Wednesday, November 27, 2013

MIA x Versus - the genius of blurred lines.

Photo credit: Ssense
If I am blogging about what on the surface appears to be a fashion item, it's because it touches an idea I hold dear right to its heart - the originality of ideas. The house of Versace has finally taken serious steps in reviving their Versus sub-brand (with collaborations with noted designers such as Christopher Kane) so in an attempt to lend it a very serious hip edge, their newest collaboration comes rapper MIA (known among other things for flipping the bird at the Superbowl halftime when she was sharing the stage with Madonna).
The genius of the collection rests on the simple idea of imitating counterfeit. Yes, you read it right "imitating counterfeit". Apparently, when MIA was growing up in the not-so-affluent suburbs of London she was seeing all kinds of counterfeit Versace items (which we know are rampant for all kinds of luxury brands) and who - more or less - do nothing but plaster the brand's known visual identity (in this case the medusa, the greco-roman motif, and the logo) in order to sell fake symbols of status and in extenso social acceptance.
So the visual identity of the MIA x Versus is a gigantic mash up of all things Versace topped haphazardly on one another creating an effect which essentially asks - is this an original? Is this a counterfeit? Is this an original counterfeit? Is this a counterfeited original? Genius!
PS - This being Versus the items cost an arm and a leg, so be forewarned.

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