UEG style is a combination of extraordinary design and the struggle with the problems of modern life. UEG express ideological opposition to today’s slavish consumption of fashion
Prepare for War
UEG, s/s 15 para bellum, courtesy of UEG
Each UEG collection is a journey into the mind of the company’s founder and chief Michał Łojewski. The UEG style is a combination of extraordinary design and the struggle with the problems of modern life. UEG collections, which sell on three continents, express Łojewski’s ideological opposition to today’s slavish consumption of fashion.
In 2015, Tyvek parkas with a hand-painted Latin proverb “Si vis pacem, para bellum” “If you want peace, prepare for war” began appearing on clothing racks in Agender, a renowned pop-up department at London’s Selfridges. The collection, Para bellum Spring/Summer 2015 addresses the fragile and fleeting nature of peace and the feeling of wellbeing associated with peacetime. The title of the collection serves as a warning that somewhere in the world a war is taking place and for those countries at peace, war is always ominously lurking around the corner. This cautionary tale is intensified by the designer’s choice of art form—thick white letters on crushed black Tyvek, which resemble a poster discovered amid the turmoil of war. The Para bellum collection also features graphic Camo prints formed of stripes reminiscent of concentration camp uniforms, and also of crosses which symbolise battlefields.
UEG SS15, courtesy of UEG
The ueg brand was created in 2003 its name is an abbreviation of the Italian “use e getta,” meaning “use and throw away”. The brand’s poetic manifesto, which evokes the Dadaists and the Futurists, ends with the words: Your Life is Like The Colour White / Beautiful, Perishable and Doomed to Fade. / Use it to Throw it Away. The brand’s key concepts of uniformity, cleanliness and similarity are well represented by the attributes of Tyvek, the breathable, water-resistant, durable but paper-thin material used by ueg. The brand also places great importance on blurring of gender lines.
Michał Łojewski is also one of Poland’s leading graphic designers. He has created corporate logos for Poland’s largest bank PKO BP and the PZU insurance company. Łojewski has also collaborated with the Comme des Garçons Guerrilla Store in Warsaw. UEG clothing is worn by actor Jaden Smith, and rappers Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, Soulja Boy, Tell ‘Em and Hit Boy. In 2016 UEG designed collection form Puma.