32 Top Designer Brands – Luxury Fashion Houses To Know in 2023

Champagne flutes. Supermodels. Bright lights. Fashion. The world of top designer brands conjures up a swirling chaos of exclusivity, luxury, and style. But where does one turn in the midst of the maelstrom of top designer brands? Each brand competes to prove to you in subtle ways that it’s the best and that it deserves your money the most. Thankfully, we can’t take our fingers off the pulse at Fashion Beans, so we’re here to guide you.

But why bother with top designer brands? Is it all just fluffed-up BS? Or are there legitimate benefits that befit the high price tag?

Firstly, originality. Top designer brands are attempting to create something never seen before, even just subtle tweaks to what the fashion house is famous for. Secondly, during fashion week, certain themes and clusters form to represent trends. This is an indication of where our high street style is heading; buying from top designer brands puts you ahead.

Thirdly, you are paying for high-quality clothing. A luxury brand’s reputation is on the line, so they only source the best fabrics, often employ highly skilled workers, and therefore make products with real longevity. Lastly is the clout. A designer logo represents prestige, a high-quality product, and hints at a certain lifestyle or social status. There’s no denying this.

Now, how do top designer brands compete within this market? Each brand has its own approach, which is what makes following it interesting. They might focus on artisanal hand-made leather goods, be big on TikTok, double down on its heritage, venture (bravely) into the Metaverse, champion sustainability, rely on the designers’ creativity, or employ global influencers and ingenious billboard marketing strategies.

The way brands achieve status is constantly changing and is somewhat dictated by the society it is trying to impress. With this top designer brands list, we’ll give you a sense of what the fashion world looks like and which designer names fare better in which department.

Key Takeaways

When shopping around for your favorite top designer brands, there are a few things to bear in mind. Does the brand use high-quality fabrics? Employ innovative or labor-intense manufacturing techniques? Is it doggedly committed to creativity? What does the marketing suggest? Are the clothes suited to your style? Most important: it is totally okay to think designer names are overrated, over-hyped, and not for you.

prada / instagram Luca Faloni

Luca Faloni first and foremost is a designer name that focuses on the quality and longevity of a garment. This brand is unlike many of the high-fashion runway brands you may be thinking of but is no less deserving of a space on this list with designer names.

What Luca Faloni brings to the table is a divine focus on Italian tradition and materials (there’s no cashmere polyblend here). The big focus here is slow fashion, while other brands, which I undoubtedly love the same, will pump out six seasons of clothing, Luca Faloni strolls along providing you with those quality staples only those who really appreciate craftsmanship will know and love. While this brand may not be the bread and butter of NYFW, it’s one that deserves a place in your closet.

Axel Arigato

An evolving brand is one you want to get behind, and sometimes there’s nothing cooler than knowing you’re looking to the future. With one foot firmly planted in the present here and now, and the other in the future Axel Arigato is one of those designer names here to steal all the money from your wallet (or at least mine).

Founded in 2014, this is one of the babies on this list of best designer brands, but the brand speaks for itself. Specializing in footwear, over the past two years I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the additional wears they’ve dropped, including menswear staples and accessories. Watch out because you’re absolutely going to see more of Axel Arigato in the future.

gucci / instagram

Gucci was founded in 1921 in Florence by Guccio Gucci, beginning (like many of the top luxury brands) as a luggage maker for the upper classes. When Guccio passed away, the company shifted into the hands of his three sons, Aldo, Rudolfo, and Vasco. Aldo designed the “GG” logo in tribute to his father, still prominent on Gucci products to this day.

House of Gucci, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, depicts the company’s economic troubles in the eighties but ends with Gucci appointing a new designer. His name was Tom Ford, and he helped save the iconic house from the brink. Alessandro Michele is the Creative Director now who has adopted a younger audience by bringing elements of retro, kitsch, and gender fluidity.

Gucci is now the number one of all men’s top designer brands for online sales, and the word itself is a term rappers use to describe something successful. Talk about the zeitgeist…

prada / instagram

Of all the men’s top designer brands, some say there is only one fashion show worth watching each season. Prada. In 1978 with only a PhD in Political Science from the University of Milan, Miuccia Prada took over her family’s luggage business, turning to fashion shortly after in 1985.

Miuccia has built the brand into a billion-dollar empire of influence, pared-back style, and clothes of the highest quality. In terms of contemporary reputation, this is one of those designer names that’s almost untouchable. And with the incredible designer Raf Simons on menswear, Prada shows no signs of changing course.

dior / instagram

Christian Dior became famous through his “New Look” collection. It featured the “little black dress,” a symbol of Parisian style and a vehicle by which women could reclaim expression in the post-WW-II era. These traits have stayed close to the brand since. Menswear direction by Kim Jones has tilted towards streetwear since 2018. His clothes are stylish, luxurious, and with a modern bent. Dior recently designed a racing kit for the game Gran Turismo and has taken on M’Bappé as a global ambassador. This suggests a more youth-led, digital direction for Dior.

tomford / instagram

The man once desired to be an actor, but life had other plans. The Texan worked as the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. He received the award for Best International Designer in 2000 and set up Tom Ford in 2005. Now, Tom Ford is one of the most well-known designer names. The brand has achieved its status as one of the suavest top designer brands for men by using high-quality fabrics, impeccable tailoring, and sophisticated outerwear. Known for their wide almost visor and retro sunglasses, his clothes blend formality and sexuality in a desirable way.

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