If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Christopher Bailey, creative director of Burberry Prorsum, should be very flattered. His abstract and tribal prints from Burberry Prorsum’s Spring 2012 collection created an editorial and retail sensation. And now the ultimate retail compliment, the Zara & Topman tribute pieces, have arrived in stores. Obviously Burberry wasn’t first to be inspired by abstract/tribal prints. Mark McNairy also used abstract prints to great effect in the Woolrich Woolen Mills Spring 2012 collection. This motif appears again and again in fashion but Zara’s “African Print” t-shirts will look very familiar to Bailey fans. The price on the other hand, $30.00, will be a revelation.
Don’t get me wrong, Zara is a great resource. The suits (avoid the shiny ones), cotton pants (consistently good) and t-shirts (carefully chosen) are great. I wouldn’t recommend head-to-toe Zara but there are a lot of pieces you can add to the mix. In March the New York Times had a great piece on Zara’s culture of “tribute.”
Above Left & Middle: Zara African Print T-Shirt $30.00 From Zara.com
Above Right: Burberry Prorsum Printed Cotton Jersey T-Shirt $350.00 From Mr. Porter
Below All From Burberry Prorsum
Above Topman LTD Collection Fan Print Open Neck Cotton Polo From Topman
3 comments
How can they get away with such obvious rip offs?
Before Burbery’s Prosen collection,a whole continent was using those prints. Just like saying Christopher Columbus discovered America even though there were people already living there…Very funny!
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