We continue our little overview of the most influential names in men's fashion/luxury, after the first volume !
Some of you have wondered why this or that name is not included in this list. It turns out that I made my choice based on two criteria. First of all, I cannot talk about products that I have never had in my hands: to be mentioned, the houses must therefore be - at least - familiar to me.
Secondly, the objective is to shed light on renowned labels, even if it means breaking certain beliefs: certain brands enjoy a luxury image among the general public when this is not the case, others have bad press while they are noble!
Damir Doma
Damir Doma systematically chooses very natural palettes.
Born in 1981 and raised in Germany, Damir Doma cut his teeth with Demeulemeester and Raf Simons, evolving in a dark and “intellectual” style.
When he launched his own label in 2007, he asserted a very bohemian universe materialized by loose silhouettes, materials both rustic and sophisticated, and the recurring use of muted and dark colors.
I will not wear his creations, but I greatly appreciate the sincerity and entirety of his artistic approach. Very artisanal, mainly made in Italy, the pieces from the first line are sold to an initiated public.
Silent by Damir Doma
A more accessible version but faithful to the spirit of Damir Doma.
A second line is then created to offer a range of more accessible clothing, less technical to make, but still in the poetic spirit of the first line. The value for money of products made in Portugal remains good and allows you to acquire unique pieces to enhance your wardrobe.
Dior for men
Little by little, the abstract gives way to structured pieces, and the plain combines with a few prints.
Dior Homme is one of the brands adored by the press, blogs, the public... The name of the illustrious Christian Dior always makes people dream! After Slimane, Kris Van Assche created the silhouettes for the men's line of the Fashion House: the minimalist and refined designs of the young Belgian increasingly coexist with prints, embroidery and other geometric patterns.
The quality of the runway pieces is very good, and the basic jeans with the famous “scars” on the back delight lovers of beautiful fabrics. The strong point of the House, not insignificant these days, is that it is easy to find timeless pieces, although their price positioning does not make them accessible to everyone. Luxury requires .
Dolce & Gabbana
From the cosmonaut suit, to the aristo britih and retro to arrive at the chain mail fur coat embroidered with crystals: Dolce and Gabbana know how to dramatize and liven up their fashion!
The sulphurous Italian brand is undoubtedly one of the best known throughout the world, for its eccentricity...and its counterfeits. You have all already seen this D&G logo, marker of the second line of the designer duo, today recast within the first line explicitly named Dolce & Gabbana.
Previously very futuristic and avant-garde, the brand is today the emblem of fashion inspired by Sicilian traditions, but has never renounced glamour. Very rural and retro inspired, the Maison's creations are interesting for their beautiful colors and their rustic materials, like the knits of sweaters or old-fashioned wool suits.
A particular style, which nevertheless remains very coherent and identifiable.
Dries Van Noten
This Belgian designer is part of the very famous “Antwerp Six” gang with, in particular, Ann Demeulemeester. He still lives in Belgium where he develops extremely rigorous collections. The sensitivity of his work is clearly seen through his prints inspired by the codes of expressionism and romanticism. His fashion shows never lack color even if the black tones clearly stand out. Although he has long remained accessible in terms of style, his constant experimentation with materials and cuts takes his clothes towards a stylistic perimeter that is more difficult to achieve.
I have noticed that the cuts are often perfect, as are the quality materials used to make his pieces, particularly the sweaters/sweatshirts. A DVN piece brings a touch of sophistication to a classic wardrobe, especially if you opt for one of its bright color palettes. The price is high, but far from being among the most crazy on this market! I would tend to say that given the entirety of the brand, purchases are very often made out of love!
Dsquared2
If the rivieira style (white pants + navy blue silk shirt) is refreshing, the neon pink leather is very vulgar and the reference to the camisole particularly inappropriate.
Dean & Dan (2 slap-headed twins) maintain bling bling streetwear, sometimes made in very beautiful skins and canvases.
Shiny down jackets covered in fur, jeans trashed with inscriptions, flashy sneakers with velcro: a world that often lacks refinement and sobriety, but which is perfectly assumed! Lately, the brand seems completely out of breath, ridiculed by its own codes and unable to escape from them. Not sure that many people miss her...
Ermenegildo Zegna
From a very chic formalism - and very Italian - the style evolves towards more fluidity and curves specific to sport/casualwear. Consistency in the beauty of materials...
If haute couture does not strictly speaking exist for men, the house offers a line similar to bespoke. The story of a legacy of master tailors undoubtedly the most coveted in the world: Zegna is unanimously appreciated by tailoring enthusiasts.
Also one of the only houses that also manufactures the fabrics used to make its suits, the brand knows how to innovate by creating stunning silky, shiny or matte textures.
Perhaps a little too wise, we see the Zegna signature evolving towards sportswear and casual tones since the recent arrival of Stefano Pilatti, formerly of YSL... although the reference to formalwear remains immeasurable. Be careful, however, with pieces that rely only on a logo and more on know-how (polo shirts, t-shirts, etc.).
Zzegna and Zegna Sport complete the offering of the 1st line of younger products, necessarily more accessible, but intended to be sold in quantity.
Without saying that the quality is bad, we cannot however say that it stands out from the crowd, like the vast majority of second lines intended to sell en masse by riding on the prestige of the name.
Etro
Etro offers fabrics that stand out, that are visible, but for a simple reason: the colors are exceptional, and the quality is impressive.
A man, passionate about travel and collector of fabrics. Gimmo Etro brings back from its travels an anthology of colors and luxurious materials, and will be very marked by the famous Paisley pattern, today its signature.
Always independent, the house presents very authentic collections each season, where each piece tells the story of a place, a moment or an encounter. This beautiful family story is still written today out of passion and love of beautiful things, which is extremely rare... A House that does not hesitate to proudly present its master tailors on the catwalk.
Forgetting your raw jeans and classic shirts will be necessary to appreciate these wonderful materials and this unique style, but it is for your own good. Etro offers, for the more cautious, polo shirts in sumptuous colors, with only the fantasy of prints at the collar. Perfect result with your favorite jeans, style and boldness to boot!
Fendi
Rare and deep colors, sumptuous leathers, refined textures... Special mention for the silk Tshirt whose comfort and colors are VERY desirable!
The House specialized a long time ago in fur and leather, which are still very present. Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi are the AD of a label owned by LVMH. Fanciful, the brand can rest on its laurels and be extremely boring, just as it can surprise with very innovative and well-designed silhouettes.
The line of classic pieces offers beautiful materials, interesting cuts and a particular sense of detail (5-hole buttons sewn with yellow thread (the brand's favorite color) to form the Fendi logo, embroidery of intertwined Fs in a geometric spirit under the collars of the polo shirts…).
The only problem with obtaining these high-quality pieces is that you will have to go through websites or travel to London, because the men's line is not (yet) distributed in France!
Givenchy
Whether it is a graphic and vibrant “bord of paradise” pattern, gothic colors or a revisited Madonna, Tisci imposes a very racy style.
The star of the Parisian catwalks has undergone countless evolutions since its creation by Hubert de Givenchy. The House left the world of haute couture, gradually abandoned its French tailoring workshops and, above all, partly renounced its exclusivity.
If Givenchy was once a luxury brand, and although certain pieces remain exceptional, the LVMH colt has become much more of a fashion label than luxury. Riccardo Tisci has propelled bling streetwear into a massive trend based on giant prints, exaggerated volumes and mystical references. His wardrobe is interesting for bringing a gothic or “hype” side to an outfit, but the price (luxury) is no longer always justified in view of the “massification” of production and distribution.
Gucci
Given Frida Giannini's attention to detail, it becomes original to wear black. Playing with textures is his specialty, whether for a more sportswear style using the inserts of riding pants, or for a plain city outfit with super texture throughout. A very refined label.
One of the best-known Italian names, but also one of the most criticized. Gucci was a pioneer in the "democratization" of luxury, offering a wide range of products adorned with logos and more accessible. That said, it would be very unfair to limit the brand to this.
Ready-to-wear should especially not be lumped in with entry-level accessories, because it is truly very high-end: noble materials, small quantities, perfectly executed cuts... Special mention for leathers and in particular shearlings, d 'a stunning quality.
The Gucci suits are made by Zegna! In terms of style, Frida Giannini exhibits with immense talent her version of a refined and elegant Italian dandy, designed by tapered and close-fitting cuts. The price positioning is high (around €450 for basic pants, €300 for a shirt).
Hermes
If there were only one left, it would be this one. Hermès is the last Maison to fit into the initial/conservative definition of luxury: beautiful, rare and exceptional. Whether we are talking about leathers, canvases or knits, the Hermès workshops work with only the best, with an obsession for excellence. The Hermès man borrows a style outside of any trend, and pushes refinement to its peak through “selfish detail”.
These are little touches (lining patterns, leather pocket bottom, logo visible on the inside of the pants and not on the outside, etc.) that only the owner of the garment can appreciate.
Noble and still a matter of passion, the brand remains remarkable among big names which are now more financial successes than dream and luxury manufacturers! The counterpart of all this is an extremely high price, and the fragility of certain parts.
Hugo Boss
Let's make things clear from the outset: despite the image it enjoys among a majority of the population, Boss is an influential brand but NOT a Luxury brand! The brand of German origin boasts its history and its know-how, ignoring on the other hand Hugo Boss's membership in the Nazi party, his work for the SS army and his use of forced workers to produce his products. clothes.
Despite a classic and sober style, we remain very far from artisanal manufacturing as displayed by the brand's marketing. No need to ask where the costumes costing more than €1000 each are made: “you know, all the big brands manufacture outside of Europe”…
Here are the main lines you will encounter:
Boss
The brand relies on this to assert itself in the world of luxury, knowing that it has absorbed the Boss Sélection line including a tailor-made offer as well as Boss Black.
If indeed the designs and advertising campaigns are interesting and highlight the product well, the quality is not exceptional, and the products smack of big chain industry.
Boss Orange
More urban and casual than the first, it offers collections that are more imbued with trends. Again, nothing really crazy, even if certain pieces like the quilted coats offer interesting textures.
Boss Green
The group's sports line is riding the “sport chic” wave, drawing inspiration from the world of golf. For this label, we find refreshing pieces, consistent with fashion and manufacturing quality, and a sought-after style. Enough to enrich your wardrobe with little sports touches!
Hugo
A line dedicated to a younger clientele, Hugo tries to assert itself as unconventional. It is in reality a wardrobe that is certainly trendy, but far from being identifiable by a marked style.
Issey Miyake
This Japanese native is one of the first Asian designers to make a name for himself on the European fashion market. Technology and tradition inspire very technical materials (texture, reflections, weaving, etc.) with explosive and unusual colors.
Miyake is aimed at an informed and initiated man, adept at a conceptual but very coherent style. Difficult to wear on a daily basis, the Japanese designer's collections can nevertheless add a sparkling touch to a very sober look (ultra colorful t-shirt / with applications, with a jacket and sober jeans, for example). You can be sure that you will make a difference in a good way!
Jean paul Gaultier
No material, no color or no cut scared Jean Paul Gaultier. And fortunately for fashion that such daring people exist!
The illustrious French designer was guided by his madness and exuberance, emblem of hysterical and excessive fashion, which earned him the nickname "the enfant terrible". The designer announced in September the complete cessation of the ready-to-wear activity to concentrate on haute couture and accessories: goodbye to famous striped tops and legendary kilts! JPG nevertheless remains an absolutely essential figure in French fashion, whose career is immensely respectable.
Ready-to-wear lines have struggled to bring together a regular clientele looking for offbeat outfits, both in terms of cuts and colors and patterns. Excellent craftsmanship and good manufacturing quality, unfortunately ineffective for men's creations in recent times.
You may come across beautiful vintage pieces at a thrift store that could be worth it!
Jil Sander
Cerebral and powerful, the Jil Sander style is a true signature.
It is one of the only German names in fashion. Having passed into the hands of the Prada group, the brand now belongs to a conglomerate of Japanese brands, Onward Holdings.
Despite the departure of its designer, and of Raf Simons who replaced her, the label continues to offer an artistic and architectural style, with very constructed, colorful clothes, sometimes marked with geometric patterns.
The identity of Sander pieces is particular, but it will only appear more sophisticated within a more classic wardrobe!
Kenzo
From comfortable outfits in natural colors designed by Kenzo Takada to the young and flashy style of the brand today: a blatant evolution!
Kenzo Takada was known for his fresh, slightly crazy style, very inspired by traditional Asian clothing such as the kimono or floral fabrics. Now owned by the LVMH group, the brand's identity is very different, placed under the artistic direction of Carol Lim & Humberto Leon. Abandoning any notion of luxury, Kenzo is today an expensive mid-range brand, which offers flashy colors, “fun” prints and imposing logos.
His new target? A young and trendy clientele who are above all looking for a purchasing experience (based on an offbeat and “digital” style), much more than a quality product. But for us, there's nothing funny about a cotton sweatshirt with a big logo sold for €200.
Kris Van Assche
The Van Assche style is evolving rapidly, while remaining faithful to its sportswear inspirations.
The young Belgian designer cut his teeth under the leadership of Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme, whom he replaced in 2007. But his style is more eclectic, driven by a sense of minimalism and remarkable detail: this very contemporary label is recognized essentially for its style and its universe.
The brand distributes pieces crafted in terms of both materials and cuts, very often marked by a sportswear inspiration. He will always try to make clothing that adapts to the movements of the wearer, and is also known for his very high sneakers with improbable lacing.
The quality is there, with prices more affordable than most luxury brands.
Lanvin
Despite some extremely stylish pieces, Lanvin also offers many very sober items.
It is one of the oldest fashion houses in the world, founded by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889 in Faubourg Saint Honoré. Today, it is a “desirable” name that sells, a paragon of a cerebral style that is not always accessible.
Costumes of improbable proportions, mixtures of materials and inspirations of both bohemian and techno, Lanvin is atypical, but the cuts of certain pieces (jackets) may seem approximate. On the other hand, its suede sneakers with patent toes and thick soles are robust and instantly recognizable... so much so that they become a standard, effectively renouncing a certain exclusivity.
Alongside the parade line, you will be offered a number of tops, shirts and pants in sober colors but with more original cuts. A must-see: the “classic” desert boots in sky blue python or pale yellow and orange high-top sneakers in eel leather.
Louis Vuitton
The materials selected to make the PAP Vuitton are often luxurious and refined.
Originally a small, successful trunk maker, Maison Vuitton has experienced ups and downs, even if the occupation has, "strangely", been rather successful for the craftsman... Today, it is a luxury brand extremely powerful, flagship of the LVMH group, thanks to the famous LV monogram, which is in fact a fabric coated with...plastic. It has the merit of being very resistant, but also of symbolizing a questionable taste for the ostentatious. On the other hand, exceptional know-how cannot be taken away from the house.
PAP, produced in very small quantities, contrasts with mainstream leather goods in monogram canvas. The quality is absolutely excellent, the clothes are rare, and Kim Jones designs always refined collections inspired by different cultures, eras and know-how. If this luxury wardrobe gets noticed, it will be for its splendid colors or its noble materials, not for a logo or a bling bling style.
Martin Margiela home
Margiela has no equal in the fashion world: he viscerally insists on discretion to the point of never giving an interview, never being photographed and never appearing at the end of the fashion shows. Although he has left the House, this cult of anonymity is found in his collections, without any logo, with for each line, a number and labels simply attached to the garment by 4 points.
Ignoring the codes of aesthetics, Margiela deconstructed the style, offering pieces with improbable volumes but cleverly tinged with minimalism.
Now belonging to the OTB group, the brand lost its eponymous founder in 2009 without a successor having been designated. However, there has been something new since then, since John Galliano became artistic director for the women's collections at the end of 2014, and will be responsible for creation for men from 2015.
Line 0
"braid" a blazer... What else?
This is an artisanal/haute couture collection made by hand in the Parisian workshop, but very very confidential.
Lines 8, 11, 12
“Incognito” glasses, instantly recognizable!
These lines correspond respectively to glasses, accessories and jewelry.
Line 10
The Margiela shows experiment with numerous cuts and materials...
The main collection for men, the most representative of the MMM style, even if since its departure, we see things (prints/colors) that we would not have seen under the direction of the founder.
Line 14
...but fortunately, the House also produces outfits faithful to Margiela minimalism.
A more timeless and classic wardrobe, for a less elaborate line that remains faithful to the minimalism of the House.
Line 22
One of MMM's most famous models.
The line of shoes and in particular sneakers, emblems of the Margiela style with their beige rubber soles and their improbable designs.
Marc Jacobs
A particularly trendy New York designer, Marc Jacobs officiates on his own behalf, after having also directed the women's collections at Maison Louis Vuitton for years. Its name is used for its 2 own lines, quite typical of American “luxury”, without soul and far from European quality standards (without chauvinism, but it must be said). A sort of fashion fast food .
Marc Jacobs
Simple.
The first line offers expensive clothes, not necessarily well made in a rather uninteresting style. In fact, Marc Jacobs is more gifted with women's lines than men's. That said, you are not immune to finding very well-cut pants, with an original print or canvas!
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Vulgar!
Of extremely mediocre quality, the second line has the merit of being less expensive than the first and of offering possibly acceptable fantasies. But most of the time, the style overuses colors and prints, and regularly wallows in quite disconcerting vulgarity.
Marni
The Marni man doesn't take himself seriously!
Marni is a young brand, since it was born in 1994 in Italy. The concept is based on paradoxical plays on materials and cuts: fancy prints - such as the safari print - will, for example, be used to make formal-cut shirts.
Very concerned about the quality of its products, the designer couple (Consuelo and Gianni Castiglioni) installed the manufacturing workshops directly at the brand's headquarters in Milan. Marni therefore offers a range of well-made clothes in beautiful materials, in a gently offbeat spirit which can easily find its place in your wardrobe.
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