Most new logo prints, especially when developed by new and contemporary brands, end up looking kind of masculine. There are two reasons for that: First, it’s easy to associate the presence of any kind of in-your-face logo with masculine-leaning athletic apparel brands, because they’re arguably the most effective, on average, at using their logos in ways that endear shoppers into becoming fans. Second, fashion is in a love affair with streetwear right now, which is logo-heavy and a traditionally male sector of the apparel market. That leads to a lot of bold colors and block letters, but for its first logo bag, Mansur Gavriel has chosen something completely different.
Mansur Gavriel made a smart choice here: instead of using the same minimalist, sans serif logo that is printed on its packaging and gold stamped on all its bags, the brand went with a casual, hand-written script that makes the bag look custom-embellished instead of mass-produced. If you look closely, the text—which reads “Mansur Gavriel” and “Made in Italy” in an offsetting pattern—differs from instance to instance. That means someone actually did hand-write the phrases at least a few times, which is an important detail on a bag this simple; even if you don’t compare letter to letter in order to see if there’s a difference, your eyes automatically read it as written instead of printed, which gives the look a whole different mood.
Right now, this print is only available in the above colorway on the brand’s small tote, which retails for $545, and only via Mansur Gavriel’s website, the brand’s boutiques and Le Bon Marché in Paris. MG is also offering a wristlet with a single instance of the logo embossed in the leather, which retails for $245.