Читать книгу Luxury Brand Management in Digital and Sustainable Times - Michel Chevalier - Страница 51

We come back again to brand identity. It frequently starts with the name of a person, then must be extended, and should always keep bringing additional value and reasons for being.

Most luxury brands start with a person's name; that of a craftsman or a designer who was different from the crowd and who made things differently. Louis Cartier made watches and jewelry. Sotirio Bulgari used Greek and Roman art in his pieces while giving them a contemporary touch. This became a reference for customers and a guarantee that the products bearing the name of the founder remained exclusive high-quality objects. It was Salvatore Ferragamo who made shoes for actresses, and Coco Chanel who made dresses for her most sophisticated friends. It was Giorgio Armani and Valentino Garavani who started their own fashion collections. Boucheron, Chaumet, and Van Cleef & Arpels are all family names.

Some brands do not bear the name of a founder. This is the case of Lancôme, which was created by the Petitjean family. In the case of Ralph Lauren, the name itself is a creation of the founder, and little by little it has become his own name. This act itself is a kind of recognition of the importance of a discrete family name and identity for all luxury businesses. Those, like Aquascutum or Escada, that have no such name seem to miss something, to somehow lack identity. A family name embodies a heritage and implies that products are made for just a very small category of friends, at least at the beginning.