#SizeM 06 / Easter Eggs in fashion

Brands are leveraging Easter Eggs to nurture and surprise fashion lovers. The influence of gaming for sure...and of a certain fashion nerdiness.

Oct 31, 2024

EASTER EGGS

/Easter Egg/: A wink or hidden digital object within a video game or cultural production, activated or revealed by special code, insider knowledge, or following specific clues. These secret elements, often included to entertain or reward the most observant fans, may contain cultural references or extra features that aren’t immediately obvious.

Easter Eggs are embedded in popular culture, especially in video games. A standout example is the Legend of Zelda franchise, where each new version invites players to uncover hidden Easter Eggs. Whether it’s decoding runic writing that references the series’ first episode or embedding these nods within other games, it’s a semiotic grammar passed through generations and across the world.

Easter Eggs and Luxury: A Symbiotic Relationship

It’s no surprise that Easter Eggs are a significant source of inspiration in fashion. In 2021, Balenciaga went all out with hidden codes in a 10-minute Simpsons episode that took a year to write and produce. For example, the Balenciaga jet with landing gear swapped for the brand’s iconic Sock Sneakers.

Jonathan Anderson's Fall-Winter 2024 show featured multiple nods to Stanley Kubrick, especially his love for cats.

Subtlety and Culture as Social Currency

Easter Eggs primarily engage insider communities. Beyond promoting exclusivity, these mechanisms reward a brand’s most passionate fans, immersing them in new universes they uniquely understand. Miu Miu recently mastered this with their show in Paris. The Truthless Times, a fictional newspaper handed out at the event and filled with philosophical essays, was also accessible via QR codes around the celebrity photo area. The PDFs were stored in a folder on Miu Miu’s website—a low-tech approach yet perfectly in tune with the enthusiasm of brand fans, who shared the texts via private messaging. It’s a way of applying Arsène Lupin’s motto, "you saw me, but you didn’t look closely," by recognizing the most discerning audiences.

It’s also a method to break free from social media flows, injecting a disruptive element into content consumption. By prompting thought and curiosity, Miu Miu’s Easter Eggs enable a kind of resistance to the content domestication imposed by platforms—a hacker’s stance, in a sense.

Editorial piece initially posted on Journal du Luxe.

BRAND: MONCLER x JIL SANDER

Part of Moncler City of Genius, Lucie and Luke Meier bring Jil Sander’s minimalist elegance and artisanal finesse to Moncler, blending mountain-inspired elements with refined comfort and style. The collection features layered silhouettes, padded knitwear, and nature-inspired details, highlighted by a soft palette with pops of vibrant red, embodying the union of sophistication and functionality. It’ll be available in…nearly a year from now.

QUOTE

“We like to live in a story that we dont want to end” - Yoon Ahn

Fashion is around the corner.

October 2024. Written from ligne 9 in Paris, again.