The Most Famous Clothing Brands: Top Five

Whether you live in the United States or anywhere else in the world, what you choose to wear is an important part of your identity. Your clothes make a statement about who you are and where you come from. If you are like most people, I’m sure that you have a few clothing brands that are among your personal favorites. Whether you choose a particular designer because you like their style or you find their clothing to be extremely comfortable, you may find yourself buying these brands regularly. You may also notice that other people are wearing other brands when you are out and about and have wondered what makes these brands so popular. Better yet, have you ever wondered what brands were among the top clothing brands in the entire world? Well, I’m here to answer that question for you…

The top five most famous clothing brands are:

Gucci
Louis Vuitton
Nike
Dior
Prada

In this article, we will take a look at the five most famous and popular clothing brands in the world. Along with providing you with some information regarding the background and history of each of these five brands, we will also see how successful each brand has become. While I’m sure that some of these brands may come as no surprise, there may be one or two brands that may surprise you. Let’s read along to see what we can learn about the five most popular and famous clothing brands around the world, shall we?

Table of Contents

Gucci

When it comes to clothing brands associated with luxury, it comes as no surprise that Gucci is the world’s most famous clothing line. Founded in Florence, Tuscany in 1921 by Guccio Gucci and placed under the direction of Aldo Gucci, this brand rose to prominence and fame both in Italy and around the world. However, what you may not know is that the Gucci brand got its start by selling high quality leather luggage, not designer clothing. Gucci soon expanded to selling leather goods of may different types, but had to start selling things made from other fabrics due to a trade embargo imposed on Italy by Mousseline and the League of Nations. In 1937. Gucci first launched its now-famous handbags, although they were originally made from canvas instead of leather due to material shortages in Italy.

In 1947,Gucci first introduced his Bamboo bag after distributing shares of his company to each of his three sons. They then introduced their famous tag line “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” By 1952,Gucci introduced their leather moccasins and called them Gucci loafers. Because of internal fighting and family feuds in the 1980s, the entire Gucci family was ousted from its own brand by 1993. It has been run by CEO Marco Bizzarri and Creative Director Alessandro Michele since late 2014 and early 2015, respectively. By 2019,Gucci had expanded to 487 stores worldwide, employing 17,157 people. Gucci has been a subsidiary of the French group Kering, and boasts sales of 8.9 billion pounds as of 2018.

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Louis Vuitton

The second most famous brand on this list may also be quite familiar to most people around the world. This brand is the famous French seller of luxury clothing and goods known as Louis Vuitton. Founded in Paris, France in 1854 by company namesake Louis Vuitton, this clothing brand has become one of the world’s most recognized brands. What you may not know is that like many other brands, Louis Vuitton did not get its start by selling many of the luxury items they are now known for selling. They started off by selling storage trunks made of canvas. In 1871, this brand took its sales from local to worldwide by selling trunks to Ōyama Iwao of Japan. In 1876, Louis Vuitton incorporated their famous beige and brown stripes, which would go on to become iconic worldwide. Little did they know that they would eventually become one of the most famous brands in the world.

By 1885, they opened their first international location in London, England. However, what you may not know is that Louis Vuitton was named the world’s most valuable luxury brand for six consecutive years, from 2006 – 2012. The many items that this brand sells include goods such as sunglasses, clothing, leather bags, jewelry and other accessories, watches, and shoes. Louis Vuitton has come quite a long way from its humble roots, operating in 50 countries and having over 460 stores around the world. This company is now valued at approximately 28.4 billion dollars, and boasts annual revenue totaling 9.4 billion dollars. Louis Vuitton products can be purchased through standalone boutiques, in high-end departmental stores, and through the e-commerce section of its website. This brand has come quite a long way from its origins of selling storage trunks.

Nike

Nike is one of the most instantly recognizable brands in the world, and for good reason. You can’t watch television, go on a jog, or open your phone or laptop without either seeing their products or advertisements somewhere. Originally founded in 1964 by University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and track athlete Phil Knight as Blue Ribbon Sports, Nike has become the largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel across the globe. Its iconic swoosh logo is instantly recognizable, but what you may not know is that they did not incorporate the name Nike until 1971. Nike originally got its start in Eugene, Oregon by being a distributor for the Japanese shoemaker, Onitsuka Tiger Bowerman and Knight sold these shoes out of Bowerman’s trunk at track meets. Sales the first year only grossed $8,000, but increased to $20,000 the next year.

By 1966,Blue Runner Shoes had its first retail store in Santa Monica, California. The name was changed to Nike and the swoosh logo was adopted in 1971. While I am sure that many of you are very familiar with this brand, what you may not know is that this company was named after the Greek goddess of victory. Seems appropriate, doesn’t it? Nike now has 1,048 retail stores worldwide, as well as having their products sold in a plethora of other locations. Over the years, this brand has expanded by leaps and bounds. Nike now not only makes athletic shoes and apparel for its regular consumers, but it also manufacturers the uniforms for the National Football League. This brand boasts worldwide revenue in excess of over 37.4 billion dollars, and is currently values at north of 32 billion dollars. Nike has its headquarters based in Beaverton, Oregon, and is the proud sponsor of some of the world’s most high-profile athletes and sports teams.

Dior

Also commonly known as Christian Dior SE, Dior is a luxury brand that is based in Paris, France. The formal name for one of the world’s most popular brands is The House of Dior, and was founded in December of 1946 by Christian Dior, and financially backed by a wealthy businessman named Marcel Boussac. Dior originally started as a part Boussac’s textile business, and employed approximately 80 people. Though this now-famous brand was an affiliate of its parent company Boussac Saint-Freres S.A, Christian Dior was afforded the privilege of legal leadership, a non-controlling stake in the firm, and one-third of pretax profits in the brand that bore his name. Although Boussac had a reputation as a control freak, Dior was paid handsomely for his contributions to the company.

Things began to change in February of 1947, when Christian Dior designed his first official fashion line for the Spring and Summer collection of the same year. His line instantly became a hit when the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar proclaimed the line to be “a new look“ and “a revolution. “ The company is credited starting haute couture in France, which helped Dior to get new clients in Hollywood, as well as with high-ranking Europeans. Christian Dior is still credited with being one of the globe’s most influential designers, with his influence still present in modern fashion . Dior is currently worth almost 53.7 billion dollars, and grosses 11.4 billion dollars yearly. The brand now employs 163,309 people, and is one of the most famous and recognizable brands in the world.

Prada

When you think of fashion, one name that instantly comes to mind is Prada. This brand was originally started in 1913 by two Italian brothers named Mario and Martino Prada. The roots of Prada come from a single shop in Milan called Fratelli Prada, where they imported handbags; English steamer trunks, and sold animal goods. Although the two brothers initially refused to allow women in the workplace, it was Mario’s daughter, Luisa, who succeed him. In 1970, Luisa’s daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined Prada, becoming President and CEO in 1978. She began making nylon, waterproof backpacks, and then went into business with an Italian man named Patrizio Bertelli, who was in the business of selling leather goods. In 1978, Miuccia inherited the company with sales totaling approximately $450,000 per year. It was at this point where she decided to incorporate some of her creative ideas into the company. Miuccia used the black nylon that her grandfather had originally used to make steamer trunks to create Prada’s first line of backpacks and tote bags.

Unfortunately, the line did not sell well due to high prices and lack of advertising, although they would later

become a hit. Miuccia and Bertelli then had the idea to sell the bags wholesale to fashion boutiques and department stores, while also opening a boutique of their own in Milan, Italy in 1983. During that same year, Prada began to expand across Europe and the United States by opening locations in New York, Paris, and Milan. In 1987, they launched their first clothing line, and became known worldwide for their signature look in 1989. In the 1990s, Prada became one of the most successful fashion brands of the decade, with sales totaling 31.7 billion dollars by 1998. Prada was also presented with the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for their accessories. It was also during the 1990s that Prada recognized that they were only catering to half of their potential clientele, and expanded into men’s fashion. Prada is also well-known for their bitter feud with Gucci, who they claim stole their designs. Currently, they employ 13,140 people, and the brand is worth around 7 billion pounds, with their 2021 income totaling a little more than 3.9 billion pounds.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while there are several clothing and fashion brands you can choose from, the top five clothing brands in the world include Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Dior, and Prada. Though these brands may have their differences, the one thing that they have in common is that each of them came from humble beginnings. Whether brands like Nike are selling athletic shoes at track meets out of the trunk of a car, or companies like Louis Vuitton and Dior originally sold canvas bags out of small local shops, they have all achieved tremendous success and have become instantly-recognizable worldwide brands. Companies like Gucci also took the leap, manufacturing their products from premium materials and coming up with signature taglines to justify the price of their products. This instantly made them a competitor in the premium bag market. Each of these brands are now worth several billions of dollars, and post sales of billions around the world each year. They have come quite a long way from their humble beginnings, don’t you think?

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