# taz.de -- The soccer scarf invades high fashion: The ultimate anti-brand brand | |
> When Balenciaga does a soccer scarf advertising Aldi it brings a fresh | |
> breeze into the air de Paris, the air of the left with the wallet of the | |
> right. | |
Bild: Oi! Oi! The soccer scarf is back: Balenciaga A/W 2017 | |
Soccer scarves are a very special item. But more than just advertise your | |
favorite team, they advertise politics, nation states, prejudice. Witness | |
Albania vs Serbia (Skenderbeu vs Partizan on november, 2nd) with Serbian | |
fans provocatively shouting “Kosovo is Serbia,“ and a drone carrying a | |
“Greater Albanian“ flag leading to complete stadium mayhem. | |
But when a fashion house like Vetements makes a soccer scarf brandishing | |
the Aldi pattern, it’s a different ball game altogether: or is it? | |
Vetements fans are fans of the ironic. Anyone who wears a Vetements Levi’s | |
jeans jacket is ready for the tackle, American football style. Witness the | |
giant IKEA blue shopping bag done up with the Balenciaga logo. In case you | |
don’t know, Demna Gvasalia is the designer of both houses. Sorry, | |
fashionistas, for stating the obvious. | |
But for the rest of you, let’s just say that Gvasalia has put his finger on | |
the Zeitgeist. He’s hot. Since his oversized humor hit the runways in the | |
spring of 2015. The high-heels on his boots are made of unicorn cigarette | |
lighters! Tell me that is not funny. But those same boots may cost you more | |
than a month of (Berlin) rent. A [1][Balenciaga soccer scarf], for | |
instance, will run you just shy of 500 euro. [2][] | |
So when Balenciaga does a soccer scarf advertising Aldi what’s going on? A | |
sort of anti-Chanel campaign? Sort of. It’s not that obvious. Aldi | |
advertising it is not. (No more so is the IKEA bag for Balenciaga | |
advertising for IKEA.) | |
It’s more along the lines of politics. Inviting a fresh breeze into the air | |
de Paris, the snobbery of fashion, the air of the left with the wallet of | |
the right. Vetements is the brand that made branding cool again. It’s the | |
ultimate anti-brand brand. With the added irony is that it is super | |
expensive. The ultimate show-offs wear it: I am so smart and I have money. | |
I couldn’t think of anything more zeitgeisty than that. Coco Channel has | |
been relegated to the sidelines. Vetements is the new team elite on the | |
field. | |
My prediction? The fan clubs of teams #metoo or #iamanimmigrant are growing | |
strong. Soccer scarves bearing those hashtags will be soon at a store near | |
you. Let’s just hope they don’t start throwing beer bottles at your head. | |
12 Nov 2017 | |
## LINKS | |
[1] http://https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2V_yLFtaO/ | |
[2] http://https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2V_yLFtaO/ | |
## AUTOREN | |
April Lamm | |
## TAGS | |
Aldi | |
Ikea | |
taz international | |
Mode | |
Fashion | |
taz international | |
Fashion | |
## ARTIKEL ZUM THEMA | |
Luxus-Shirt für ganz viel Geld: Ist das Fashion oder kann das weg? | |
Das Luxuslabel Balenciaga hat ein neues T-Shirt kreiert. Es kostet 1.290 | |
Dollar und sieht bescheiden aus. Für einen Lacher reicht das allemal. | |
Guilty Fashion: Call Me Captain Lycra | |
Like a moth to the flame, I am attracted to anything that shines, sequins, | |
vinyl, and any number of polymers. | |
Dernier cri of autumn/winter season 2017: The right shoe on the left foot | |
Learning from New York Fashion Week: Make Wrong Right Again. | |
The renaissance of socks: Hand-knitted by the Queen | |
Gucci socks at 190 euro, Alexander McQueen socks for 245 euro – the sock | |
inflation brought us socks for the 1%. Or actually, they're accessoires. |