In today’s world of designer streetwear, few logos are as instantly recognisable as the “Crossed Arrows” symbol synonymous with Italian fashion label Off-White.
Founded by Ghanaian-American Virgil Abloh in Milan back in 2012 - the current artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection no less - the brand has been sported by celebrities such as Beyonce, Drake, Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid, while major, instant sell-out collaborations with the likes of Nike and Jimmy Choo have seen it reach stratospheric levels of cool.
Yet, incredibly, instead of the motif being a creation of the brand itself, it was “likely swiped” from signage at a place far removed from a Parisian catwalk or Italian fashion house - Glasgow Airport.
The unlikely fact was revealed via an investigation by Instagram site Diet Prada, the hugely popular account famous for calling out cultural appropriation and copying by fashion labels on social media.
The high-contrast, modernist symbol was designed by typographers and graphic designers Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir ( who also designed Britain's modern road and motorway signage system) in 1965 as part of a rebrand of Glasgow Airport.
Resembling the St Andrew’s Cross, it featured on a roundabout sign approaching the airport as well as on the airport’s vehicles, forklift trucks and flight ladders.
Diet Prada also posted a picture of Virgil Abloh with a book entitled Logo Modernism, which contains a feature on the Glasgow Airport logo.
Having caught wind of the stooshie, Glasgow-based fashion label Party Chat went to new lengths to troll one of the hottest fashion brands on the planet - all while celebrating one of Glasgow’s most loved institutions.
They released a limited number of high grade t-shirts and hoodies that pay tribute to the iconic identity of Glasgow Airport.
Speaking about the t-shirts, Party Chat said, “Both ourselves and photographer Liam Ricketts are from design backgrounds, and have always had an appreciation for the work of Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir in making our roads go round, so they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make some T’s as a tribute. It’s a small wink to Virgil, Scotland, Margaret and Jock."
For more info on the t-shirts, visit Party Chat’s eshop here
.png?w=600)
