Climbing up to the pinnacle of fashion, brands like Vera Wang, Coco Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana are plastered on billboards and our wish lists. If you enjoy high fashion, you might recognize all the brands on our list, but did you know these fun facts about fashion brands you love? Keep reading to learn more about these famous fashion brands and the designers behind them.
6. Vera Wang
Fun Fact: Vera Wang didn’t star her brand until she was in her 40s.
It’s never too late to find your passion. Vera Wang learned this when she started her prized fashion brand will in her 40s. Before that, Wang worked as a figure skater, fashion editor, and design director for Ralph Lauren. Launching her bridal business at 41, she is now a very influential designer all over the world.
RELATED: 10 Most Expensive Crocs and the Fashion Collaborations Behind Them
5. Coco Chanel
Fun Fact: Coco Chanel was originally a singer, and used her profits to open her first shop.
Ranking fifth on our fun facts about fashion brands, Coco Chanel started as a singer in a café in Paris. This is where “CoCo” came from, while she worked as a cabaret singer. Using the money from singing, Chanel opened her first shop in Paris in 1913, originally selling hats. Later she expanded into clothing and accessories and was one of the first designers to use jersey fabric in women’s garments.
4. Dolce & Gabbana
Fun Fact: Dolce and Gabbana had their friends model their first collection.
Now worth around $1.3 billion, Dolce & Gabbana‘s beginnings land fourth on our fun facts about fashion brands list. In 1986, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana launched their first clothing collection at Milan Fashion Week. Since the pair had no money to hire models or purchase accessories for the show, they turned to their friends. Several of them modeled the clothing, and the models even provided their own accessories to go with the clothes.
CHECK OUT: 8 Most Expensive Jeans: From Vintage Levi’s to Secret Circus
3. Tiffany & Co.
Fun Fact: Tiffany & Co. started as a stationary and fancy goods store.
Known for its jewelry today, Tiffany & Co. is third on our fun facts about fashion brands list. The company was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young. The pair sold stationary and fancy goods to start with, and it wasn’t until the late 1840s that they dove into the world of fine jewelry. Interestingly enough, Tiffany’s was also the first company to introduce the “branded engagement ring,” and the “Tiffany Setting” in 1886 to establish themselves as a leader in the diamond and wedding industries.
ALSO READ: 5 Styles of Vintage Jewelry Boxes (Years 1700 – 1970)
2. Burberry
Fun Fact: The Burberry brand was created to help protect people from the brutal British weather.
While some weather can be quite harsh, it prompted Thomas Burberry to create a new clothing brand. Sitting second on our fun facts about fashion brands list, Burberry was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, who was only 21 years old. While some designers create their brands to deliver a message, Burberry created his brand to protect people from the harsh British weather. He later created and patented gabardine, a breathable yet weatherproof fabric that’s even made it’s way to the Arctic Circle.
1. Hermès
Fun Fact: Hermès started with horse harnesses, bridles, and saddles.
Last but not least on our fun facts about fashion brands list is Hermès, an internationally recognized brand with a surprising history. In the early 1800s when the brand was created, Hermès had nothing to do with clothing. Instead, they made harnesses, bridles, and saddles for horse carriages. It wasn’t until the early 1900s when Hermès created a leather golf jacket that the brand jumped into the fashion world. By the 1920s, Hermès was well on its way to being the brand we know today, carrying a range of accessories and handbags.
READ NEXT: 6 Most Expensive Celebrity Wedding Dresses Ever Made
