Who’s Making Custom Prints and Why Is It Important?
This Afternoon I saw this awesome printed tee from Urban Outfitters and when I was going to pick it up I thought “I wonder who designed this print?” The seemingly irrelevant thought lingered for a moment then vanished as soon as I tried it on and realized that having the warped head of a lion on LSD wasn’t at all my personality. But as I strolled through the rest of the store and others like it I couldn’t help but notice more and more digital printed tops, coats, and even pants. But if I buy a printed t-shirt from say… Helmut Lang, what other company will make a shirt in that same print?
Think it never happens? I was in a reputable store a few years back and saw this Versace shirt made from the exact same material that I saw earlier on a Mac shirt! I couldn’t believe my eyes! The shirts were completely different in design but the fabric was identical. No. Not Identical. It was the same fabric! Which lead me to believe that not all brands design their fabrics in-house nor do they buy fabrics exclusively or get the rights to them for their collections if they are buying them from a separate textile manufacturer.
I think it is safe to say that most designers who have namesake brands, design their own prints and textiles; but in the future I am making a concerted effort to shop exclusively with brands that design their own prints.
A few menswear lines that produce great prints are Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Raf Simons, Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum, Gucci, Thom Browne, Dries Van Noten, Kenzo, Prada, Paul Smith and John Galliano. So buyer beware: When shopping prints ask yourself – Will I see this somewhere else?
Leave a Reply