sport & fashion: freshjive to go brandless

Streetwear company Freshjive has just announced that not only will it be going logoless for the forseeable future, but that it is also making a brave move towards being completely brandless as well. As one of the most recognisable logos of the 90’s, the move, which remarkably will be one of the world’s first anti-branding campaigns, may come as a bit of a shock to its fans and competitors. Its owner and designer Rick Klotz explains that the stripping of the logo from both the outside of the garment and inside of the labels is a direct response to his disillusionment with the world of branding and marketing, as much as a desire to return to the essence of the design practice. He does not want his consumers to wear the Freshjive logo to be in a particular ‘tribe’ or ‘gang’, but to have an individual style. It is also possible that the appropriation of popular streetwear brand images to sell counterfeit goods was another possible reason for the move. What’s certain is that this is a considered project and one that makes a clear comment on the state of the commercial market today (notably the Freshjive website opens with the titles of its current collections: Propagandist/the world’s got problems)

Whilst the company will continue to be called Freshjive and be sold at the same retail outlets they are being sold in today, the logo will be removed from all garments and the Freshjive website. Indeed its minimalist all black labels are certainly becoming iconic in their own right, and may become Freshjive’s unintended new logo. Only time will tell the success of this decision and whether or not other labels will take this brave but revolutionary step away from branding.

(Image source: thehundreds.com)