Fashion is the prevailing preference in a particular society. Therefore, fashion varies by continent, nationality, country, and neighborhood. In Europe, it is fashionable to be thin, while in Jamaica or South Africa, it is a sign of poverty and disease. In India, women grow their hair, while in the Maasai tribe, the standard of beauty is a shaved woman.
Similar differences exist in the world of clothing and accessories. However, in addition to the social environment and geographical location, technological and lifestyle trends also influence popularity. Therefore, the demand for this or that thing, image, or fabric is quite fleeting. Fashion trends are believed to change every 2-9 years, with new details added each year.
For example, who doesn’t remember the shiny tight leggings in the 90s? In the 2020s, fashion is back, but leggings have evolved into nicer fabrics in all colors and sizes. Some trends come and go in a year (pleated skirts, leopard shoes), and some, like jeans, don’t go out of style for years.
Alexander McQueen
While developing his brand, the young designer also gained valuable experience working at Givenchy and Savile Row. Gradually, McQueen developed his unique style, combining confidence, openness, and passion.
The outfits feature elements of empire style, with eye-catching, bright, empathetic details: voluminous skirts above the knees, bows at the shoulders, and dresses sewn from small rolls of fabric. This flamboyance can be traced in the Alexander McQueen logo, Q, which resembles a flower with the inscribed C.
The combination of the couturier’s talent and the large company’s experience enabled him to expand his clientele, achieve fame, and open mono-brand stores.
After the death of the couturier, who committed suicide in 2010, his place was taken by Sarah Burton, an associate of the master, who successfully continued the business of the designer. Her models are more feminine and flowing, yet still hint at the stately fashion of the past.
Balenciaga
A trendsetter with more than 100 years of history, he is a member of the Syndicat de la Haute Couture in Paris and has been at the top of the designer Olympus since 1914. However, the founder’s talent was initially appreciated in Spain when he was 16, and he moved to France only during World War II.
High waists, puffy skirts, stand-up collars, cocoon and side-skirt dresses, hooded jackets, and subway-style shoulder pads. However, the ready-to-wear line came after Balenciaga’s departure. He worked in haute couture. His unique outfits were bought only by famous, rich clients. For the average person, the designer was little known. A funnel dress or ball skirt was not suitable for everyday style.
In 1968, the master left fashion, closed his ateliers, and died four years later. Subsequently, his followers continued his work and ideas in 1986. They made the designer’s ideas accessible to most customers. The brand’s logo captures extravagance and unusual shapes in the form of two letters, B, each facing a different direction.
Balmain
The house creates creative, colorful outfits with tight waists for bright, self-confident personalities. Such things should not be worn in the city. The sets are ordered from the designer for special occasions. In Balmain’s creations, it is difficult to remain unnoticed. Embossed materials, glossy finish, avant-garde design. Hepburn, Loren, and Dietrich appreciate images from the fashion house. Such a direction in clothing even received its name, “Madame Joly.”
Bottega Veneta
It is one of the unique brands without a logo. The brand practically had no name. “Workshop in Veneto” (region of Italy). It’s just a workshop. The tannery, which opened in 1966, sewed products and accessories for other brands, so it placed little emphasis on visual identity or recognizability.
However, everything changed with the release of the first Cabat bag model, which brought the company instant popularity. Having worked “for themselves” at Bottega Veneta, they didn’t change their marketing approach. No big name, no signage.
Handmade products are the real business cards of Italian manufacturers. The best sorts of leather, more than 700,000 shades, and unusual techniques for forming the cloth from interlaced leather strips distinguish Bottega Veneta products from all other designer products.
In addition to bags, suitcases, shoes, and other goods, the brand presented collections of women’s and men’s clothing, including leather jackets, skirts, and coats, complemented by knitwear, available in 140 boutiques worldwide.
Burberry
It is a British house with a rich history dating back to 1856. The brand’s founder worked in a fabric store and knew the properties well. Initially, the brand was valued for its quality tailoring and elegant outerwear cuts, especially after the invention of gabardine.
In Burberry boutiques, you can buy this brand’s coats, raincoats, trench coats, accessories with the famous white-black-beige check, jeans, underwear, and cosmetics.
The Burberry logo, featuring a knight on horseback, reminds me of that glorious time when the house was the official clothing supplier to the British army. It is one of many major achievements. The company has received a patent from the royal court twice.
Chanel
Childhood and youth in an orphanage, without maternal influence or a nun’s upbringing, did not create the prerequisites for developing a taste for and understanding of fashion. However, this did not prevent Gabrielle Chanel from becoming the world’s most famous couturier.
She came from a convent orphanage, knew how to sew, and worked in a women’s clothing store. A career in the Coco cabaret helped her acquire the necessary knowledge and acquaintances. With her charm and the help of friends and admirers, Chanel opened her first store and revolutionized the fashion world.
Even though two equally famous designers replaced Chanel at the head of the house, the brand Chanel will always be associated with the name of the immortal Gabrielle. The two open crossed rings in the logo are the capital letters of the founder’s surname and stage pseudonym.
The atelier’s main focus is on making everyday clothes simple but feminine. A mini-dress without jewelry and a corset from Coco are considered standards of elegance and style. Ladies should also be grateful to the couturier for the opportunity to wear skirt suits.
If Chanel’s style is laconic, the perfume’s scent conveys the shades of a diverse female nature. Chanel was the first to use many essences in perfumery, creating a unique plume.
The fashion house’s clothes, jewelry, handbags, and perfumes can be purchased only in its 310 boutiques worldwide.
Dior
The first Dior collection was presented in the designer’s small studio in 1947. After the war, asceticism, and the decline of fashion, his flared dresses brought a fresh stream to the female image, so they were immediately remembered.
No matter how much they scolded the master for excessive wastefulness and exorbitant consumption of cloth, it did not prevent him from receiving women’s love and numerous orders. A year later, a Dior boutique with clothes, furs, bags, and accessories from the couturier was already working in New York.
However, luck accompanied the house for a short time. Dior dies after ten years of work, taking the original ideas with him. Only three years later, the main designer’s position was filled by Marc Boan, who continued the couturier’s business. His approach attracted famous fans, such as Lauren and Dietrich.
A refined silhouette, feminine shapes, floral motifs, and long, flared skirts define the brand. The Dior logo, set in elegant lettering, best conveys simplicity and elegance.
Dolce & Gabbana
This brand is a joint creation of two designers who named the luxury clothing line after themselves. The idea behind the brand is the popular ripped jeans. The partners brought the underwear, making it a noticeable visual detail. And then, on the contrary, having removed it, I offered to wear the suit directly on the naked body. Animal prints are also a discovery of the brand.
Perhaps the images’ sexuality was inspired by the romantic relationship between Domenico and Stefano, who worked and lived together. In tandem, the designers created lines of perfumes, watches, eyewear, and even bicycles and cars. They designed costumes for Madonna’s, Houston’s, and Minogue’s tours and uniforms for Milano soccer players.
The successful partnership is also reflected in the company’s logo, which consists of the first letters of the designers’ surnames.
Interestingly, most of the company’s collections were sewn not by craftsmen but under license from other firms until the clothing company was acquired in 1999.
Fendi
The glamor of fur and leather reflects Italian style at its best. Since the first store opened, handmade products have immediately gained fans. And after Lagerfeld joined the company, the brand began to blossom. The FF logo became associated with luxury, beauty, and lightness. Closer to the 2000s, another successful direction for the brand became bags. Baguette and Spy models are very popular.
Giorgio Armani
The master decided to found a fashion house only at the age of 40. Before that, he worked as a fashion designer in other firms. Armani’s style is classic: elegant pantsuits for men and women, beautiful silhouettes, and a lack of unnecessary details. Models became especially famous after the release of the cult movie “Pretty Woman,” in which Richard Gere wore them.
Interestingly, the master created models and developed new fabrics for them. The house managed its sales system independently, including an online store. In addition to clothing, Armani helped open the restaurant and hotel system and developed the design of luxury cars.
Whatever the creative genius undertook, he was successful everywhere. The brand’s growth and achievements are evident in the logo: an eagle with its wings raised in the shape of the letter V, the symbol of victory.
Givenchy
The fashion house Givenchy never welcomed strange, extravagant clothes. Although young Hubert greatly respected Balenciaga’s creations, he was inspired by his example and even worked and lived with the designer.
The master’s clothes, on the contrary, are simple, comfortable, and elegant. For this, it was appreciated by such style benchmarks as Hepburn and Kelly. Givenchy presented his first collection at the age of 25. The world owes its imagination to sports dresses, bare-shoulder wedding dresses, puffy floor-length skirts, and sleeveless dresses.
Givenchy perfumes and cosmetics are as famous as its clothes.
After the LVMH brand was sold and the owner left, the fashion house could not find its ideal designer for a long time. No one lingered on the post and could not feel the famous style until Ricardo Tisci came along.
Inspired by past models, he created clothes in the master’s style but added a fatal passion and boldness. Givenchy’s “4 G” code favored the follower’s work, allowing him to remain at the helm for 12 years.
After Tisci’s departure, the house is again undergoing a succession of replacements and becoming a launching pad for talented designers. On the one hand, it is a constant inflow of fresh ideas; on the other hand, maintaining the face and style amid such turnover is problematic.
Gucci
It is one of the largest fashion houses, second only to Louis Vuitton in sales. It has 300 mono-brand stores and representative offices in France, Italy, America, and Great Britain. It belongs to the large concern Kering and a constellation of famous brands, including Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and McQueen.
Gucci outfits have been pleasing customers for more than 100 years. However, for a long time, the master sought his vocation: horse harness seller, porter, messenger, and elevator operator. Gucci took on any job. It took 18 years for the designer’s first products to appear. But elite bags, clothes for racing, and bridles immediately found their connoisseurs.
The master and his heirs put their whole souls into the work, considered the steps for developing the brand down to the smallest detail, created a memorable logo of crossed letters G that look in different directions, and bought the best leather.
The red-green braid, which adorned many models of bags and clothes, striped pants, bright colors, and glamorous open evening dresses from the designer, has become part of everyday life. Many stars choose outfits from this brand for red carpets.
Hermes
Hermes is one of the houses whose outfits have been in demand for almost 200 years.
The logo, featuring a carriage and a horse, conveys the brand’s venerable age and points to the product that launched the company’s development: the horse harness. Yes, in 1837, the design house successfully entered the fashion market for horses. In 1867, the harness from the company’s founder, Thierry Hermes, was recognized as the best in the world.
In the 1900s, excellent-quality leather was used to manufacture handbags, the first saddle, and elegant women’s bags since 1920. By the way, the company is still best known for its beautiful bags. Some, such as those from the Birkin line, can only be purchased through a waiting list.
After the expansion, the fashion house took seven-mile steps: leather jackets, women’s clothing collections, watches, bracelets, perfumes, tableware everywhere; it left its mark.
Over the course of the century, no fewer than 13 designers have contributed to the creation of the Hermes style. Valuable works of art inspired the models. That is why all the company’s offerings are characterized by elegance and high style. They are sewn from natural materials: ordinary and elite leather (python, ostrich, crocodile), silk, and cotton.
Lanvin
The history of the Lanvin house deserves respect and attention. The company has been known and popular since 1889. There are only three such old-timers in France. The brand’s designer is considered the founder of children’s fashion. Starting to sew for her daughter, Jeanne Lanvin found fans and buyers of clothes. Everyone wanted the same dresses for the children. When models began ordering the mothers of babies, Lanvin Couturier recognized the Paris syndicate. This allowed them to have a fashion house and logo. Given the direction of the work, it is not surprising that the silhouette of a mother and child became a trademark.
This company’s clothes feature beads, floral prints, lace ribbons, and flying fabrics.
Loro Piana
Peruvian vicuña, New Zealand merino, and Mongolian yak are just some of the animals whose wool is transformed into magnificent fabric in the house of Loro Piana. The family has kept the unique secrets of woolen fabric production since the 19th century, which is why their goods are in demand by garment factories worldwide.
The company also sews clothes for its brands from the fabrics it obtains. These include coats, suits, dresses, and pants for everyday wear, as well as specialized sportswear for racing, sailing, equestrian polo, and more. The company has developed technology that makes the materials warm and waterproof.
The brand’s products are not subject to fashion trends, as wool remains in demand. The company logo demonstrates the models’ careful attitude to nature and elegance.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton bags and suitcases are expensive luxury items. Having started serving the royal house, the couturier’s followers still sew for famous people, but place orders for no more than 300 items a year.
In the clothing market, the brand appeared relatively recently, 100 years after its foundation (1998), and in 2016, it introduced a line of perfumes. To him, we owe fashion to the combination of dresses and boots, airy blouses, strict jackets, and things in polka dots. All collections are a tandem of past and modern, strict and light, a game with fabrics and styles.
Geometric figures in the visual sign (four petals in a circle, a rhombus and a star, a cell, and the founder’s initials superimposed) testify to the harmony and precision of all Louis Vuitton images and products. The brand’s impeccable tailoring quality is a special feature.
Alongside the clothes, from the brand’s inception, the company has been engaged in the architectural design of its stores, which have opened in 53 countries worldwide.
Maison Martin Margiela
It is an outrageous and empathetic brand that creates clothes from the most unpredictable materials, from aprons to postcards. The designer loves recycled materials. He knows how to create something luxurious out of the simple and cheap. Even the house logo is far from the usual just four stitches. The first invitation to the collection show was distributed in newspapers as a free advertisement. Despite being too empathetic and unsuitable for everyday life, Margiela still managed to create something in demand and popular: modified sneakers and Replica military.
Marni
Bright colors, glitter, prints, and various textures distinguish the young Milanese brand (founded in 1994). Individuality can be traced in everything, even in the name, which the designer immortalized not with her surname or place of work but with her sister’s name.
Starting with a rather unpopular, old-fashioned fur at the time, the fashion designer breathed new life into the material. Consuelo came up with the idea of sewing all toiletry items from fur.
After the transition to combining heterogeneous fabric textures that give a special feeling when touched and worn, a loose cut that does not emphasize the figure is another Marni trend; a hint of this is reflected in the company’s loose logo, with a large gap between the letters.
Today, the brand belongs to another owner; a new designer is working on it, but he adheres to the founder’s basic techniques, preserving the brand’s individuality. At the same time, collections are regularly released in collaboration with other fashion houses.
Prada
In 1913, Mario Prada began selling bags, suitcases, and other accessories made of tortoiseshell, ivory, expensive wood, silver, and stones. He was more of a distributor and merchant than a designer. Other craftsmen created models for the store.
The brand’s true debut in the fashion world came after the founder’s granddaughter took over. Miucci created a collection of handbags, shoes, and casual clothes with a low waist. All the developments were to the customers’ taste.
Restrained colors distinguish the brand’s products for office and work meetings. At the same time, they emphasize the owner’s sexuality and have impeccable cut. The image epitomizes an educated, well-mannered businesswoman. The company logo is manifested in the transformation of letter elements into ties.
Women’s collections and men’s Uomo are released in the Donna line. The Miu Miu youth series is produced separately.
Ralph Lauren
The Ralph Lauren house makes many things, from clothing and accessories to tableware and wallpaper, and from furniture to pet products. The founder’s Jewish roots helped allow the giant empire to develop successfully. After all, the couturier’s real surname is Livshitz.
Ralph opened a fashion house, took out an excessive $50,000 loan, and focused on creating polo models. Constant contact with celebrities made the fashion designer famous. His logo, featuring a jockey on a horse, was known throughout America. Therefore, when Lauren expanded his range, everyone bought from him.
The most famous piece of clothing is the polo shirt, which remains popular worldwide.
Rick Owens
The designer holds a bisexual view of the world. He quietly dresses men in skirts and pants simultaneously and women in men’s tails and heavy, voluminous jackets. The effect of wear and the appearance of torn or torn-off parts are also characteristic of the couturier. His logo, in the form of an indecipherable signature, is in keeping with his views.
Saint Laurent
Speaking of unisex style, it is impossible not to mention Yves Saint Laurent. The couturier dressed women in men’s tuxedos and suits, popularized military motifs, and laid the foundations of common fashion for both sexes.
The master made even the usual women’s clothes simpler and more practical. For example, the most famous silhouette is a dress with a straight cut, a straight neckline, and sleeves, decorated with geometric stripes that connect the individual parts.
The designer also directly and frankly expressed female sexuality with the help of transparent clothing elements.
Now, the house belongs to the Gucci concern but remains faithful to the couturier’s basic principles. A combination of masculine and feminine, high fashion and casual style, use of national elements, bringing the avant-garde into the classics.
The brand uses signs developed in 1963. The intertwining of three capital letters of the founder’s name testifies to the tendency to harmonize different styles.
Stella McCartney
The daughter of a famous member of the Liverpool Four could write her name into fashion history and become popular thanks to her talent rather than her father’s name.
Having started her career at Chloe, the girl quickly rose to the top and was recognized as the best designer of the year in 2000. Feeling confident, she opened her house but never gave up on joint projects, contributing to her popularity.
Stella McCartney specializes in women’s and children’s clothing and accessories. The fashion designer does not use natural materials, even though they advocate the preservation of nature. Tight silhouettes with loose legs and sleeves create an elegant yet casual look for today’s young women. The brand logo is also light and weightless, as if pierced by a sewing machine needle.
Valentino
Despite the house’s name, Valentino would never have achieved such success without his beloved friend Giancarlo Giammetti, who believed so deeply in his partner’s talent that he left his studies and devoted himself to promoting the brand.
The young Italian’s fresh look, bright dresses, lace, and ruffles were to the stars’ taste at the time. The letter V, which opens the capsule with the Valentino logo, speaks of this. It seems to take the buyer beyond the boundaries, showing a new world of images.
The master created many dresses for red carpets and weddings. His clients were Hathaway, Taylor, and Lopez. Among his features are a fatal red color and elegant, long dresses with unusual details. The outfits are ideal for formal events.
Piccioli continues the house’s traditions, successfully adopting and complementing the founder’s style. Valentino approved the successor, which allowed the designer to remain at the head of the house for 14 years.
Versace
Another brand that has found its niche in a variety of directions. However, the brand’s most famous items are its shoes and clothing. It is one of the few houses owned by the family that founded it.
The house’s style is “super sexy”: mini-skirts, maximum open necklines, and cuts to underwear. The Versace emblem accurately reflects this idea, spreading the charm of the gorgon Medusa as a femme fatale.
Gianni Versace’s idea of fashion proved to be in demand. He created outfits for a detective series about the Miami police and uniforms for Club Milano and Real Madrid. The suits were bought by couturiers Crawford, Princess Diana, Madonna, Pavarotti, and Tina Turner.
The founder’s sister is now at the helm of the company. It took her considerable effort to revive the brand’s popularity after Gianni’s death, but now the House of Versace is back on track.
Who determines what will be fashionable?
Fashion houses determine modern trends. They are teams of designers, stylists, seamstresses, and other specialists who create fashion collections released 2-4 times a year.
However, determining future trends is a two-way process. It is necessary to understand and grasp what people will like today. The designer’s proposals may not be to society’s taste, and after a few unsuccessful collections, the house will lose customers and decline.
On the contrary, some houses are so attuned to the moods and changes in society that their collections consistently hit the mark and are popular with many customers. Everyone knows about such houses as Versace, Gucci, and Dior. The ability to sense what society will accept and translate that insight into real, captivating images is the talent of a true designer.
What distinguishes a thing from a good fashion house?
When you watch fashion shows, it seems that some outfits and collections are not only unwearable but also unappealing. However, you should distinguish haute couture from everyday fashion (prêt-à-porter).
In the former, the designer conveys his vision of the world and his view of the place of clothes. The models are sewn in a single copy and are at least 75% hand-sewn, sometimes customized. The second option is everyday fashion, which consists of mass-produced outfits sold in boutiques. From high fashion to everyday fashion, only certain trends are transferred: fabrics and their combinations, lengths, cuts, and colors.
At the same time, a self-respecting fashion house approaches the matter responsibly, producing both haute couture and prêt-à-porter clothing. Therefore, if you buy a thing from a certain house, it is not only an individual style but also:
- Quality elaboration of all seams.
- Thoughtfulness in wearing.
- Functional fittings and materials.
A classic outfit from a famous couturier will last over a year.