Beginner’s Guide to Fashion Houses

In today’s world, we see a constant overflow of information and content, specifically within the realm of fashion. Seeing major brands, photo shoots, outfit inspiration, and fast fashion advertisements everywhere we look, it becomes rather difficult to know which brands represent which values and aesthetics. Additionally, consistent with the cost of living crisis, fewer and fewer people are buying and becoming interested in luxury fashion and see it more as a distant dream of ownership than an art form to be admired. The six major fashion houses are all unique from each other and have what seems like an endless amount of lore and clothing to admire. Here’s everything you need to know about these fashion houses.

Louis Vuitton was founded in Paris, France in 1854. Similar to Gucci, it began as a luggage brand but was more centered on boxes and chests than suitcases and bags. With innovations in the structure and fabric of fashion storage trunks, Louis Vuitton was quickly popularized as a French staple. They eventually expanded to modern fashion in addition to trunks and solidified their audience and status with their monogram logo, imprinted on many popular items. In 2017, the brand collaborated with the booming streetwear brand Supreme and created a collection that allowed a modern space for luxury streetwear to live and breath as an aesthetic. This popularized both brands across a wide range of ages and allowed Louis Vuitton to not only expand their audience but also branch out in their collections offered to the mainstream public.

Chanel was founded by Gabrielle Chanel in 1910, initially as a hat-making shop. As they gained funding, they slowly expanded into women’s athleticwear, blazers, skirts, and sweaters, utilizing jersey fabric. They were popularized in the flapper era, in which they made a new style of flat-chested jersey dress, utilizing leather accessories and masculine colors as to reclaim boldness in femininity. They quickly became a huge success and branched out into fragrances. The brand went through a lot of drama and change in creative direction in the mid-1900s, and after Gabrielle died in 1971, nobody was sure what was going to happen. Luckily, Karl Lagerfeld stepped up in 1981 and made Chanel a powerhouse of trends such as tweed, gold accents, chains, and a wide experimentation of fabrics. Today, they’ve expanded to be one of the top fragrance brands and have branched out in “in-between wear” and skincare.

Cristobal Balenciaga got an early start in fashion and was a tailor by the age of 12. After working with his mother for many years in Spain, he opened stores in Barcelona and Madrid selling womenswear but had to relocate to Paris to escape the Spanish Civil War.

Their aesthetic that we see today actually began in 1996, when Miuccia pivoted to what she calls “ugly chic,” a take on glamour through what people would traditionally see as ugly, opening up discussions of what the word “ugly” really means. Today, Miuccia, her husband Patrizio Bertelli, and Belgian designer Raf Simmons continue to innovate this specific aesthetic with weird and clever concepts.

Although today we all lump them in a luxury category, these brands, among so many others like YSL, Bottega Veneta, Pucci, Valentino, Armani, Margiela, etc, are so rich in history and uniqueness. Exploring their culture and specializations can give you a well-rounded sense as to why they produce what they do today, as well as give you some insight into your own personal taste.

Gucci is a powerhouse of creativity and innovation. They began in 1921 as a luggage bottega in Florence, Italy. They began expanding their stock and branding in the 50s with innovations like diamante canvas and the iconic bamboo handle. With the Italian Dolce Vita era boosting their popularity, they began shifting more and more to accessories and fashion. In the mid-1990s, Tom Ford took over the role of creative director and saturated the brand with a sexy quality. He made an effort to execute the human form, minimalism, monochromatic palettes, and, most importantly, sex appeal, which widely boosted the brand and made it a household name. Now, Gucci is associated with an experimental flamboyance, largely due to the recent creative director Alessandro Michele. By implementing combinations between pastels and bold colors, eliminating the use of fur, and promoting an androgynous sophistication, Michele made Gucci what it is today.

After being forced to sell his art gallery during the great depression, Christian Dior sold fashion sketches to Parisian designers for some extra cash.

Then, after serving in the military, he worked for Pierre Balmain before founding Dior in 1946. For his first collection in 1947, he introduced a new silhouette to the industry, featuring rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and a crinoline-inspired skirt. Since then, Dior has mainly focused on revolutionizing womenswear and variations in shaping the body with textiles. With varying eras like their 90’s sexually provocative era, to even spearheading the skinny jeans trend with feminine menswear collections, Dior has shown their versatility in transforming a body through clothes, accessories, and fragrances. In 2018, they began collaborating with popular streetwear brands like Jordan and Stüssy to broaden their clientele, which successfully solidified them as a popular brand to younger generations whilst keeping their luxury status among adults internationally.

In contrast to Dior and Chanel’s hourglass silhouettes, Balenciaga decided to abstract the female silhouette by creating sleek and linear lines that did not shape the body with creations like the balloon dress, the sailor shirt, the semi-fitted suit, the sack dress, and a large variety of never before seen hat styles. With the world around creative directions over the years, like Alexander Wang and Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga has become a leader in haute couture, bodily abstraction through textiles, and experimental footwear.

In 1913, the very first Prada storefront was opened by Mario Prada, selling travel accessories to the luxury market of Milan. After many years of commercial success but not much innovation, Miuccia Prada (Mario’s granddaughter) took over the company in 1970. She provided the spark they needed with a new line of durable black nylon backpacks, bags, and totes. They eventually incorporated clothing in 1987 and became known for their clean lines, elegant fabrics, low waistlines, and thin belts.