September 2023

When determining my favourite fashion brand, this question made me ponder more than initially anticipated. Perhaps asking someone who loves fashion to pick their favourite fashion brand is like asking a mother who her favourite child is, or a musician their favourite piece of music; it is simply too broad of a question. This led me to instead consider which brands I always return to and more importantly, who’s page I continuously ponder in Vogue, issue after issue, and that would be Prada.

It is undeniable that from the offset, quality has always been at the heart of what makes Prada so special, however in spite of its luxury, it is not Prada’s extravagant price tag and opulent quality that connects me to the brand, but its timeless charisma. Prada’s ability to stand the test of time is undoubtedly due to their designs’ capsule-esque quality. A strong example of this is when the fashion brand reissued several bags from the early 2000s once again in recent years. It is not a secret that trends from the early 2000s are making a reappearance in society (think baby tees, micro sunglasses and baguette bags), and Prada’s 2005 shoulder bag is no different with notable names such as Bella Hadid now sporting the accessory. The mini shoulder bag ultimately “encapsulates the Italian brand’s sartorial DNA”, with its wearability and timeless silhouette with options for all with the endless colour possibilities.

It is this ability to reintroduce older designs into modern day society which results in Prada being superior to competitor brands who are potentially less receptive to the concept of capsule-esque fashion.

Anthropologie

Anthropologie is a US based brand owned by the URBN group. It was founded in 1992 and has opened over 200 stores worldwide. The brand pride themselves with their in store and online appearance, they achieve this aesthetic by working with talented in store artists and visual merchandisers who help make each store unique and help to strengthen brand identity.

The URBN group has 3 main brands which cater to different demographics, Anthropologies key demographic being affluent, creative women in their 30s-40s. However the brand is still inclusive and attractive to a wider range of customers as they offer a large variety of products such as homeware and furniture. Artist collaborations and sub brands is what attracts me most to Anthropologie. Artists such as Nathalie Lété, and brands such as Maeve specialise in key products helping to give the brand more variety and cater to different consumer tastes.

Although Anthropologie is considered to be a fast fashion brand, they are working towards using more responsible sourcing, renewable resources, and working with more sustainable brands such as SWK who specialise in sustainable denim. They collaborate with charity partners such as The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Between November 2022 and December 2023 Anthropologie, in conjunction with other URBN brands, helped to donate $100,000 to TNC.

Launching in 2012 from her L.A garage, continuously Anine Bing has captured simplicity in to all her pieces with a statement Edge and energy setting her above the high street. To me she is the symbol of quiet luxury, a way of dressing I have consistently drawn ideas from, either in store or online – as key words I type into Pinterest season upon season.

Falling in love with the entire aesthetic of her brand, neutral tones and bold silhouettes, has me going back to Bing time upon time again, intrigued as to what garment she will drop next and what I should be looking for in the high-street until I can afford her items myself.

Anine Bings garments and styling is an ongoing inspiration, adoring her use of going back to her Scandinavian roots and homing in on staples combined with the rock and roll chic she dressed herself in when starting the brand. Putting out luxurious simple and statement pieces, she represents what is to invest in your wardrobe and items that will outlast you, reducing the need for unnecessary consumption season after season, on top of focusing on making her brand more circular with the way in which garments and packaging is produced. With statement garments imbed into her collections with texture, print and colour – such as the use of tartan, zebra print and burnt umber in Fall 23. This allows for her customers to invest into their personal style alongside basics to build upon that will outlast archives, veering away from micro trends encouraging elegance and individuality with each drop from suits to sports wear.

Anine Bings brand captures what a style is to me as-well as the ethics and values that should go behind a brand.

Currently, my favourite fashion brand would have to be Chanel, after recently doing research on the history of this iconic fashion house. In watching the BBC2 programme, ‘Coco Chanel Unbuttoned’ I have gained a historic insight in how the brand came into fruition. Affectionately named ‘Coco’, Gabrielle Chanel had a tragic childhood which resulted in her movement to a convent.This is likely to have influenced her understanding of female empowerment in the patriarchal society she grew up in, as she looked on the nuns there as role models. Her mindset is not the only influence she gained from this experience, as it is thought that her traditional black and white colour palette was resemblant of their uniform. Chanel is also known for her use of pearls to pair with simplistic designs, which could be compared to the rosary of the Catholic convent. 

Despite having a plethora of important men in her life, Chanel only used them for her own gain, which highlights her proto-feminist attitudes! For example, her first true love ‘Boy’ Capel financially supported her in her hat business, which became the first step in her fashion journey. Many socialite women had fled to French seaside towns and she recognised the absence of hat makers and ateliers and put this to her own use. During this time, she designed the 1920s flapper dress which is greatly referenced in contemporary society as synonymous with the roaring 20s. These garments were often tasseled, which caused them to crease less, as Chanel’s main priority was to make women comfortable, which is unusual considering the presentation of upper class women at the time. This becomes the focal point of her designs. She also spent 10 years of her life with the Duke of Westminster and his friend Sir Winston Churchill. By experiencing British society, she was able to continue her work, as she saw how men could be comfortable in their sports with a jersey material. She began experimenting with this fabric, which led to the androgynous appearance of skirts and trousers which she designed and modelled herself. Also, in England, she became interested in tweed, which began to feature in her slightly later collections, a whole wall of which are on display in the V&A’s sold-out exhibition ‘Gabrielle Chanel: A Fashion Manifesto, which I have been lucky enough to visit. 

Finally, her debut of couture collections around the 1950s mean she was also responsible for creating the hype around the little black dress. As Chanel had experienced much grief throughout her life, she is said to have rebranded black, less as a colour of mourning and more of sophistication and simplicity. This remains relevant today particularly in night-life around the world where this is still a common staple. As a result, her legacy and influence as a fashion icon and her subsequent fashion house has led me to respect her all the more and decide to share why this is my favourite brand at the time. Not only did she revolutionise female dress, she also played a huge part in the perfume, jewellery, hat and accessories business. Her iconography and influence on the fashion world continue to remain prevalent today, particularly her mentality that ‘fashion should die and die quickly, in order for commerce to survive’ as she told Paul Morand for the semi-autobiographical book ‘The Allure of Chanel’.