When shabby isn’t chic

Narrative by Peter Glassen, Posted March 15, 2025

Photo courtesy of the author

The CASE FILE series — to which SEMIOVOX has invited our semiotician colleagues from around the world to contribute — shares memorable case studies via story telling.

Madagascar, where nearly 90 percent of the animals, and 80 percent of the plants, are endemic — they only exist on this island — is a true natural paradise. But it’s under threat: Deforestation, erosion, and desertification are affecting not only the ecology but also human livelihood. Already 90 percent of the original forested areas have been lost.

Since 2001, the Swiss non-governmental organization ADES has been committed to protecting nature, and improving local living conditions, here. Via solar and energy-saving stoves, reforestation projects, and educational and awareness-raising measures, ADES works to create not only sustainability, but also new ways to counteract poverty and rural exodus.

When I joined the ADES board in 2019, of course the organization’s logo caught my eye: four green letters (ADES) and five yellow sunbeams, designed to look deliberately “shabby.” This look, which has been popular in Western design since the 1980s, celebrates the charm of imperfection by elevating artificial signs of wear to the aesthetic norm.

But what is perceived as trendy and attractive in Switzerland appears in a different light in Madagascar. When an ADES employee in Madagascar was asked to paint the logo, he painted it neatly — without the shabby look — on the gate of the ADES location. Turning to his manager, he asked: “Do I really have to destroy the beautiful logo by making it shabby? So much is broken here in Madagascar. We are glad that ADES is helping us to put all that behind us.”

Despite this employee’s concerns, the design directive was clear. So, using his paintbrush, he reluctantly applied signs of wear and tear to the logo. When the ADES brand was relaunched five years ago, though, my professional advice to the Executive Board was to drop the shabby-chic look from the logo, going forward. Which we did.

The semiotic meaning of design is context-dependent. While in the West the shabby-chic aesthetic may signal authenticity and nostalgia, in a non-Western country where real poverty and material hardship are omnipresent, the same aesthetic can send a message of decay and hopelessness. Baudrillard’s theory of the “simulacrum” helps us understand that the aged, lived-in look of a design with no connection to the real past can be problematic. If in the West a shabby-chic look can send a progressive message about eschewing perfection as one’s goal, in Madagascar and elsewhere the same looks seems… decadent.

Cultural sensitivity is always important, and never more so than when it comes to intercultural cooperation. To avoid misunderstandings and create genuine connections, perceptive openness and an interest in people — their individual backgrounds, ways of thinking, values, and habits — are essential.

Today, the clear, intact ADES logo stands for new beginnings, sustainability, and hope. The green stoves that the NGO spreads throughout the country underline this message: There is a future for Madagascar, one characterized by hope and sustainable perspectives.

To find out more about how ADES is supporting Madagascar, visit the NGO’s website.

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When shabby isn’t chic