Which is your favourite international luxury brand? Mine has to be Chanel for various reasons. Of course because they redefine classy more so with their bags but that's not the only reason. I love love Gabrielle 'coco' Chanel, the founder of the brand we now know as Chanel. She started with only one store that made hats which she would sell to salons nearby. She then expanded to clothes, jewellery and perfumes. Her perfume line didn't start as a perfume line. She gave the fragrances as gifts to people who bought her items and with time people came to her store specifically to buy her perfume.
She is among the very few women whose brands made it through the first and second world wars and the Great Depression as well. I like that she focused on making the female body flattery yet moved away from the usual corsets and bodices that were not as comfortable for all body types. She died though, still a designer. After her, I thought Karl Lagerfeld was incredible, more so with the Chanel bags. Enough of Chanel!
Christian Dior began as a small fashion house named 'Corrole' in 1946 and now is a top luxury brand. History says Dior created the pencil skirt, which is a personal favourite, and the A-line skirts.
Hubert de Givenchy, the founder of Givenchy, started pretty early as well. He created the Little black dress which has now become a closet essential for women.
I learnt about Oscar de la Renta recently while looking for beautiful gowns online (that I don't have a place to wear them to) but realized I have seen the logo countless times. I also signed up on their website and filled my cart with items I cannot afford!
Guccio Gucci, believe it or not, is the name of the founder of Gucci. I think he had a really cool name! Guccio Gucci sounds nice to say. Guccio worked in a hotel where he got the inspiration for House of Gucci from the elegant guests of the hotel. He later founded his line in 1921 as a small family-owned leather shop for selling bags and the rest is history.
Versace on the floooor!(Insert Bruno Mars in a nice silk shirt, probably smiling with his eyes closed.) How do people have such beautiful names like Versace? Gianni Versace founded Versace in 1978. Getting his brand up and running wasn't easy. He was unfortunately murdered leaving his brother and sister to run Versace.
Enough obsessing about designers and brands! The main lesson I hope you learn from my favourite designers is that it takes some time, maybe a long time to build an empire or something big if you don't give up along the way. Many of the brands we know and respect today were started decades ago and were not always popular. Most of them have had to revive again and again to build a legacy. When storms like wars came and passed, they were strong enough to weather the storms and continue to do well. They were resilient.
Humble beginnings are grand. I don't think Chanel knew how the shop she started to design hats would inspire many today or that she would be in history books. I don't think Guccio thought his leather bags shop would become as big as it is now but still he took a chance.
Now, people go to fashion school to learn the ways of Givenchy or Oscar de la Renta and everyone is trying to have a piece of them in their closet.
Whatever you are doing, do it with all your heart, as though to God and not man. Don't tire at the site of the first huddle. Make mistakes, learn from them and take risks. Future generations need to read about us who are living in this era and how we made it with a pandemic.
That’s it from me this week.
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//Till next time✌🏽//
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