Luxury houses brand stories for interview preparation

Hermès is a family controlled Parisian maison founded in 1837 as a harness and saddle workshop. Inside the industry it is often seen as one of the most exclusive houses, with a strategy based on craft, scarcity and long term client relationships. From its equestrian roots Hermès expanded into leather goods, silk scarves, ready to wear, jewellery, watches, fragrance and home objects. It is particularly associated with bags such as the Birkin and Kelly, the orange box, hand rolled silk carrés and refined small leather goods. Production is largely carried out in Hermès owned workshops, mainly in France, where artisans are trained for several years and often build a product from start to finish. This workshop model underpins the house positioning at the very top of the luxury pyramid and explains the limited availability of certain pieces.

Chanel is an independent couture house founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Coco Chanel in Paris. It helped liberate women from restrictive dress codes by introducing soft tailoring, jersey knits and a more practical yet elegant silhouette. The company is structured around three main divisions: fashion, which includes haute couture and ready to wear, fragrance and beauty and watches and fine jewellery. Chanel operates at the top of the luxury market with tight control over distribution and image. Signature codes include tweed suits, the little black dress, quilting, camellias, pearls, the 2.55 and classic flap handbags and the fragrance No. 5. The aesthetic mixes masculine tailoring details with feminine ease and a strong Parisian attitude.

Christian Dior is a Parisian couture house founded in 1946 and known for structured, romantic silhouettes that helped redefine post war fashion. The 1947 "New Look" with its fitted jacket and full skirt remains a reference for the house and for the idea of classic feminine luxury. Today Dior sits at the top of the luxury pyramid, with a couture atelier and global businesses in ready to wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, fragrance and beauty. As part of the LVMH group it combines strong investment in image with a very controlled distribution in its own boutiques. Dior's key codes include the Bar jacket, the cinched waist and full skirt, the cannage motif and a refined, often architectural approach to volume and draping. The house aesthetic leans polished and dressy rather than casual, which shapes everything from product development to the way collections are presented in boutiques.

Valentino is a Roman couture maison founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and quickly became known for dramatic eveningwear and a polished, romantic vision of femininity. The signature Valentino red gowns helped cement the houses place on international red carpets. The brand today offers haute couture, ready to wear, handbags, shoes and accessories and sits in the top tier of the global luxury market. Creative directors have updated the codes with new proportions and colour stories while keeping a strong sense of occasion. Key Valentino elements include rich embroidery, lace, capes, flowing dresses and a spectrum of reds from deep carmine to bright scarlet. The maison is an essential reference when talking about Italian couture and luxury eveningwear.

Schiaparelli is a Paris couture house originally founded in 1927 by Elsa Schiaparelli and revived in the twenty first century on place Vendôme. Historically it was known for its surreal collaborations with artists and for sculptural, idea driven fashion that challenged convention. Today Schiaparelli operates as a small but influential couture maison focused on made to measure and ready to wear pieces that often appear on red carpets and at high profile events. The house appeals to clients who want artistic, conversation starting designs rather than quiet luxury. Key codes include sculpted bodices, gold hardware that references the body, eye and heart motifs, bold colour and a couture approach to volume and surface decoration. The maison sits in a rarefied part of the luxury spectrum where theatre and fantasy are central.

Alaïa is a Paris based house founded by Tunisian born couturier Azzedine Alaïa, who began dressing private clients in the 1980s. The brand built its reputation on body conscious knitwear and dresses that celebrated the wearer rather than seasonal trends. Today the maison remains relatively small compared with conglomerate owned labels and is focused on ready to wear, footwear and accessories with a couture level of construction. Shows are often intimate and collections are released on a rhythm set by the house rather than by the traditional fashion calendar. Key Alaïa codes include sculpted silhouettes, perforated leather, laser cut details, wide belts and knit dresses that fit like a second skin. The label is often cited by insiders as an example of true designer led luxury with a strong, consistent vision.

Loro Piana is an Italian house with roots in wool and textile trading that evolved into a benchmark for high end cashmere and vicuña. Based in Northern Italy, it is known inside the industry for controlling much of its fibre sourcing and finishing. Today the brand offers ready to wear, accessories and home pieces built around very high quality fabrics with subtle branding. It sits in the sphere often described as quiet luxury, where the focus is on touch, comfort and materials rather than overt logos. Signature Loro Piana elements include double faced coats, cashmere knits, suede and nubuck outerwear and a refined, natural colour palette. The maison is a key reference for clients who want understated, extremely luxurious daywear.

Kiton is a Neapolitan tailoring house founded in 1968 that has become a reference for ultra high end mens suiting. The brand grew out of a tradition of bespoke tailoring in Naples and built its reputation on very small production, handwork and rare fabrics like vicuña and superfine wools. Today Kiton offers bespoke, made to measure and ready to wear tailoring, as well as shirts, knitwear and sportswear, all positioned at the very top of the luxury price spectrum. Its clients are often collectors who commission suits as long term wardrobe investments rather than seasonal fashion purchases. Kiton codes include soft shoulders, light constructions, hand stitched details and a palette that ranges from classic navy and charcoal to rich, saturated colours. The focus is on comfort and movement while still looking formal, which makes the house an important point of reference for mens tailoring specialists.

Brioni is a Roman tailoring house founded in 1945 and closely associated with refined mens suiting. It helped shape the idea of Italian sartorial luxury through light construction, soft shoulders and a precise but comfortable fit. The brand offers made to measure, bespoke and ready to wear tailoring along with shirts, knitwear and accessories, positioned firmly at the top of the mens luxury market. Its clients often value discretion, craft and fit more than visible logos. Brioni codes include softly structured jackets, elegant eveningwear, fine wool and cashmere fabrics and a muted colour palette. Compared with fashion driven labels, it is a reference for classic, long term wardrobes built around suits and jackets.

Brunello Cucinelli is an Italian brand founded in the Umbrian village of Solomeo and built around fine cashmere knitwear. Over time it expanded into full collections for men and women that present a relaxed but very refined idea of luxury. The house is known for its focus on craftsmanship, humanistic values and investment in its local community alongside its product offer. Its clothing mixes tailoring and sportswear elements, often styled in tonal, soft colours. Key signatures include cashmere sweaters, softly cut blazers, elevated joggers and outerwear in neutral palettes. Brunello Cucinelli sits at the top of the market for casual luxury wardrobes that still feel considered and polished.

Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury house founded in 1966 in Vicenza and originally focused on leather goods. The phrase "when your own initials are enough" summed up its discreet approach to luxury through craft rather than large logos. Today Bottega Veneta offers ready to wear, shoes and accessories alongside its core leather goods, positioned in the upper tier of the fashion market. Recent creative directors have pushed a bold, modern design language that still centres on material quality. Key codes include the intrecciato woven leather, padded and tubular bag constructions, square toed shoes and saturated colour. The house is often seen as a bridge between quiet luxury values and strong, contemporary fashion statements.

Louis Vuitton is a Paris based maison founded in 1854 by trunk maker Louis Vuitton. The house built its reputation on lightweight, stackable trunks that changed how wealthy clients travelled and it remains a reference in high end luggage and leather goods. The brand is now the flagship fashion and leather goods house of the LVMH group and one of the largest luxury brands worldwide. Its offer spans travel trunks and trolleys, handbags, small leather goods, ready to wear, shoes, watches, jewellery, fragrance and accessories. Louis Vuitton's visual codes include the LV monogram canvas, the Damier check, the quatrefoil flower motif and bag shapes such as the Speedy, Keepall and Capucines. The brand combines heritage canvases with seasonal collaborations and runway collections, giving it a more logo driven and graphic aesthetic than quieter maisons.

Gucci is an Italian luxury house founded in 1921 in Florence by Guccio Gucci. It began as a luggage and saddlery workshop serving international clients who passed through the city, which explains the strong equestrian influence in its early designs. Today Gucci is the flagship fashion brand of the Kering group and sits in the top tier of global luxury, with a business built on leather goods, ready to wear, shoes, jewellery, watches, fragrance and home pieces. The house is known for mixing historical references with a bold, sometimes eccentric fashion language. Key Gucci codes include the double G monogram, the green red green web stripe, the horsebit, loafers, bamboo handles and floral prints. The brand often plays with colour, pattern and unexpected styling rather than pure minimalism.

Prada is a Milanese house founded in 1913 by Mario Prada as a leather goods shop near the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It held a royal warrant in the early twentieth century and later evolved into a global fashion brand. Under the creative leadership of Miuccia Prada the house became known for its intellectual, sometimes deliberately unconventional approach to luxury. Prada often plays with nylon and technical fabrics next to fine wools, silks and leathers, creating a tension between utility and refinement. The brand operates in the top tier of fashion luxury with strong businesses in handbags, footwear, ready to wear, eyewear and fragrance and it sits within the Prada Group alongside Miu Miu. Collections favour clean lines, unexpected colour combinations and subtle logo use rather than heavy ornament.

Yves Saint Laurent was founded in 1961 in Paris by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. The house is famous for translating haute couture codes into sharp ready to wear, starting with the Rive Gauche line. Today the brand is part of the Kering group and is marketed as Saint Laurent for fashion and leather goods, while beauty is licensed to L'Oréal. It operates in the high end of the luxury market with a focus on ready to wear, handbags, shoes, small leather goods and eyewear. Key codes include the Le Smoking tuxedo, strong shoulders, short hemlines, black and metallic palettes, safari jackets and a rock influenced attitude. The style is urban and night oriented, often more sensual and directional than classic.

Balenciaga was founded in 1917 by Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga and later based in Paris. Historically the house was admired for its sculptural silhouettes and technical mastery, which earned its founder the reputation of architect of haute couture. After periods of closure and revival, Balenciaga has been repositioned as a fashion forward brand within the Kering group. Today its business is driven by ready to wear, sneakers, handbags and accessories that mix couture volumes with street and sports references. Signature elements range from cocoon coats and balloon hems to oversized hoodies, exaggerated shoulders, logo heavy pieces and distinctive sneaker shapes. The brand often uses fashion shows and campaigns to comment on contemporary culture and challenge conventional ideas of taste.

Versace is an Italian fashion house founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 in Milan. From the beginning the brand stood for vivid colour, sensual cuts and a confident, almost theatrical idea of glamour. The house offers ready to wear, eveningwear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, fragrance and home collections. Its visual language is defined by baroque prints, the Medusa head, the Greek key motif, rich gold tones and body conscious silhouettes. Compared with more understated maisons, Versace sits in a very extroverted part of the luxury spectrum and is closely linked to celebrity dressing, music culture and red carpet moments. This gives the brand high visibility but also a clear, recognisable identity.

Stella McCartney is a luxury fashion brand launched in 2001 in London by designer Stella McCartney. From the beginning the house has combined sharp tailoring with a strict commitment to animal free materials. The brand offers womenswear, menswear, accessories, footwear, kidswear and fragrance but does not use leather, fur, feathers or exotic skins. Instead it invests in alternative materials such as high quality synthetics, plant based textiles and recycled fibres. Positioned between heritage maisons and contemporary labels, Stella McCartney operates at a luxury price level while putting environmental and animal welfare considerations at the centre of its decisions. Its style often mixes masculine suiting details with a relaxed, modern silhouette.