iconic creatures

all right, after a rather 'heavy' post this afternoon, i'm going to make tonight's read more light-hearted. let's take a peek behind some of the most iconic creatures in today's fashion industry and ask ourselves how these animals came to be. 

let's take to the skies and start off with the eagle.

image from company logo collections

the emporio armani logo depicts an eagle that is looking in the right direction. the eagle symbolizes the brand’s supreme quality, excellence and feat, hence making it an everlasting emblem. it is interesting to note the importance placed on eagle feathers in various cultures. highland clan chiefs still wear three eagle feathers in their bonnets as a symbol of their rank, while in native american culture, eagles and their feathers still hold great significance. they were traditionally included in head-dresses, used in various ceremonies, and were also awarded to warriors for acts of bravery. being such great soarers, it is not surprising they represented a higher perspective on life and were believed to have a particularly close connection to the creator.

graphic from ecrater

baby phat uses a sleek cat as the brand logo. the baby phat logo is inspired by kimora lee simmons' own cat, the late max, who had been a part of her life since she was eight years old. the brand was touted as 'turn of the century sex kitten'. it's the perfect description for the bold, fun and sexy attitude of the baby phat woman. whether evidenced by the glimmer in the rhinestones on a pair of jeans, or in the darting glance of the slinky feline logo of the company, these are clothes for the women who defiantly sees the world on her own terms.

picture from find that logo

the a&f logo is a moose because a&f was once an outdoors store called abercrombie & co, founded in 1892 (the year that's always on the clothing today) by david abercrombie. the store was something along the lines of ll bean, selling things like camping, hunting, and fishing gear. ezra fitch was one of his most loyal customers and in 1900, ezra fitch convinced david abercrombie to let him buy into a partnership in the business, and in 1904 the store's name was officially changed to abercrombie & fitch.

image from good logo

designed by art paul, the magazine's first art director, the rabbit head has appeared on the cover of every issue of the magazine since the second. hugh hefner, the creator of the 'playboy' magazine, once explained, 'I selected a rabbit as the symbol for the magazine because of the humorous sexual connotation, and because he offered an image that was frisky and playful. I put him in a tuxedo to add the idea of sophistication. there was another editorial consideration, too. since both 'the new yorker' and 'esquire' use men as their symbols, I felt the rabbit would be distinctive; and the notion of a rabbit dressed up in formal evening attire struck me as charming, amusing and right.' added art paul, 'if I had any idea how important that little rabbit was going to be, I probably would have redrawn him a dozen times to make certain I was doing him justice, and I suppose none of those versions would have turned out as well as the original. as it was, I did one drawing and that was it. I probably spent all of half an hour on it.'

if you had the opportunity to create your own fashion logo, which animal would you choose?

fash'on... BAM!