The First Proof

28/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: Prada is one of the most iconic brands in fashion history. The designers behind the brand have continually striven to be innovative while maintaining their classically refined style. The House of Prada has proven its longevity, and the Prada name will still be in demand for years to come. Here is the history of Prada and the famous name. The company first added footwear to their growing product line in 1979. Its first collection of women’s shoes was well received. The business continued to grow and gain attention. Prada expanded its network of directly-owned stores into markets all over the world. The stores were known for their clean aesthetic as well as the unique green hue the walls were painted. The color became known as “Prada Green.” The first “green store” opened in Milan in Via della Spiga. Boutiques in London, Madrid, Tokyo, Paris, and Tokyo followed. The fashion world fell in love with Prada’s clean lines, luxurious fabrics, and color selections. While tradition and classic style were once central to the history of Prada, experimentation is now at the heart of Prada’s DNA. From using unconventional fabrics to unexpected patterns, Prada is viewed as one of the most innovative names in fashion. The brand merges minimalist, clean-cut silhouettes with bold color and prints, which gives the designs a timeless and unique look that transcends the expiration date of passing trends.
                                 

27/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: The iconic robin’s-egg blue hue known around the world today as Tiffany Blue® has been synonymous with the luxury house since the iconic Tiffany Blue Box® debuted. While there is no definitive answer as to why Charles Lewis Tiffany chose this distinctive color, some theorize that it was because of the popularity of turquoise in 19th-century jewelry. Turquoise was a favorite of Victorian brides who gave their attendants a dove-shaped brooch of turquoise as a wedding day memento, which increased the color’s popularity. Tiffany Blue® was eventually adopted for all of Tiffany’s packaging and branding. True to the founder’s vision, the Tiffany Blue Box® is as much an icon of luxury and exclusivity as it was a century ago. As The New York Sun reported in 1906, “[Charles Lewis] Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer; he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes. The rule of the establishment is ironclad, never to allow a box bearing the name of the firm, to be taken out of the building except with an article which has been sold by them and for which they are responsible.” This rule is still enforced today, maintaining the Box’s coveted status and honoring Tiffany’s vision. Since 1998, Tiffany Blue® has been registered as a color trademark by Tiffany and, in 2001, was standardized as a custom color created by Pantone® exclusively for Tiffany and not publicly available. Tiffany’s proprietary hue remains consistent and instantly recognizable regardless of the medium the color is reproduced in. The Pantone® color is “1837 Blue,” named after Tiffany’s founding year. An international icon of elegance and sophistication, Tiffany Blue® is more than a color, it signifies something greater: it recalls the magic of Tiffany and the assurance that what comes out of a Tiffany Blue Box® will always bring joy.
                                 

26/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: The rarest and the most desirable sneaker ever made is the Nike MAG, the sneakers worn by Marty McFly when he time-travelled to 2015 in Back to the Future II 1989 movie. Although disintegrating, the sneakers have sold for $92,100 in 2018. The money raised went to Michael Fox’s foundation for Parkinson’s research.- NIKE was co-founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in 1964. Combining his love for running and his newly acquired business skills, Phil launched his shoe company called Blue Ribbon Sports with the objective of importing high-quality and low-cost running shoes from Japan into the American market. He also needed a new name for his first order of leather soccer shoes which he would sell as football shoes. Looking for the best name, he ran a poll of his employees and came up with a name himself, Dimension Six which was rejected by everyone for being “unspeakably bad”. In the last minute, he received one more suggestion from Jeff Johnson, the company’s first employee. He said this particular name came to him in a dream the night before: Nike. It was the name of the Greek winged goddess of victory, it was short and had a strong sound thanks to the K letter. Just do it is among the most popular taglines in the world. In just three words this simple tagline empowers athletes everywhere to stop overthinking and just take the first step. That’s all there is to it. Why? Because if you have a body, you are an athlete. The sneakerhead culture began in the 1970s but Nike’s deal with Michael Jordan contributed to its global development. The rarest and the most desirable sneaker ever made is the Nike MAG, the sneakers worn by Marty McFly when he time-travelled to 2015 in Back to the Future II 1989 movie. Although disintegrating, the sneakers have sold for $92,100 in 2018. The money raised went to Michael Fox’s foundation for Parkinson’s research.
                                 

23/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: - Apple’s brand identity is a brand born with a mission to challenge the status quo. They believed technology should be accessible, beautifully designed, and easy to use — a stark departure from that era’s clunky and complex computers. Apple’s brand identity was further solidified by its iconic logo — the bitten apple. Apple’s brand identity became synonymous with innovation, elegance, and a commitment to making technology accessible. Apple’s design philosophy revolves around one word: simplicity. Apple believes in creating products that are not just functional but also aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly. Apple’s commitment to minimalism and user-centric design is evident in all their products, from the sleek lines of the iPhone to the intuitive interface of the Mac. They believe that technology should enhance our lives without overwhelming us with complexity. A key figure in shaping Apple’s design philosophy was Jonathan Ive, the legendary designer who played a pivotal role in creating iconic products like the iPhone and MacBook.
Whether you’re using an iPhone, a Mac, an iPad, or an Apple Watch, the user experience has a seamless feel. This consistency is intentional, and it’s one of the reasons why customers keep coming back. Because Apple understands that marketing is not just about listing features; it’s about evoking emotions and connecting with the audience. Take the ‘Think Different’ campaign, for example. It wasn’t about the Mac or the technical specs of their products. It was about inspiring people to be creative and to challenge the status quo.
                                 

22/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: - Those signature stripes weren’t an accident or chosen because of their meaning. Dassler ended up choosing them to go on the first pair of Adidas shoes when he tested several versions and found that the three showed up the best in photography. For an up-and-coming sports gear brand hoping to gain attention and brand recognition, that’s essential. While these three stripes was a new design element, it was one that caught the attention of consumers and is an element we still see today.  With the launch of Adidas, it was discovered that shoe company Karhu Sports already had a logo that resembled the Three-Stripe design used by Dassler. To resolve the dispute, Dassler purchased the trademark from Karhu Sport for just 1,600 euros at today’s rate and two bottles of whiskey because the owner was hard up for cash. A new logo was added in 1972 when Adidas branched out from selling shoes to manufacturing sporting apparel for the first time. This is when the company first established the Trefoil. The three-leaf-shaped foil design was crafted by German designers and leaders in the Adidas company. This design remained consistent with Adidas’s notoriety as the brand with the three stripes, and that image itself was present as the Three- Stripes design runs through the leaves.
                                 

21/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: Chanel The most famous fashion house in the world was created in 1910 in Paris. Chanel designed the interlocking Cs in 1925 as a homage to a monastery in Aubazine, France, where she spent most of her childhood. The logo represents Chanel’s name and Coco Chanel concepted it herself. The Chanel logo is a mix of simplicity and minimalism, which has helped the fashion house establish its brand identity. Developed by Chase Babb, the Couture typeface was inspired by Coco Chanel’s handwriting. The Couture font resembles traditional sans-serif fonts, such as Double Porter and RoundCut Bold. Unchanged symbols include the iconic little black dress, the Camellia flower, the suit and the Chanel N 5 bottle. With shoes, the two-toned are a signature. The original shoe included an overall beige colour with black toe tip. Chanel ranks as no. 3 of the most popular luxury brands.
                                 

21/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: CHANEL The most famous fashion house in the world was created in 1910 in Paris. Chanel designed the interlocking Cs in 1925 as a homage to a monastery in Aubazine, France, where she spent most of her childhood. The logo represents Chanel’s name and Coco Chanel concepted it herself. The Chanel logo is a mix of simplicity and minimalism, which has helped the fashion house establish its brand identity. Developed by Chase Babb, the Couture typeface was inspired by Coco Chanel’s handwriting. The Couture font resembles traditional sans-serif fonts, such as Double Porter and RoundCut Bold. Unchanged symbols include the iconic little black dress, the Camellia flower, the suit and the Chanel N 5 bottle. With shoes, the two-toned are a signature. The original shoe included an overall beige colour with black toe tip. Chanel ranks as no. 3 of the most popular luxury brands.
                                 

21/02/2024

The Art and Fashion of Brand Codes: The most famous fashion house in the world was created in 1910 in Paris. Chanel designed the interlocking Cs in 1925 as a homage to a monastery in Aubazine, France, where she spent most of her childhood. The logo represents Chanel’s name and Coco Chanel concepted it herself. The Chanel logo is a mix of simplicity and minimalism, which has helped the fashion house establish its brand identity. Developed by Chase Babb, the Couture typeface was inspired by Coco Chanel’s handwriting. The Couture font resembles traditional sans-serif fonts, such as Double Porter and RoundCut Bold. Unchanged symbols include the iconic little black dress, the Camellia flower, the suit and the Chanel N 5 bottle. With shoes, the two-toned are a signature. The original shoe included an overall beige colour with black toe tip. Chanel ranks as no. 3 of the most popular luxury brands.
                                 

20/02/2024

20/02/2024

“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” - worked in a wide variety of areas, including interior design, environmental design, package design, graphic design, furniture design, and product design. His clients at Vignelli Associates included companies such as IBM, Knoll, Bloomingdale’s, and American Airlines. His former employee Michael Bierut wrote, “it seemed to me that the whole city of New York was a permanent Vignelli exhibition [around 1981]. To get to the office, I rode in a subway with Vignelli-designed signage, shared the sidewalk with people holding Vignelli-designed Bloomingdale’s shopping bags, and walked by St. Peter’s Church with its Vignelli-designed pipe organ visible through the window. At Vignelli Associates, at 23 years old, I felt I was at the center of the universe.” Vignelli’s designs were famous for following a minimal aesthetic and a narrow range of typefaces that Vignelli considered to be perfect in their genre, including Akzidenz-Grotesk, Bodoni, Helvetica, Garamond No. 3, and Century Expanded. He wrote, “In the new computer age, the proliferation of typefaces and type manipulations represents a new level of visual pollution threatening our culture. Out of thousands of typefaces, we only need a few basic ones and trash the rest.” In August 1972, Vignelli’s design for the New York City Subway map appeared on the walls of subway stations and became a landmark in Modernist information design. Vignelli regarded the map as one of his finest creations.
               

19/02/2024

The   &   of THE FUTURE OF BLACK HISTORY IN ART & FASHION : Born in 1992 on the East Coast of South Africa, Cape Town-based fashion designer Lukhanyo Mdingi graduated with a B.Tech Fashion Degree from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2014. With a profound interest in considered and sincere design, the intention is to ensure a pragmatic and mindful approach to product development, looking into human ingenuity as the provenance in creating a design that is honest, steady, and strong. By collaborating with artisans with a rich history in craft-making, the aim is to build a bridge by bringing their heritage to timeless premium pieces while providing a platform to support them, through continuous work and awareness.