“Monograms are the offspring of family crests in the past. It’s a class thing. Vuitton started relatively soon after his shop opened in the 19th century. Many designers are now thinking about their legacy and documenting themselves,” University of Queensland fashion historian Margaret Maynard tells Vogue. 

“It is all about class and money,” she reiterates. “Like first class air travel. Demonstrating that you are better than the rest. Monograms fall into the history of branding and staking out territory. Mass production has meant that to have a unique piece of clothing is one-up-manship and yes unique is important – often now experiential rather than actual.”

“Because we spend so much time on social media, everyone lives their life as if they’re a public figure.” As "personal brand" becomes a thing that’s less and less embarrassing to say out loud, our own names and initials have become the ultimate status symbol. Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of consumer behavior and business intelligence company The NPD Group, says "designers are on the waning side, and people aren’t interested in putting logos on. They’d rather put on their own logo — their initials."

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