Cease and Desist T-shirt Series

…A Brief History

The history and aesthetic value of fakes and replicas are just as important to Fashion as its own designs, the “knock off” in the right context holds its own unique value in relation to its authentic counterpart, a fake Gucci tee shirt is more about the social association, and accessibility then it is the quality and exclusivity.

Alessandro Michele 2018 cruise collection exemplifies this notion by brandishing its garments with “guccy” a clear ode to counterfeit culture and even a meta move for the fashion house's own self awareness of its vintage knockoffs still going for hefty price tags.

“Gucci ghost” originated by musician Trevor “trouble Andrew” Andrew was a Halloween costume inspired identity. This Identity then visualized through his signature Ghost logo and other Graffiti Motifs. He was involved with designing a Gucci line thanks to and along side of Alessandro Michele. This collaboration continued to not only embraced the "knock-off" aesthetic but further acknowledge the significance of branding wether authentic or fake.

The Shirts

The Ceased and Desist Tees were inspired by counterfeit culture. The shirts acknowledge the associations logos and branding have regardless of their authenticity. The project highlights how the impact of knock-offs and how they Hi-jack a brands message reinterprets it into a symbol of consumerism and status.

The Hand-drawn aesthetic is to drive home the message that the Brand Logo no matter how inauthentic still possess the same visual power and association as an authentic logo.

The Mix-Match Logos on the front and back of the shirts make light of the consumerist association these brand logos have within our society regardless the context and juxtaposition.

The visual literacy created by a deliberate knock off is as valuable as its authentic counterpart. The knock off repurposes the exclusivity for accessibility and doubles down the association of consumerism. The cease and desist Tess are the boiled down components of these concepts. They are visual representation of how much power branding has regardless of the medium, intent or authenticity.