Top Five High Fashion Brands - Fashion Business Boss

The fashion industry is full of brands that seem to come and go as fast as the latest trends. While fast fashion brands such as Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, and Fashion Nova are indicative of the industry’s newest business model, there are quite a few high fashion brands that have stood the test of time. These brands are widely considered to be timeless by fashion critics and consumers across the globe. There is a reason that these brands are classics, and will be around much longer than the latest trendy clothing line. Here are the world’s top five high fashion brands.

The top five high fashion brands are:

Gucci

Prada
Burberry
Louis Vuitton

Dior

There is a reason that each of these brands is currently ranked in the world’s top five high fashion brands. In this article, we will take a deeper look at each of these fashion brands to determine what makes them such a respected force in the fashion industry, as well as what makes them so successful. I will also provide you with a brief synopsis of how each of these fashion brands started, to give you a better understanding of how far they have come. Let’s read along to learn more about each brand on this list, where they are from, and where they are headed.

Table of Contents

Gucci

What most people don’t know about Gucci is that while they are known as one of the world’s foremost high fashion brands, they got their start by making storage trunks. However, they are now primarily known for their quality bags, accessories, and footwear. This fashion brand was founded in Florence, Tuscany in 1929 by Guccio Gucci. Unfortunately, because of fallout within the family, Gucci is no longer run by the Gucci family. It was acquired by Pinault Printemps Redoute, which was later renamed Kering. These name changes can be confusing at times, can’t they?

Though they have always been known as a luxury brand for the wealthy, Gucci enjoyed a revival in the fashion world in the 2010s, becoming more popular than ever. By 2019, Gucci had opened 487 retail stores worldwide and employed 17,157 people. This brand has become much more profitable than they could have ever dreamed, taking in approximately 11.5 billion dollars in sales in 2019 alone. Marco Bizzarri and Alessandro Michele are the CEO and the creative director of Gucci, respectively. Bizzarri has been employed by the company since 2014. Michele has been there since 2015. Because of them, Gucci is more successful than ever.

Prada

Much like Gucci, Prada is another Italian luxury brand that is well known in the business of high fashion. However, Prada got its start as an Italian leather goods shop named Fratelli Prada, run by two brothers named Mario and Martino M. Initially, the shop got its start by importing English steamer trunks, selling Handbags, and trading in animal skins. Since then, they have come quite a long way from their humble beginnings to become one of the world’s most recognized luxury fashion brands. Once Mario Prada retired, he left his share of the business to his daughter Luisa.

Luisa successfully ran the business until 1978, when her daughter Miuccia took over for her. Shortly after assuming the role of CEO of Prada, Miuccia hired a business advisor named Patrizio Bertelli. Together, the two decided to manufacture and sell nylon backpacks and totes, and soon expanded across Europe and into the United States. They became the fashion giant that they are now when they first introduced their women’s line of clothing in 1988. As of 2021, Prada’s revenue was over 4 billion dollars. They have come quite a long way from selling nylon bags.

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Burberry

Although Burberry may not be quite as well-known as Gucci or Prada, they have certainly earned its spot on the list of the world’s top 5 high fashion brands. Originally established to sell outdoor wear, Thomas Burberry founded the company in 1865 in London, England. Burberry opened its first shop in London in 1891 and was solely owned and operated by the Burberry family until 1955. Today, they have stores in 59 countries and are ranked as one of the top global brands.

Since its humble beginnings selling outdoor apparel in a small shop in London, Burberry has become one of high fashion’s major players. They are now known for selling clothing and apparel, accessories, shoes, perfumes, cosmetics, handbags, and many other fashionable items. Burberry is now run by its CEO, Jonathan Akeroyd, and they currently have 421 locations worldwide. As of 2021, Burberry employs 9,234 people, and reports sales hope approximately 2.8 billion dollars. They are a force to be reckoned with amongst the top brands in the industry.

Louis Vuitton

I don’t know about the majority of you, but when I think of high fashion brands, Louis Vuitton is probably the first name that comes to mind. In the last decade, this brand has seen an explosion in popularity across the globe. This is due in no small part to their iconic LV logo. However, most people are not aware that Louis Vuitton is not the full name of the company. It is Louis Vuitton Malletier and was founded in 1854 by a French man of the same name. Much like other brands on this list, this company got its start making stackable trunks.

The brand expanded into International markets early, selling a set of luggage to a Japanese man in 1871. They adopted their famous beige and brown stripes in 1876 to protect against others copying their style. Louis Vuitton opened the Champs-Elysees building in 1913, which was the world’s largest luggage store at the time. After World War 2 ended, Louis Vuitton decided to incorporate leather into its products. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Louis Vuitton employs 19,000 people and recorded sales of over 16.7 billion dollars in 2020.

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Dior

Dior has the distinction of being the proverbial new kid on the block, as it was not established until 1946 as the House of Dior. Although the brand was founded by Christian Dior, he needed financial backing to get his company off of the ground. He obtained that backing from a businessman named Marcel Boussac. Rather than trying to re-establish an aging brand, Christian Dior made the bold decision to design for his own company, although he was technically a shareholding partner of Boussac Saint-Freres S.A because of Boussac’s financial backing.

The first Dior collection was launched in February of 1947 and was instantly known as the new look in fashion by Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow. The line was a revolutionary look for women, and Dior is credited for having revived a dead fashion scene in France. While it is rare that fashion brands see instant success, Dior defied the odds and became an immediate household name in fashion. They opened their first international store in New York at the end of 1949, and employ 163,309 people with revenues of over 64.1 billion dollars as of 2019.

Conclusion

Although fast fashion brands may be the latest trend in the fashion business, some brands have withstood changes in fashion and in the economy to become leaders of high fashion. What makes these brands so successful is that they pay respect to the classic designs of the past while simultaneously putting a modern spin on them. They also use quality materials, and their clothing will typically last much longer than pieces you would get from places like Forever 21, American Eagle, Old Navy, and Fashion Nova, which could all learn from these brands.

The one thing that most of the world’s most successful High fashion brands have in common is that the majority of them did not get their start in fashion. Whether they were formed as a company that made stackable trunks or nylon bags, each of these brands decided to venture into fashion and become some of the world’s most iconic and recognizable high fashion brands. They are incredibly successful, have hundreds of locations across the globe, and employ tens of thousands of people. I would say that each of them made the right decision.

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