Incredible stories of great brands

Many creators of brands and fashion houses did not plan to engage in fashion … Perhaps that is why they managed to create cult items. “If you want to make the Lord laugh, tell him about your plans,” says a well-known proverb.

The creators of brands and fashion houses, which we will now tell you about, did not even think to amuse the Almighty and did not build grandiose plans to create fashion empires. They did not plan to be engaged in fashion at all … Perhaps that is why they managed to create truly iconic things.

Louis Vuitton: from chest to suitcase

‘Louis Vuitton’ founded in 1854 by the carpenter's son Louis Vuitton. He was born in the small town of Franche-Comté in eastern France. At the age of 14, Louis went on foot to work in Paris (and this, by the way, is almost 400 kilometers!). In the capital, he became an assistant craftsman for the manufacture of luggage.

In this matter, the young Vuitton was so successful that he soon became the personal master of Empress Eugenia and opened his own store on the Champs Elysees.

In 1858, Vuitton created a lightweight flat chest to replace the heavy and bulky one, the prototype of the modern suitcase. The invention of this aristocracy really liked it, since with the development of railways, people began to travel more, and they needed easier and more convenient ways to transport things.

After the death of Louis, his sons continued his business. One of them, George, frustrated by the number of fake Louis Vuitton bags and suitcases, invented the signature Monogram embossing with the ‘LV’ logo to combat counterfeits. As we now know, this did not help him … But the print itself became truly cult …

Today the brand has 350 stores in 53 countries.

Hermes: the best harness in Paris

'Hermes' fashion house was founded in 1837 in Paris as a saddlery workshop. In those days, a high-quality harness and an expensive saddle could say as much about the state and position of a person in society as expensive accessories do now.

Founder of the brand Thierry Hermes He knew his business very well: all self-respecting riders had his saddles with the trademark large stitch. Ermes served the imperial stables of France, Spain, Great Britain and Russia. After the death of Thierry, his children and grandchildren continued his work. In the 1920s, when the aristocracy began to actively change from horses to cars, the house ‘Hermes’ for the first time diversified its business and began the production of leather accessories - belts and bags.

At the same time, the distinctive features of the brand - high-quality leather and large saddle stitch - have been preserved. They provided the goods with a special chic and durability. Later, in addition to accessories, the brand launched sportswear, to which casual wear and luxury home goods were added even later. The ‘Hermes’ collections always feature three iconic pieces: handbags 'Kelly' and 'Birkin', As well as square silk scarves.

Every year the company releases new scarves with prints on a variety of topics - from impressionist paintings to the history of aeronautics, and at the same time, every year there is a "horse theme" in the collections as a tribute to the history of the fashion house. And by the way, 'Hermes' still makes saddles and harnesses.

Gucci: Another Horse Story

In 1906, the Italian Guccio Gucci (Cuccio Gucci founded a saddlery workshop of his name in Florence, the tannery center of Italy. The business soon went bankrupt, driving its owner into debt. Gucci had to go to work as a doorman, first to Paris and then to London. He returned to Italy only after 10 years, to still fulfill the dream and open a shop of accessories for riders.

This time the business turned out to be more successful, and soon Gucci decided to expand the store's assortment with handbags. Reselling goods from other manufacturers was not very profitable, so Guccio began to create his own bags under the brand 'La Gucci Vita' … A corporate logo and an interlocking G-letter print were developed for her, which soon became popular around the world. Another recognizable symbol of the company was the striped braid, the prototype of which was the horse's girth. Now she adorns both belts and bags of the brand. And in 1947, the first ‘Gucci’ it-bag was invented - a bag with a bamboo handle, which is still “reissued” in various interpretations.

Hugo Boss workwear

Modest owner of a small German manufactory for the production of overalls and overalls Hugo Boss and could not think that someday things with his name on the tag will be worn by ministers and presidents. He founded his business in the 1920s, when the whole of Germany was in economic decline. Before World War II, the company began serving the needs of the Nazi army, so after the war it was practically ruined. The Boss himself died in 1948, but after a couple of years his relatives decided to revive his business.

Name 'Hugo Boss' they found it commercially attractive, since it is easy to read and pronounced the same in almost all European languages. The brand began producing elegant men's suits and was soon able to compete with the Italian fashion houses, which at that time dictated the rules in the world of men's style.

5 stories of unusual names

And these brands were originally created in order to shine in the fashion or beauty sky. But the etymology of their names is very unusual.

• Luxury brand ‘Coach’ grew out of a small workshop in Manhattan. The brand's first bag was made from … a baseball glove. Hence the sporting name ‘Coach’, which means “coach” in English. But this word also means "carriage", and it is she who is depicted on the logo of the brand.
• Your company 'Cacharel' tailor Jean Bruske named after a small bird cacharel, which lives in the south of France. She accidentally caught his eye when he was thinking about the name for his enterprise.
• Cosmetic brand ‘Lancaster’ merchant George Wurz and pharmacist Eugene Frezzati set up in Monaco immediately after World War II. They named it after the 'Lancaster' heavy bombers used by the Royal Air Force to liberate France from the Nazis.
• Brand ‘Mexx’ appeared after the merger of two brands of clothing - men ‘Mustache’ and women’‘Emanuelle’. The first letters M and E were taken from the names of both brands, and the last two XX mean a double kiss that sealed the new union.
• Finally, the brand name ‘The Body Shop’ and completely ironic. After all, this is how (The Body Shop) in America is usually called car body repair shops …