Below are three collage that highlight the difference between couture designers and Beaks of Eagles when it comes to such trim as grommets, pockets, and large 2″inch buttons.
For couture, trim is decoration.
For us, there are “signs” — signs of punk, signs of goth, signs of mod.
The September issue of W Magazine has a short blurb on recent interest of buttons in fashion as evidenced by their prominence in a number of recent collections and an early 2015 exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris on the history of the use of buttons in fashion from pure function to pure decoration. A NYT blog post has a great listing of the use of buttons by various designers,
…. In the 1950s, buttons emphasized the cut of the female silhouette, as exemplified by a Christian Dior red wool dress with a fetching double column of black buttons down the back. Courrèges used buttons graphically; Yves Saint Laurent used them as embellishment; and Mademoiselle Chanel had a firmly pragmatic design strategy: “No buttons without buttonholes.”
As those who have follow our blog posts, our fashion muse is the postmodern architect Robert Venturi. His “decorated shed” aesthetic used decorations as efficient signs.
We have several pieces that references the great 60s designer Courreges who often used double rows of large buttons, sometimes functional, sometime not.
We use 2″ buttons, no less, as signs of Courreges.
Post-Mod – reference to Courreges
I used to work outside of Hollister, California. The town’s name is famous worldwide due to its appropriation by apparel company Abercrombie & Fitch as a surf brand.
When I was just beginning to develop my own youth brand Post-Mod ® five years ago, I happened to discover online accounts of A&F threatening trademark infringement against a local company for silkscreening “Hollister” on a tee shirt.
I thought that it would be cool to do a photoshoot of a male model wearing our Post-Mod ® shirts with a surfboard in front of California Highway Department signs with the name “Hollister” and see if posted pix would elicit threatening letters from Abercrombie and Fitch.
Post-Mod® by Beaks of Eagles
Hollister Co surf board
I never followed through. Today I was reminded of that unrealized photoshoot by an article in the New Yorker by Dave Eggers called The Actual Hollister, where he recalled the Abercrombie and Fitch connection.
So, I decided to search through my photo archives and post a few photos I had taken five years ago of the highway signs with the Hollister name. I also post below a list of taglines I had come up with to accompany the pictures.
Hollister highway sign: trademark infringement A&F?
Surf in Hollister? not-so-much
Surf in Hollister – branding as earthquake prediction
Holllister highway sign: Trademark infringement A&F?
Dude, surf’s up in Hollister…NOT.
Put down your f—ing board and wack the weeds.
Hollister Surf Alert: 7 foot weeds south of town
Hollister highway sign: trademark infringement A&F?
Dude, you get an “F” in California geography:
Garlic = Gilroy; Hay = Hollister; Surf = Santa Cruz 1 hour away.
“NoCal” Hollister Tag Lines
NoCal – the home of pseudo surf apparel companies
The real Hollister was founded by a sheepherder.
Hollister Co. – NoCal surf apparel
Hollister Trademark Controversy
Signs around town: H*ll*st*r
What happens when a city fears being sued for trademark infringement.
Sign on a team uniform: H*ll*st*r
What happens when a city fears being sued for trademark infringement
Notice to Legal Dept: This is a State of California sign. Try and sue them for trademark infringement.
Fight the Power, California. Your lifestyle cannot be trademarked.
Reference to Mod 60s Fashion: 2 inch buttons
Reference to Mod 60s Fashion: 2 inch buttons
We saw today that Estee Lauder partnered with the fashion house Courreges to create a new line of fragrances and skin products. Kendall Jenner is the line’s model.
Below are two of our Post-Mod® racerbacks that reference the great 60s mod designer Courreges.
Kendall Jenner now model for Estee Lauder and Courreges
Beaks of Eagles Mod Racerback Reference to Courreges
