Fashion is not only about clothing and fancy shoes, it is an entire art form that changes and evolves from season to season. And the fashion brands are what distinguish the whole industry and make up the key element of the trend definition.
The most famous brands surround modern men everywhere. On the covers of fashion magazines, store windows, in online advertising. They not only create clothes, shoes, and accessories but also set the current trends in the fashion world. And even though every year dozens of young designers appear on the world stage, starting to release their clothing lines, not everyone manages to reach the top. There are not many truly legendary fashion houses in modern history, and it is about them and their logos that today’s article will be about.
Of course, today, an increasing part of the fashion industry is occupied by brands of so-called fast fashion. Here everything is simple: the companies are inspired by, or at all copy, the design of collections of famous fashion houses, and produce them in affordable materials and huge scale, which allows you to assign more than affordable prices. And that’s fine, because thanks to such retailers, more people have access to truly relevant pieces. However, the importance of the mastodons of world fashion cannot be overemphasized: it is the major luxury brands that have created the history of modern fashion and continue to create it.
It is these fashion houses that are the most reputable and sought-after in the fashion industry. It is their collections that cause interest and resonance, and it is their closet items that become bestsellers, which are followed by thousands of fashionistas around the world. And, of course, it is the shows of these fashion brands are followed by experts and magazines because they are the best way to make a picture of modern fashion trends and determine the vector of fashion development in the future.
So today we invite you to take a closer look at the list of the most significant, authoritative, and interesting brands in the world of fashion, each of which has a long and rich history. As it is not only the fashion houses themselves that make history, but also the historical events that influence their formation and development.
A bit of history:
Charles Frederick Worth, an Englishman with a French soul, is considered the founder of fashion. As an aesthete and stylist par excellence, he overturned the beauty world of the 19th century. Worth’s ethos was gravitated toward refinement and elegance, concepts still relevant today. He believed simplicity was the essence of elegance, with refinement and modesty as the hallmarks of a sophisticated style.
Each season, Worth consistently amazed audiences with innovative clothing collections. He was the first to use real women as mannequins, not wooden dummies. Every new line’s debut was anticipated as if it were a magical mystery or a status event of special importance.
Today, the excitement for each collection from famous designers continues. Events showcasing collections from designers like Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, or Maison Margiela captivate the fashion world, proving that fashion has eternally captivated humankind’s imagination.
Top Fashion Brands
Hermes
One of the most recognizable logos in the world of fashion is the Hermès emblem, made in the form of a horse-drawn carriage, because the formation of this legendary fashion house, which is one of the oldest in history, began with the production of horse harness and bridles for the wealthiest clients.
Today Hermes is known first of all for its bags. Thus, Birkin from Hermès emphasizes belonging to the high circles, because to buy the desired thing you will have to spend enough time waiting for it. And Hermes limited collections can be obtained only by the most select few.
Chanel
Coco Chanel has become a legend in the fashion world. She contributed to the adaptation of pants in women’s closets, created the iconic little black dress, opened the Chanel fashion house worldwide, and proved that you can seduce people even in simple clothes with a simple cut. Her cult tweed suits became the hallmark of the fashion house and a closet staple for millions of women.
The clothes that Coco Chanel invented almost a century ago are still being worn by women around the world. Our closets today are almost impossible to imagine without tweed jackets, little black dresses, and wide pants.
The brand first showed its collection in 1946. The House of Chanel has always been distinguished by a particular elegance. Today, the brand manufacture shoes, clothing, perfumes, and also skin care products. A distinctive feature of the brand is its simplicity and brevity. In addition, the fashion house always pleases its customers with new and unusual collections.
Louis Vuitton
This brand does not need any introduction, as almost everyone knows about it, even a child. It specializes in sewing quality bags, suitcases, and accessories. Although everyone can find no less extravagant clothes for everyday wear. Louis Vuitton brought fashion not only to quality leather goods but also to logos. The LV logo deserves its chapter in the history of world fashion. The brand managed to make a cult out of it.
Today Louis Vuitton – is not only suitcases and bags but also incredibly fashionable and bright collections for women, elegant men’s suits, and unusual accessories.
Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta is a high-end brand, which has long ago gained a special place in the list of fashion companies, and has become a concept synonymous with the expression “Italian luxury”. The hallmark of the company, which produces men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and footwear, is bags and leather goods. More specifically, women’s bags with a recognizable leather weave called Intrecciato.
The brand was founded in 1966, but despite its rather long history, Bottega Veneta is very conservative and strict in choosing the main designers. Over the years, the company has replaced three talented specialists in this position. And each of them brought something different that defined Bottega Veneta as a fashion house unlike any other.
Marni
Marni is than talented youngster, hanging out with the grown ups. It is a sharp and modern fashion brand of Italian origin, which is known for its unconventional approaches to cutting of clothes and prints of fabrics. Compared to many other names on this list, Marni is a very young brand, as it was founded only in 1994. And this could not but affect the overall style and character of the fashion house’s collection.
Marni clothes and accessories are original graphic prints, all kinds of texture combinations, and unlike anything else. Many experts in the fashion world characterize the style of this Italian brand as “Intellectual Chic”.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga is an old-timer in the fashion world. The brand appeared 106 years ago thanks to the extravagant Spaniard Cristobal Balenciaga. The designer was a lover of everything unusual – the balloon skirt, the geometric square coat, the bracelet sleeve. But due to the fact that conservative beauties of the time did not buy his works, the fashion house was long forgotten.
Demna Gvasalia gave the brand a second breath. Having appeared on Balenciaga’s doorstep a few years ago, he made the clothes even more underground than before. “Ugly’ color combinations, logomania, unbelievable volumes, and other grunge stuff are Balenciaga’s trademark. The prices are over lux, but they guarantee that you won’t find such things anywhere else.
Loro Piana
Loro Piana is a fashion brand that occupies a special place in any list because, for more than 200 years of its existence, this brand of clothing and accessories has become a symbol of luxury, impeccable quality, and comfort, and all this – thanks to quality fabrics and materials, not flashy and bright models. Loro Piana collections are known for their restraint, brevity, and timelessness, but only the finest fabrics of cashmere, wool, and leather are used for their creation.
Today this company, which originated from a small family production site in the north of Italy, is valued at billions of euros, and the possession of Loro Piana shoes and clothing has long been a must for every status-conscious person. Not a single businessman look can be imagined without the iconic Loro Piana loafers.
Prada
Prada is a historic Italian brand that was prestigious from the beginning. It was founded by Mario Prada and quickly achieved success through its exquisite work with leather, becoming a supplier of leather goods to the Italian nobility.
Prada was the birthplace of a dynasty of talented couturiers. Their names will remain forever in the history of world fashion. Today the Prada Fashion House is headed by Miuccia. The granddaughter of the legendary Mario managed to accumulate all the ingenious ideas and achievements of the whole generation of fashion masters. Her collections consist exclusively of luxurious outfits that exude magnificence and chic.
This brand specializes in the production of suitcases, bags, and outerwear. You can find almost anything in the range. Some people believe that having any Prada item is a sign of luxury. And it is really so because all the products are exclusive and of high quality.
Saint Laurent
The women’s tuxedo, blouses with flowing sleeves, dresses, and jackets in the safari style, jackets – this is not a complete list of fashion inventions by Yves Saint Laurent, which have been tested for decades and eras. Besides, it is him we must be thankful for the first steps in getting rid of gender borders in fashion and for the unity of catwalks and art.
A woman wearing Saint Laurent clothes is not afraid to wear a see-through blouse, safari dress, or Madonna canon bra. She is not ashamed to change a skirt for the legendary Le Smoking. And she also adores art and the famous trapeze dresses from the Mondrian Collection. After Yves Saint Laurent himself retired, the fashion house had many designers. Concepts were turned upside down – passion, tenderness, rock.
The mess lasted until 2016 when Anthony Vaccarello showed up on the doorstep. A fan of sexuality, he returned the brand to the idea of the founder. Models began to walk the runway again in minidresses with deep necklines, leather corsets, and translucent tops.
Givenchy
Audrey Hepburn was the main muse for the couturier and his fashion brand. Hubert de Givenchy designed clothes for her heroines in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Funny Face. Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, and Marlene Dietrich were all admirers of the French couturier’s creations. In 1988 the brand became part of the LVMH group: a few years later the couturier left the company and the look of the collections began to change. At various times the brand was headed by John Galliano then moved to Dior and the flamboyant Alexander McQueen. Until April 10, 2020, its artistic director was Claire Wayne Keller: it was under her supervision that Meghan Markle’s wedding dress was created.
Hubert de Givenchy liked to repeat that simple and elegant black was his favorite color. His collections were often monochrome, which is not the case with today’s Givenchy. Today the fashion house tries to combine the English-French style.
Dior
Christian Dior, the founder of the eponymous Dior fashion house, knew everything about women’s beauty. He knew how to emphasize the advantages and hide the disadvantages, so he became a breath of fresh air for the fashionistas of his time.
It was Christian Dior who returned to fashion the deliberate elegance and femininity that had been lost for objective reasons in the years after the Second World War. He was convinced that a woman’s waist and other silhouette features had no right to be hidden under shapeless shirts.
The history of the legendary brand began after the war: in 1946 Christian Dior opened his own Fashion House, and in 1947 he released his first collection “New Look” in which he presented the revolutionary concept of women’s clothing.
Today the brand produces all kinds of clothes, shoes, and bags that the most stylish girls around the world chase after, as well as cosmetics and cult perfume.
Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen has earned the title of one of the most respected designers in the fashion world. The peculiarity of his creation lies in his integration of contrasting elements: fragility and strength, tradition and modernity, fluidity and heaviness. This love of creating blends extended to his perfume range as well.
The famous designer was nicknamed the hooligan of the haute couture world: at his hand, the conservative British fashion scene became famous for its flamboyant innovations. His collections featured clothes decorated with stuffed birds and animalistic ornaments created on a 3D printer, models at shows were attacked by robots, and the catwalk was set on fire and flooded with water.
After McQueen died in 2010 Sarah Burton took over the running of the brand and created Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. Under her leadership, the label started to produce slightly more discreet clothes. Characteristic features of the Alexander McQueen brand today are filigree silhouettes with an accent on the waist, asymmetry, and boldness in the treatment of prints.
Gucci
The world owes this brand to the famous designer Gucci, who first showed the world the results of his work in 1921. Since then, his name has been on the list of “the best brands. The house specializes in leather goods, accessories, clothes, and perfumes.
Gucci is one of the oldest Italian clothing brands, which is also one of the best-selling brands in the world. Its history began in 1921 and was named after its patriarch, Gucci. Initially a modest leather goods store, it grew through its appealing aesthetic. Gucci looked to its French and British counterparts for inspiration, but found its voice, embodying the Tuscan style.
Burberry
The founder of this company is considered to be Thomas Burberry. For the first time, the world saw badges with Burberry inscriptions in 1856. The company specializes in producing quality outerwear and plaid. To date, the firm has not lost its popularity. Moreover, every year it only increases.
Burberry is invariably associated with the iconic red and black check on a beige background, which the fashion house includes in all its collections. For 2018, Burberry is breaking in more than spectacularly and painting the signature plaid in the colors of the LGBT flag. In addition to high-profile fashion statements, Burberry offers plenty of timeless classics – beige trench coats, shirt dresses, blouses, and polka dot skirts.
Fendi
Fendi, founded by Adele and Edoardo Fendi in 1925, was immediately recognized for its impeccable design and excellent style. In 1965 German designer Karl Lagerfeld joined Fendi and became head of ready-to-wear from Fur and Women. Today, Lagerfeld still provides artistic direction for the brand along with the founder’s granddaughter, Silvia Venturini Fendi, who oversees the brand’s accessories, children’s, and men’s lines.
The Fendi fashion house has charged itself to success. In 2007 it became the first brand in history to hold a large-scale show on the Great Wall of China. On the 88 meters, long catwalk 88 models walked. Since then Fendi leather and fur is a symbol of wealth and belonging to the elite of society.
Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are the most famous designers in the world, who managed to acquire the status of very scandalous and provocative persons. Despite a rather tainted biography, the great and beautiful house Dolce & Gabbana will always be the most important brand in Italy and all over the world.
The Italian company came into existence in 1985. Its founders are Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Clothing models produced by this brand, are distinguished by beauty and graceful appearance. Thanks to this, the brand quickly became very popular and world-renowned, and it does not give up its position to this day.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is one of the most famous fashion designers in the world and comes from Italy. In addition to his place on the list of influential designers, he is also one of the top richest people on the planet. Giorgio Armani founded his own fashion house in 1975 and before that, he worked with Nino Cerutti, the owner of the Cerruti brand.
The main subject of Giorgio Armani’s attention was a men’s suit. At first, he took care of gentlemen: he saved jackets and pants from padding, arrows, patched shoulder pads, and overstarching details, thanks to which a two-piece suit became more comfortable than ever, but its aesthetic component was not only preserved but increased.
After that, Armani decided to help women in the matter of comfortable and representative clothes as well. In the 1980s, on the wave of strengthening in the USA the ideas of feminization, he suggested that girls also try on suits-doublets with a man’s shoulder. It was a revolution in fashion and in the office, which also went down in history as a decisive step for women in the fight for their professional credibility.
Valentino
Valentino is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable and important for the whole fashion industry Italian brands. For many years, this house has been using the temperamental and passionate red color in its collections, making it its trademark in clothing lines, leather accessories, and shoes.
Curiously, however, popularity came to this fashion house in the late 1960s, after the release of an airy white and beige collection of women’s clothing, which today would seem too delicate and naive for Valentino. So the evolution of this brand can be traced by the main colors.
Ralph Lauren
Like Armani, Ralph Lauren is on the list of the richest men in the world. He was born in the USA in 1939, and in 1974 he founded his brand, Ralph Lauren. The fashion designer is notable for his love of adapting rustic styles in the modern world of fashion. For example, he often borrows details from the country or western, skillfully integrating them with elegant polo clothing.
Ralph Lauren has created a globally recognizable American preppy style that has proven to be completely timeless and suitable for all continents. Polo shirts, sweaters, bomber jackets, and knitted dresses of his authorship became a real classic and a symbol of the comfortable and ideal life. In addition, Ralph Lauren was not limited to just clothes: he created a real empire, which today also produces decorative objects, furniture, textiles, wallpaper, crockery, and much more.
Versace
The Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace gave us the famous Versace fashion house and also helped to popularize the profession of a model. For his shows, he invited only the most famous models and actresses, who outshone each other by presenting his bold but stylish clothes.
For the first time, you could see clothes with the logo of the world brand in 1978. Gianni Versace is considered the founder of the brand. His clothes are used by many artists and people who are often in public. The models are distinguished by their luxurious appearance, sophistication, and sexuality.
Gianni has always been distinguished by his boldness. Even in the 1980s, when the public often criticized him, he used bright colors, frank cuts, and large prints. He was not afraid to go against the norms, and that’s why he became one of the most famous fashion designers in the history of the world.
Stella McCartney
Stella is the daughter of the famous musician and member of The Beatles Paul McCartney. She sewed her first jacket at the age of 13, and at the age of 29, she presented her graduation collection as an art college graduate. At that time her friends Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss were presenting their collections.
Stella’s main trick was to express in her clothes her social position. Today brands compete vying with each other in the degree of their eco-friendliness and consciousness. Stella McCartney, on the other hand, from the very beginning of her independent design career, refused to use fur and leather, which caused many questions in the 2000s, but she stood firm through a wave of perplexity, insisted on her style, and eventually set an example for other designers.
Balmain
The collections of the French fashion house Balmain, founded in 1945, are famous primarily for their architectural silhouettes with accents on the shoulders. By the way, the founder of the fashion house himself, the great couturier Pierre Balmain, characterized what he does as “architecture of beauty”.
Today this brand, which once revolutionized the world of fashion, remains at the top of the list thanks to its innovative approach and boldness. Balmain likes to experiment, so it creates collaborations with various companies and celebrities. And also constantly expands its line. For example, Balmain’s latest idea was to create a collection of accessories and hair care products.
Rick Owens
Rick Owens is one of the most enigmatic and conceptual brands in the fashion world. Created in California in the mid-1990s, today this fashion house is based in Paris and combines in its collections an obvious Japanese mood and classic restraint of the color scheme. It is because of the brand’s creator’s fondness for the color black that Rick Owens is attributed to the “dark side” of fashion. However, the brand is known not only for this but also for its, unlike any other cut of men’s and women’s clothing, and unrivaled ability to play with asymmetry.
Rick Owens, in his own words, does not follow what his “colleagues on the shop floor” put out on the catwalks year after year and creates his collections exclusively and his own idea of what modern men and women look like. This is what makes the Rick Owens brand so special.
Maison Martin Margiela
You are unlikely to find more than a photo or two of the designer or any details about his life. But you will find the echoes and quotations of Maison Martin Margiela in the work of almost all modern top brands. In the 1990’s it was Margiela who began to develop in fashion the direction of deconstructivism, so all the asymmetric silhouettes, conceptualism, and even post-irony we owe today to him.
Margiela is all about unusual silhouettes and understated colors. The clothes of this powerful house can be seen on the pages of the most progressive magazines and the Instagram profiles of the most stylish celebrities.
Lanvin
The House of Lanvin was founded in Paris in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin. She began to create the fashionable looks worn by all the fashionable Parisians of the time. Her extraordinary vision inspired her to create an exquisite closet for her daughter, which eventually brought her recognition and she was able to open her store. This incredible woman built an empire of children’s clothing, hats, women’s collections, lingerie, perfumes, and more. Her legacy lives on today, but with a modern approach to Parisian life.