When looking at these bags all day and observing, the one thing that I unconsciously was looking out and cut through the blur were all the different logos, which on one hand were also what I was looking for in terms of identifying the bag. It made me realize by how many logos we are actually surrounded without even being conscious of that, in only ten minutes I noticed 30 logos when looking and identifying, so guess how much that would be multiplied by another 1o hours. At this point I realized that my interest and discovery brought me back to consumer culture and how that shapes an image of self image and perception.
Since it was visual cues that I was identityfying with the logo I wanted to investigate what would happen if you would take these away from a bag, exactly these traits that make a bag so well known by people, slowly removing sticking, color, material, til only the shape remains. By gradually removing brand identifiers, logos, signature stitching, and specific materials, I strip away the most obvious visual cues that convey identity, status, and aspiration. This challenges how we interpret handbags as symbols of self and social belonging, exposing how much of what we “read” in fashion relies on familiar visual codes tied to brand narratives rather than the object’s inherent qualities.
As brand markers disappear and recognition fades, this raises questions about how authentic our preferences truly are, versus how much they are shaped by marketing and cultural conditioning.