Logos a go go: The hottest monogram pieces to buy now

If you had £10,000 to spend on a Gucci coat, you’d want (no, demand) it to be authentic, wouldn’t you? After all, that’s pretty much the point. Not so for a Dapper Dan customer. Back in the 80s, the ‘Harlem hustler’ built a mini fashion empire by producing extravagant custom designs covered in fake designer logos, such as Fendi, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, for rap stars like LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa.

Olympic athlete Diane Dixon sports one of Dan’s most famous 80s designs

After one copyright-infringement lawsuit too many, lawyers acting for houses including Fendi finally closed him down in 1992. But now he’s back, thanks to a brand that once viewed him as the enemy. The puff-sleeved look from Gucci’s Resort 2017 collection (above) reminded many fashion fans of a famous Dapper faux-Vuitton leather design, created for Olympic runner Diane Dixon in 1989. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele was accused of ripping off a rip-off artist – but dealt with it with typical panache, announcing that Gucci will support the reopening of Dapper Dan’s Harlem atelier – and this time, he’ll have all the real Gucci fabrics, prints and hardware he could dream of. An off-the-peg capsule, Gucci x Dapper Dan, will go on sale later this year. ‘Everyone paid homage to Dapper Dan, but no one ever paid him. The people have spoken, and Gucci has listened,’ says Dan.

Logo appropriation is everywhere – from designers paying tribute to unlikely consumer brands to labels making ‘parodies’ of other designer labels. Remember Jeremy Scott’s ‘McDonald’s’ collection for Moschino? Meanwhile, the last few seasons have seen luxury houses falling over themselves to celebrate their own logos. After years of Phoebe Philo-inspired minimalism, SS18 is a smorgasbord of statement branding – stamped on Lanvin bags and Loewe holdalls. Burberry has spent years running from the ‘chav check’ that saw its cred plummet in the 90s, but in September it made a triumphant return, proudly worn head to toe on the catwalk as one of the best logo pieces ever.

Here’s our edit of the hottest best logo pieces to buy now…