Statement pieces to buy this season.

Wow, there are so many bad vibes around, aren’t there? Whether you’re idly browsing through the late 2010s’ perennially catastrophic news headlines, or merely wincing at the endless streams of nasty comments that seem to be the lifeblood of our favourite social media channels, it’s sometimes difficult to get away from it all and emerge smiling. Which is why we at MR PORTER are rather tickled by the wanton positivity being thrown out by various designer brands this season via the strident, super-upbeat slogans splashed across their sweaters, hoodies and T-shirts. Yes, there may well be an ironic edge behind such efforts – it’s hard to take Mr Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga’s exhortation to “Think Big” entirely seriously, given his continuing fascination with all things mundane and everyday – but when it comes down to it, we think that the effect of such pieces can only be to make the world a happier place. Whether you decide to throw one on with tongue firmly in cheek, or are merely trying to bring a bit more sunshine into your immediate surroundings, we would thoroughly recommend you consider the below pieces, all of which come with a particularly on-trend uplifting message.

New to MR PORTER this week, Aries Arise might be a relatively recent entry into the streetwear pantheon (it was launched just six years ago), but it has pedigree nonetheless. Co-founding designer Ms Sofia Prantera was not only a part of London’s rave scene in the 1990s – a moment when streetwear was, perhaps, at its finest – but, prior to establishing Aries Arise, was the mastermind behind Holmes and Silas. Meanwhile, her partner at Aries Arise, graphic designer Mr Fergus Purcell, is the man who designed the logo for painfully cool London skate brand Palace. Naturally, when they knocked their heads together, they created a brand that has the insouciant cool of its streetwear forebears, combined with a graphic minimalism that feels effortless, slick and contemporary. This “No Problemo” sweat perfectly sums it all up – wear it with a pair of deadstock-inspired Maison Margiela sneakers and prepare to receive lots of winks and thumbs-up signs from your friends.

In his spring 2018 show for Balenciaga, Mr Demna Gvasalia riffed on the kind of slogans you might find in a corporate handbook, splashing them across oversized, stridently unglamorous pieces that you might typically find in the weekend wardrobe of a middle-aged father of two. The combination of the two was a bit of a non-sequitur, but that’s also what made it strangely uplifting. Now we’re able to get our hands on one of the standout pieces, this “Think Big” hoodie (which also reads “Feel Fine 1969” on the back), we like it even more – particularly the retro styling of the typeface and the weighty feel of the heavyweight cotton-blend fabric. Wear it, in true cool-dad style, with a pair of washed-out denim jeans – Balenciaga’s doing them this season too, of course, but we also like this lovingly faded pair in the original 501 fit from Levi’s Vintage Clothing.

With his outrageous, ebullient, animal-packed new vision for Gucci, which made its debut just three years ago for AW15, Mr Alessandro Michele has taken it upon himself to single-handedly give the fashion world the breath of fresh air it needed. Ever since then, there’s been something wonderfully unguarded about his designs, which are never shy when it comes to embroidery, embellishment and heartfelt slogans about love, life, death and everything in between. This pink T-shirt, which has arrived just in time for Valentine’s Day, is a particularly poignant iteration of this philosophy, thanks to the romantic message on its front. What saves it from mawkishness – as with the Balenciaga hoodie, above – is that very sly wink of the fake logo (“Guccy”) printed on its reverse. Is it a comment on knock-off culture? Is it knowingly revelling in the commercialisation of human sentiment? Either way, it’s a bit of fun, so why not go for it? It will look particularly striking under a dark-coloured denim or bomber jacket – for example, this newly arrived suede number from Loewe.

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