Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier… some of the largest names in fashion are as well known today as emperors were in the past. With such international recognition, it is rare that anyone questions why or how these power brands got there in the first place.
We all know they are famed for their quality of design and craftsmanship – but that is part and parcel of where they are today. When these brands first started, how did they differentiate themselves? Why does one luxury brand succeed over another? It is rare that we consider why one particular luxury brand first managed to stand out.
Was it a ground-breaking technical breakthrough? A beautiful design? A helping hand from royalty?
We’ve taken a look at three of the biggest designer brands. Read on to find out what it took to first make a name for themselves in the world of fashion.
Louis Vuitton: At the age of just 13, Louis Vuitton ran away from his home in the East of France. Apparently the victim of a cruel step mother, he walked for over 2 years, taking short term work to support himself, until he got to Paris. After finding a job as an apprentice at a box packing shop (a respectable and fashionable profession), he was fortunate enough over time to catch the attention of Emperor Napoleon’s wife Eugenie, who used his packing services helping create a name for himself.
However, at this point Vuitton was merely one of several highly-skilled tradesmen making luxury packing and trunks.
So what did Mr Vuitton do to revolutionise the world of fashion? The answer is astoundingly simple.
He made a rectangular suitcase.
Up until then, all suitcases were dome shaped, but Louis noticed that rectangular suitcases could be easily stacked, making packing much simpler.
Nowadays this might seem obvious but at the time, it was a revolutionary breakthrough and the birth of modern day luggage.
After that LV went from strength to strength, but it’s fascinating that, for all the design credentials of the company today, it was a technical change that helped propel Louis into the spotlight.
Cartier: Surprisingly, Cartier was already in its third generation of ownership before it made a name for itself. Founded by Louis-Francois Cartier and then his son Alfred Cartier, it was his grandsons Louis, Pierre and Jacques who helped Cartier achieve worldwide fame.
This fame was handed to them in the form of a wristwatch. Up until this point, pilots had issues trying to use pocket watches whilst flying and in a conversation with an aviator friend the brothers decided to attach a strap, thus creating Cartier’s first men’s wristwatch. It was an overnight success and helped spring-board the brand’s expansion.
Strangely, it was not even the World’s first wristwatch- created some 40 years before by Patek Philippe- but it was the first mainstream men’s watch and this helped it gain attention. Once again, it is surprising that the major breakthrough for the company came not from design, but from a technical modification that improved their product.
Prada: This is another example of a brand that only reached stratospheric heights when it reached its third generation of ownership – in this case when the extremely talented Miuccia Prada inherited it.
The line that stood Prada out and helped it to worldwide acclaim was a series of black nylon handbags with understated labelling. The trick here was completely paving her own way forward in fashion – at the time any serious power brand was emblazing logos all over their products, yet Prada chose to barely promote hers. Whilst the bags took some time to get selling to their price point, they soon gained momentum and once Prada was in the spotlight, there was no turning back. Prada has continued to grow on this same basis – following no trends and simply going with her own impression of style. Interestingly, Prada has had no formal training as a designer, which could be argued has helped her to remain fresh and unique.
It’s fascinating to see the variety of ways that different brands have come to fruition – some by technical innovation, others by a unique design, some by being endorsed by the right people.
For Lolo & Galago, we believe it is true dedication to exceptional, unique design that ultimately stands the test of time and is appreciated by people around the World.
No comments:
Post a Comment