There was a time between the 1990s and mid-2000s when dressing¹ head-to-toe in designer clothing emblazoned with logos was a sign of wealth and success. Now, people are using scalpels to slice logos off.

 

从上世纪90年代到2005年左右，身穿一套印有品牌标志的名牌服装曾是财富和成功的象征。如今，人们却要用刀将衣服的商标裁掉。

 

Online, bloggers are posting tutorials on how to remove the thread stitched into shirts and hats without leaving an unsightly outline or picking off the logo on sunglasses without leaving behind a blurry² mess. Writing stamped on in vinyl, meanwhile, is wiped away with nail polish remover, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

In 2015, a report by Goldman Sachs revealed that millennials prefer clothing without labels or logos. When a person can transform themselves into a "brand" with some well-lit Instagram photos and considered Tweeting, essentially³ advertising⁴ someone else's product on their chest or handbag can become less appealing.

 

In a similar vein⁵, cutting off someone else's identity enables you to create and peddle⁶ your own. While allegiances to the quality of a brand's clothing can stick, what the label symbolises - perhaps teens or older shoppers - doesn't always fit the image a person is trying to construct.

 

And in the age of austerity, logos have long been regarded as a little gauche⁷. Instead, high quality-clothing, with the neat finishes in beautiful fabrics⁸, speaks for itself.

 

In response to the move away from obvious branding, fashion houses have toned down their logos. Abercrombie & Fitch have banned the "A&F" on sweatshirts and hoodies once ubiquitous in schools and on college campuses in the US, while bag manufacturers Coach and Michael Kors have changed-up their designs as sales of logo-heaving products ped, Business Insider reported.

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