An Artist Took Luxury Logomania To The Next Level

Logomania has made a total comeback the past few seasons, as you've probably noticed. The '90s-tinged, cheeky trend isn't just about dusting off whatever designer monogram-plastered item you might have in the depths of your closet, or saving up for an Alessandro Michele-era double-G trimmed piece. There are also brands like Vetements making luxury iterations of streetwear pieces, 15 to 20 times as expensive as the originals. Artist Ava Nirui decided to riff on this idea via a series of thoroughly ordinary items, wryly reimagined with the addition of highly recognizable logos.

Nirui came up with the concept last year, when she and a friend worked on a series of customized, faux-designer getups for vintage Barbies. The tiny designer outfits were based on looks by gender-neutral brands like Hood By Air and Eckhaus Latta. "From there, I became obsessed with the concept of bootlegging," Nirui told Refinery29. She extended the idea to include mundane objects like basketballs, McDonald's grub, and even an asthma inhaler.

"Logos and luxury iconography connote a sense of wealth and status," Nirui explained. "So my work, which sees logos being added to valueless, throwaway items, turns that notion on its head and pokes fun at the consumer's obsession with designer product, [while] challenging the rigid and sterile nature of the fashion industry."

The mash-up of logos and objects is intentionally "over-the-top and super unrealistic," per Nirui; some of the images she created also repurpose all the luxurious little touches that come along with a big-ticket designer purchase, like dust bags and ribbons.

And while Nirui's work does include logos from the likes of Vuitton, whose pieces are "pricey, predominantly due to their quality," she explained, the work of a newer brand like Vetements is "an attempt to capitalize on the consumer's obsession with hype and logo." So, Nirui created a series of Champion hoodies embroidered with names like Moschino, Givenchy, and Celine — which aren't for sale, alas — as commentary on Vetements' $700 takes on the humble hoodie.

Ahead, check out a few of unexpected articles of everyday life given ridiculously logo-laden treatments.