If I make a choice to dress my 3-month old son [Henry] in only logo-free clothes, does that make me any different than the father who dresses his newborn in a Ramones t-shirt? We've both made choices for our children that will affect the way the world perceives them.
When I first sat down to write this post I was ready to take the following position: By dressing Henry in a white t-shirt, blue jeans and striped windbreaker I am, in effect, presenting the world the 'tabula rasa' version of Henry. And that the father of the Ramones child is attempting to make some a statement to the world about his [the father's] sensibility through his child.
And then I asked myself: Does it make any difference if the logo is on the outside [Ramones] or inside [as is the case of the windbreaker, which is from Petit Bateau]? And I quickly came to the conclusion that it most certainly does not. To be honest I was very pleased with the Petit Bateau purchase - something about it made me feel good about who I am. Probably the same way the other father felt when he bought the t-shirt.
And then I thought about how this applies to me. Save the occasional Swoosh on my exercise clothes and my Chicago Bears/Cubs hats, I rarely wear anything with a logo. But don't take that to mean that I don't admire, appreciate and aspire to own certain brands. Just ask my wife about how I obsessed over the Paul Smith tuxedo at Harvey Nichols [she finally talked me in to buying it]. Does anyone at the wedding know I'm wearing Paul Smith? No. Am I convinced my choice conveys something about who I am to everyone in the room? For sure. Do I feel like a million bucks? Without a doubt.