RESEARCHING BRAND NAME ORIGINS
STORY MFG
When we started the brand we were trying to think a name; we wanted to have a brand where the production process was transparent. We wanted to call it ‘Story’, but we were also interested in WW2 garments. A lot of old British uniforms would have labels inside with ‘mfg’- obviously it meant manufacturing - so it was an on-the-nose way of talking about the brand. It made sense to us. It also had the big O in the middle, which is pleasing to look at.

BAPE
Nigo is a notorious fan of 20th century pop culture, and channelled his love for the 1968 film Planet of the Apes in the name and iconic BAPE logo, as well as referring to the Japanese idiom ‘A bathing ape in lukewarm water.’ The phrase is used to describe somebody who overindulges, like lying in a bath until the water isn’t even hot anymore, so was an almost tongue-in-cheek reference to the same hyper-consumptive youth that would eventually form the cornerstone of his brand.

F/CE
The 2016 SS season, five years after the brand's establishment. The brand name was changed from "FICOUTURE" to "F/CE." The brand logo was also given a fresh start. The logo was designed by Mr. Hirabayashi, who is active on the scene as an art director. The design was created with "functionality" in mind, "more like a tool than a fashion item," he said. The design is as simple and clear as that phrase suggests. Before the redesign, Mr. Hirabayashi says, "I had the impression that there was a big difference between the product I was creating and the way the brand actually looked. The newly created logo successfully expresses the functionality of the initial letter "F," which symbolizes the renewed product lineup with a stronger product character, in only five letters of text. Conversely, in show invitations, etc., he tries not to make them too solid, but rather to successfully convey the mood of the season's collection. We are sure that F.C.E. will continue to express the brand's worldview with different visuals each season.
PURPLE MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORY
While on a research trip to their production factories in eastern China’s Jiangsu, and “exploring the surroundings, we stumbled across the Purple Mountains, a small but perfectly formed mountain forest,” Smith adds. “Its peaks are often found enclosed in purple clouds at dawn and dusk, hence the name. After returning feeling inspired, we found ourselves talking to friends about the trip and how magical they were. From this point, we realised the brand had to evolve,” from Carrier Goods into something full circle. With the coming season their first operating under Purple Mountain Observatory entirely, it was a dawn that first catalysed the brand’s fruition, and a new one that now heralds this seminal shift.

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