From time to time something reminds about my first introduction to what is commonly known today as the Logo. I remember being eleven years old 1984 and going to primary school in Catford, South East London. As I remember the school dress code was a racing green blazer with a matching striped silver and green tie with a white shirt tailed with grey trousers. Not too much that’s special about knocking around the school playground in a uniform. All this was about to change when Paul Laurence arrived at school that day wearing a Lacoste waterproof sports jacket with the famous crocodile on it.
I wanted one. Paul Laurence had one therefore I wanted one. I had made friends pretty quickly with Paul who was a new kid on the block. Then unexpectedly Paul transformed from laid back new kid on the block to soccer casual. A new wedge style haircut with highlights, Sergio Tacchini trainers, Farah trousers were extreme changes to follow shortly afterwood. His newly badged uniform sported its own unique Logo design. Paul was made even more mysterious than he was. One day he was the new boy that had just recently moved into the neighbourhood and the next he was a Paul Weller mini me attracting everyone’s interest including mine.
Each day I remember nagging my dad for clothes when I got home. ‘Pauls got this¦., Pauls got that¦. Paul Laurence was about to make my parents life a living hell. Their only child wanted these pieces of clothing that had strange sounding names. How where they going to adapt?? My Nan intervened. She planned to create her own unique custom logo design based on the Lacoste crocodile. The nagging little schoolboy that I was I instantly turned my nose at her suggestion even though, out of the kindness of her heart she was agreeing to make the logo. Logos that came from strange faraway lands. Would Nan be able recreate the alchemy?
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