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Do you know what all American luxury fashion brands have in common? They all started under the name of their designers, some of the most iconic and recognizable in the industry. Tom Ford is one of my favorite men’s fashion labels.
The most established luxury fashion brands globally are usually Italian or French. However, American luxury fashion labels have emerged in the last decades, becoming some of the most recognizable in the industry. Let’s check the best ones.
You can also check out some of the best French and British luxury fashion brands out there.
What Are The Best American Luxury Fashion Brands?
The best American luxury fashion brands are Tom Ford, Amiri, Marc Jacobs, Oscar De La Renta, Vera Wang, Rick Owens, and Thom Browne.
Now I didn’t consider Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, or Tommy Hilfiger as luxury labels because they are not as exclusive as other brands. Instead, these brands are high-premium labels, which means more people can afford them than they can with the luxury labels we have on this list.
Tom Ford
Founded In: 2005 by Tom Ford in the US
What Tom Ford Sells: Luxury apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and fragrances
What Is Tom Ford Known For: Tom Ford Fragrances
As I said, Tom Ford is one of my favorite men’s brands. Its clothes are classy, elegant, and glamorous. It’s something about this luxury brand that gives you sexiness and sophistication, no matter what piece you choose. Some of the most iconic pieces from Tom Ford are its bespoke suits and fragrances. We are talking about a brand that designed all Daniel Craig’s suits for his last James Bond movies.
Read: Where Is Tom Ford Made?
As a designer, Tom Ford is one of the most accomplished of his generation. He is known for saving Gucci from near bankruptcy and converting it into a fashion powerhouse and Saint Laurent back into the mainstream. So after leaving both brands, it was inevitable to start his label, and that’s how Tom Ford founded his brand.
Read: Why Is Tom Ford So Expensive?
Tom Ford is a brand that moves with the times and stays relevant with modern looks. The American luxury label describes its customers as cultured, international, and well-traveled. Tom Ford also cares about sustainability and launched the world’s first 100% recyclable luxury watch in 2020.
Amiri
Founded In: 2014 by Mike Amiri in Los Angeles, US
What Amiri Sells: Luxury apparel, footwear, and accessories
What Is Amiri Known For: Amiri Jeans
Amiri is a luxury label that mixes Californian culture and streetwear. Blending the LA lifestyle and unique savoir-faire made this brand very popular among skaters, musicians, and graffiti artists. In addition, some of Amiri’s collections are influenced by the rock n’ rock aesthetic.
Read: Where Is Amiri Made?
Amiri started his career by handcrafting stage pieces for musicians. After working as a design consultant for many LA denim labels and international luxury brands, Amiri decided it was time to start his brand. Many loved his designs and started to connect more with the brand.
Amiri jeans are the backbone of this brand since they are trendy and expensive (you usually find a pair for over $1,000). In addition, Amiri jeans have a particular rock and roll lifestyle which is hyped by some celebrities.
Marc Jacobs
Founded In: 1984 by Marc Jacobs
What Marc Jacobs Sells: Luxury leather goods, ready-to-wear, footwear, and accessories
What Is Marc Jacobs Known For: Marc Jacobs Handbags
Marc Jacobs was created based on two concepts: commitment to quality and love for fashion. The brand became very popular due to its sartorial interpretations of society and trends in pop culture. With its twists on retro and classic designs, Marc Jacobs became that innovative and bold label that people wanted to wear more and more.
When in Parsons, Marc Jacobs designed and sold his first collection of hand-knit sweaters. After a few creations, Marc Jacobs decided to design his first collection under his name. The brand quickly became popular due to the innovation in luxury basics.
I almost considered Marc Jacobs a high-premium label and not a luxury one since its prices are the most affordable on this list. The brand is a lot less expensive than Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or Loro Piana. However, I decided to consider Marc Jacobs a luxury brand, despite being affordable, because it belongs to the LVMH Group, one of the most powerful luxury groups in the industry.
Oscar De La Renta
Founded In: 1965 by Oscar De La Renta in New York, US
What Oscar De La Renta Sells: Luxury apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and jewelry for women
What Is Oscar De La Renta Known For: Evening Wear
Oscar De La Renta is one of the most expensive fashion brands in the world, especially when it comes to evening wear and suits for women. If you pay attention to red-carpet events, you will see a creation of this brand in every single one of them.
De La Renta worked for Elizabeth Arden and Jane Derby and even designed the haute couture collection for Balmain, but it was with his own brand that he gained a lot of success. De La Renta is often remembered for its exquisite and unforgettable gowns. Some of Oscar De La Renta’s signature looks are rich colors, voluminous skirts, and beautiful embroideries.
Vera Wang
Founded In: 1990 by Vera Wang in New York, US
What Vera Wang Sells: Wedding dresses, haute couture collections, and accessories
What Is Vera Wang Known For: Wedding Dresses
As a brand, Vera Wang has been the number-one American bridal label for years, if not decades. The brand is known for creating wedding dresses with a mix of traditional gowns with a contemporary edge, which is often instantly recognizable as a Vera Wang creation.
After working for Vogue as an editor and for Ralph Lauren as design editor, Vera Wang resigned and decided to create an independent bridal wear designer under her name. Ironically the brand earned international attention, not due to the wedding dresses, but because Wang designed costumes for the skater Nancy Kerrigan in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Read: Difference Between Versace Jeans Couture and Versace
For many, the designer and brand Vera Wang changed how brides dressed for a wedding. In a traditional business, Wang created modern and irreverent alternatives. Who can forget when Wang launches entire bridal collections in black and red? Today the brand sells a lot more than wedding dresses, but it’s still the category for what the label is most known and the products that sell the most.
Rick Owens
Founded In: 1994 by Rick Owens in Los Angeles, US
What Rick Owens Sells: Luxury apparel, footwear, and accessories
What Is Rick Owens Known For: Rick Owens Shoes
Rick Owens has a gothic aesthetic mixed with a fashion-sportswear mixture. The brand has gained many dedicated followers, especially people that like the color black, which gave Rick Owens, the designer and founder of the brand, the nickname of the lord of darkness. However, you can find some colorful pieces in the middle of many dark designs.
Owens launched his fashion label from a store on Hollywood Boulevard. The brand gained notoriety after Kate Moss was photographed for Vogue Paris with one of his jackets. After that, Vogue American sponsored his first runway ever. The brand still remains independent from corporate investments, which is rare in fashion.
As a brand, you can expect some minimal and industrial aesthetic with an often dark color (usually black). In addition, you can expect different clothing silhouettes depending on your chosen product, a new take on athletic leisure without forgetting luxury. Some shoppers say its collections almost seemed pulled from the future.
Thom Browne
Founded In: 2001 by Thom Browne in New York, US
What Thom Browne Sells: Luxury apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and fragrances
What Is Thom Browne Known For: Thom Browne Suits
Thom Browne became well known for its made-to-measure menswear. The brand became famous for its impeccably tailored suits that shocked the fashion world but eventually became trendy and copies worldwide. In addition, it redefined modern tailoring with its reconceptualization of the traditional men’s suit. After all, who would think of wearing shorts as formal wear?
Read: Why Is Balenciaga So Expensive?
Before becoming a well-known designer, Thom Browne worked as a salesman at Armani, Club Monaco, and Polo Ralph Lauren before leading the creative development team of this last one. Eventually, Browne would launch its label and become a suit expert.
Conclusion
Many shoppers are very patriotic, so they will only look for American luxury fashion brands when it comes to shopping. Some of the best American labels are Tom Ford, Amiri, Marc Jacobs, Oscar De La Renta, Vera Wang, Rick Owens, and Thom Browne.
Tom Ford is my favorite American luxury brand, but I also think Amiri jeans are some of the best in the market.
