by 2 dogs

Good fashion designers dream of becoming icons, and what makes a good designer great is iconic style. Manage that style correctly, develop it, stay ahead of the competition, and you’ll ultimately find yourself at the head of a fashion empire. But what makes the good great and the great iconic? Lets take a look at some of the world’s leading houses…

Guccio Gucci, for example, is a lesson in the way fine craftmanship and classic styling can take the world by storm. Impressed by the handsome luggage of tourists in Paris and London, he returned to his native Florence and, in 1921, began a small shop selling leather goods. Over 90 years later, Gucci is Italy’s largest brand, with an annual turnover of close to £4 billion, and the world’s foremost name in designer bags and shoes.

Over in France, treading a similar path to classic status, was artist Christian Dior, who began selling works by Picasso in a small gallery on the coast of France before the Second World War derailed his plans, only to rise again and be the father of Parisian postwar chique. Dior himself died in 1953, but shrewd management and artistic direction from legends such as a young Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano have maintained the brands universal stylish appeal across a range of products from watches to perfume.

by The Style PA

Speaking of perfume, the name in the market is Chanel, which is another example of hard work and creative vision.  Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, or Coco as she became known, began making simple comfortable clothes for women and followed her desire to please them whilst simultaneously founding iconic designs such as the little black dress and well tailored, fitted smart suits for women. Her perfume line started when complimentary bottles of Chanel No. 5 became collectors items, and Chanel is now a byword for great fragrances.

The quality and brilliant style of leather is also represented by Louis Vuitton, a French luggage maker now responsible for the planet’s must-have clutch bags, wallets and hold-alls. Vuitton began making innovatively designed trunks, airtight and stackable, for voyages. Quickly acquiring their signature beige and brown colour scheme and LV insignia, the company have continued their reputation for quality ever since with not a little style added to boot.

Represnting Britain are a host of up-and-comers with iconic intent. As you’d expect from the daughter of a Beatle, Stella McCartney is supremely talented and incredibly driven. Her collections embody classic chique, clean lines and striking colours, setting the trends for modern British women. Most have chosen to dispense with the surname, it’s a ‘Stella’ darling, thats all you need to know.

by jaimelondonboy

Another trailblazer and king of cool was Alexander McQueen, who we sadly lost in February 2010. McQueen courted controversy in a truly rock’n'roll approach to fashion whilst also setting modern trends such as bringing ornate patterns inspried by tattoos and the natural world back into vogue. French house Givenchy hired him as head designer in 1996 where he continued to turn heads and create bold new looks.

Another British brand of a certain renown is Burberry. The high quality leather goods maker grew in fame in the early noughties with its baseball caps. Perhaps attracting the attention of a slightly less style conscious side of British society was not their intention, but, founded in 1856, they remain a seminal fashion house, with profits of over £200 million in 2011.

Two other emerging Italian fashion houses defined the late twentieth century and remain the last line in cool. Gianni Versace began his label in 1978 and, with lines stretching from haute couture to upmarket sports wear, he quickly became a favourite with celebrities of rock’n'roll and royalty. You’d be just as likely to find Princess Diana as Axl Rose in a pair of Versace’s jeans which says a lot about his iconic appeal. Despite his tragic murder in 1997, the brand and his name lives on in daughter Donatella, under whom it continues to go from strength to strength.

Finally, when you think mens fine tailoring, you think Armani, and for good reason. Since 1975, Giorgio Armani has been the world leader in defining a sleek, fresh and simple approach to suits. This classic Italian look has been much mirrored, but Armani stays ahead of its competition by constantly reinventing itself from new angles, still with the same cutting-edge simplicity.

If we can learn anything from the world’s leading fashion houses, it’s faith and understanding that a good idea works. Those good ideas create a platform for innovation as products take on a look, and a name, of their own. People begin to trust that the name stands for quality and style.

This article was brought to you by the fasionista’s dream London hotel Claridge’s – a luxury hotel in the heart of Mayfair.