BY MARIA KAVVALOU

Fashion repeats itself. A few years back, before the advent of Information Technology and the Social Media, fashion houses presented their logos on the items they sold. Besides, it was deemed necessary at the time to show off your newly-acquired purchase, especially if it had cost you a bit more to obtain.
This period was followed by a new phase. Fashion houses did not feel it was necessary to promote their logos anymore and an expensive purchase was a pleasure only to the eyes of the beholder of the label inside the garment.
Now tables seem to have turned again. Brands like Gucci, Chanel and Dior have started printing their name or logo on the garments presented in the catwalks of their 2018 collections. Accordingly, celebrities seem to have begun going crazy for logos. Rossie Huntington-Whiteley, Jennifer Aniston and Dakota Johnson, among many others, have been photographed with Gucci’s double G belt. Kendall Jenner appeared at a recent Lakers game in a Dior Addict t-shirt.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the London outpost of the high fashion retailer Dover Street Market inaugurated the new season dedicating special extra space to tees. Some of them carried logos of big names in the fashion business, some others bearing the logos of smaller independent companies.

But why this reversal of attitude to logos and tees?

On the one hand, the recent economic depression appears to have affected the mentality of most famous fashion houses. Now a euro given extra for a more expensive purchase is a euro worth taking stock of. The elite clientele who can afford to buy upscale brands have every right to be in a position to show off their acquisitions. In the last analysis, which non-celebrity would not wish to be able to circulate among companions and friends wearing a garment or an accessory bearing the name of a renowned fashion house?
On the other hand, it is widely accepted that we live in a world which lacks identity. Each consumer needs to rely on a material possession which will give a shape to an otherwise disorderly life and will represent an idea worth standing up for. Thus, the t-shirts with their imaginative logos that provide a quick way to express an identity. Boys and girls, Ramones and Led Zeppelin tees are back in fashion.
Thus, The Motley Goat logo. Experiencing difficult times, we Greeks need to assert our identity over everyone else. Michail-Alexander Passos had the inspiration to use a typically traditional Greek animal which has lent its name to numerous idiomatic expressions – the motley goat included – to adorn his tees with. While being elegant and sophisticated in its presentation, it gives us food for thought and reminds us of who we are or can be. These superb quality t-shirts beautify, amuse and last but not least, raise our awareness of our roots, motley or not.