring usefulness, inspiration and empowerment to readers. 

The new logo comes in two bright and bold contrasting colours that demands the attention of readers, differentiating it from the rest.

​Photo: Her World

 

ALSO READ: HER WORLD MAGAZINE RELAUNCHES WITH A FRESH LOOK AND NEW LOGO