Balenciaga’s Kering T-Shirt– Breaking the Fashion Fourth Wall
Balenciaga’s AW17 collection contained a deeply understated piece. It was a simple t-shirt with the logo and name of Balenciaga’s parent company– Kering.
This t-shirt is not highly sought-after, or particularly exciting, and I am yet to see much discussion about it online, but… there are a few things about it that interests me.
It Breaks the Fourth Wall
It breaks the fourth wall by disenchanting the consumer and highlighting the simple fact that Balenciaga is not a lone company, but rather the arm of a larger corporation.
Anti-Meaning
It feels like the opposite of a Supreme Box Logo hoodie. In the past, people would wear Supreme as a way of aligning themselves with the message and clientele of the brand. But what is the message of a corporation like Kering? And what are the unique features of its clientele? There are not any. It is an umbrella company. It has no definining aspects of itself. It just houses other companies. If there is…
