MEET THE NEW WAVE OF BRANDALISTS DISRUPTING LUXURY

Take JJ Hudson (aka Dr Noki) - the “OG brandalist”, bootleg pioneer and textile artist who works with discarded or second-hand clothes, takes them apart and deconstructs the branding, to make an entirely new outfit. On one level it’s quite anti-fashion, on another it also encourages a DIY mentality. “I want people to see that it’s time to focus on sustainability properly,” he says.

Upcycling - or ‘trashion’ - is a key element of Ancuta Sarca’s work, too. A new addition on the Fashion East line-up at London Fashion Week, the Romanian-born designer splices together old Nike trainers and vintage heels to produce fabulously fun footwear. “The idea behind the shoes was reusing my old pairs which I didn’t wear anymore instead of discarding them,” Sarca explains. “I had a lots of Nike trainers and kitten heels, some of them broken so I couldn’t donate them, and I really wanted to ‘rebrand’ them and create something totally different. I liked the idea of recontextualising the Nike logo by placing it on a totally different style of shoes.”

Logos are the modern-day unifying icon, according to Emma Louise Rixhon, whose Citzens of Nowhere 'Gucci' tees are created by hand-painting logos onto silkscreens, tie-dying with vegetables and embroidered using glass beads and freshwater pearls. Rixhon says: “Branding has always been a focus for me because no matter where I’ve been in the world, big sportswear and luxury logos are sold on marketplaces, in outlets, and in luxury stores. We all value the same things; whether they are handmade, or store bought. The ‘fake’ is personal.”

CITIZENS OF NOWHERE 

Also featured in The Real Thing exhibition, Berlin-based artist Anna Ehrenstein’s piece of “Burberry” cake (taken from the series Tales of Lipstick and Virtue) interrogates the concept of authenticity and the intersections of ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultures. She argues the 'bootleg' isn't exactly a new phenomenon (“fashion has always been about creating new synergies from already existing material,” she says).

anna ehrenstein 

“Conspicuous consumption was always a statement of including oneself into a sphere that wanted to exclude you,” Anna adds. “There is a "zero fucks given" mentality, an exciting and nonchalant coolness involved, when people get crazy with bootleg. Especially within Western societies - folks are fascinated by the 'I am breaking the law' aesthetic.”

One of London’s most prominent logo-jackers, Sports Banger, showcased a spectacularly over-the-top homage to Tommy Hilfger at London Fashion Week for AW20. I loved it. “I want to make luxury for all,” founder Jonny Banger says, who established his shop and studio in North London in 2013. The label-cum-rave collective’s tagline in three words? I ask. “Just do it.”