Luxury accessories go logo-less

Where most fashion’s are subject to a yang to the previous yin, the luxury accessories market seems to have undergone a complete u-turn. If, once, the sign of opulent times and a sense of haute exclusivity was in a symbol or logo, now key luxury

brands are finding exclusivity through just that – anonymity.

So where high end brands such as Hermes, always known for their timeless classics rather than over-logoed products, has recently thrived in economic times, a less-is-more approach is now circulating the accessories landscape with brands from Celine to Victoria Beckham producing logo free statement pieces. It’s now a design direction spanning heritage brands and start ups from Chanel, whose new ‘Boy’ collection doesn’t have the signature quilting or double C logo to young designers, Mary and Kate Olsen, who have just launched a handbag line of unfussy, simple shapes made of luxury materials.

Tomas Maier, creative director at Bottega Veneta, renowned for eschewing anything logo-ed and instantly identifiable says, ‘when I joined Bottega Veneta, I immediately eliminated everything that distracted from our focus on the product.’ “Bottega Veneta strengths have nothing to do with short lived trends.”

Many in the industry are now seeing this pared down aesthetic as an ongoing part of luxury growth; Ed Burstell, director at Liberty of London, credits the uncertain economy for the shift towards understatement, “If budgets are tighter, there is much greater value put on bags that will stand the test of time.”(FT)

It’s a trend even catching on in Asia, where famed Hong Kong department store, Lane Crawford, is seeing a veer in their consumer towards discreet accessorising.