Dedios Sportswear: You saw it here first


Last semester when fashion design student Natalia Dedios was researching racing jackets she caught wind of the DuPont logo. “I was taken with the clean, graphic nature of the logo and decided to play with it. I replaced ‘DuPont’ with my last name ‘Dedios’ and mimicked the style of the lettering.”

Dedios’ emerging study of logos and newspaper typography as applied to fashion design has helped define the senior thesis project she is developing in her Sportswear Incubator class.

Natalia Dedios at work on her senior thesis project

“Iconic logos are relatable, familiar and eye-catching. To me, putting a non-fashion-related item, like a newspaper logo, on a silk dress is playful and amusing.”

Dedios’ examination of logo-types extended to classic video game titles, shopping bags, and vintage horror movie posters.  That led her eye to New York newspaper and magazine logos. “I’m playing on the logos of the New York Times, New York PostNew York Observer and New Yorker magazine.”

In the development of her “Dedios” jacket, Natalia cut out the letters in leather and top stitched them onto a leather jacket. “That was the first time I put my name on clothing I had made. I got positive reactions on it so I continued to use “Dedios” as part of my designs.”

Natalia Dedios designs using logos and typography

By the end of Incubator class Natalia will have one look using the techniques experimented with in class. “So far we’ve worked with wool, delicates and sheer fabrics.”  Velvet, pile fabrics, plastics and unconventional materials come next.

“Natalia’s work reminds me of Andy Warhol’s work but with a delightful personal twist,” says C.J. Yeh, Professor of Communication Design and founder of award-winning Cynda Media Lab.

Natalia plans to carry over her logo and typography-inspired work to her senior thesis collection. “It’s all about the graphic element. The pops of bold colors,” she says.

Designs she’s contemplating for her collection include puffer and denim jackets, as well as closet staples and layering pieces like T-shirts, crop tops, and silk tops.

Natalia Dedios designs using logos and typography

“The most interesting thing about her approach is that she didn’t just recreate the logos like works from the POP Art era.  She went further and adopted these iconic typographic styles then apply to her own name,” says Professor Yeh.

“Conceptually, it feels like a statement on how the media environment that we live in eventually become an inseparable part of us.” 

Typography inspiration

For now, Natalia is continuing with the technique of top stitching leather letters on fabric. “I also want to explore painting on fabric, screen printing, using markers, sustainable dyeing and machine embroidery. I pull my inspiration from what I see in the real world every single day.”

Photos: Rachel Ellner & Natalia Dedios


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