The 25 Most Popular Fashion Brands of 2011

Earlier today, I was browsing Google News for stuff related to my websites and I discovered a very short, but interesting article on globalgrind.com documenting the 25 most popular fashion brands of 2011, which caught my attention. How about that! Somebody actually took the time to put together all the information available and create a ranking of the best names of 2011? Awesome!

Full of hope and expectation, I clicked to see what the list looked like. Who knows what I’ll discover, right?

Well, I was pretty disappointed to discover that that whole list was nothing more than a slideshow of 25 photos of those brands... You can imagine my disappointment. Well, since I was already there, why not browse through the photos and see who was on top? I actually found the list quite interesting, so I’m showing it to you here.

Since we’re in the early days of 2012 and some of us still haven’t went back to work, I think it’s great idea to see a retrospective of the past year and know the names that have been most active in the past year.

1. H&M

Not surprisingly, the Swedish fashion house is at the top. As the world’s second largest clothing retailer in the world, there are quite a few people who love its products. With its 2011 expansion in Eastern Europe, it managed to increase its reach to a historic level.

2. Topshop

The British are not that far behind. With stores in over 20 countries, they gathered a loyal audience that loves their style.

3. Alexander McQueen

With the unfortunate death of its founder, the brand was left at the hand of designer Sarah Burton who managed to keep the fashion house on its course and make 2011 one of its best years.

4. Balmain

The fashion house founded by ‘the king of French fashion’ after the Second World War keeps of going strong long after the death of its parent in 1982. I think much of its 2011 popularity was caused by the strong criticism that its Spring/Summer collection has received.

5. 3.1 Phillip Lim

On the fifth place, we have the Cambodian-American designer Philip Lim’s fashion brand which had record sales in 2011. Who knows what will happen in 2012..

6. Miss Selfridge

Again, a British brand with over 45 years of activity, which started its business having teenagers in mind. A lot has changed over the decades, but they still focus on the young public.

7. Wet Seal

Let’s cross the ocean and talk about a fashion house located in the sunny California. Wet Seal is a decently priced clothing company, which brings really interesting collecton for young women.

8. Rag & Bone

Rag & Bone is located on the East Coast in New York City and creates full collections for both men and women. They do a lot of accessories also!

9. Miu Miu

‘Bout time we say something about the Italians. Miu Miu, a fashion brand under the patronage of Prada, has a history of about 18 years, which isn’t much, but also it’s not one of the new kids in the block!

10. Yves Saint Laurent

With the name of one of the most popular designers of all time, the French house didn’t disappoint in 2011 and put together a number of valuable collections.

11. Lanvin

On eleventh place we have a French house that started business in the early XXth century and still keeps going strong after more than 90 years.

12. Elle

Well, I’m not sure, but I think that the author refers to the magazine... Still a fashion brand, but really? I thought we were talking about designers.

13. Madewell

As of right now, there are 27 Madewell stores in the world. The brand is a division of the J.Crew Group, which started business in 1983.

14. Gucci

Founded 90 years ago in Florence by Guccio Gucci, the brand is now one of the world’s fashion powerhouses, with 278 stores.

15. Chloe

Back to the French, here’s a label that was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion in Paris.

16. Matthew Williamson

With obvious influences from India, English designer Matthew Williamson managed to make 2011 one of his best years to date.

17. Alexander Wang

An American designer who really likes the ‘90s! Everything he does seems to be inspired by them.

18. Valentino

One of the veterans, Italian designer Valentino still works hard and has a lot of fans worldwide.

19. MaxMara

If there is one fashion house that is everywhere, then it has to be MaxMare. With 2,254 stores worldwide, you have to ask yourself if there’s some other label that can pull more impressive numbers...

20. Dolce & Gabbana

These two designers have built an incredible fashion empire which has shocked the world for the last 25 years.

21. Marc Jacobs

Creative designer at Louis Vuitton since 1997, Marc Jacobs has built his own fashion empire which is spread over 80 countries, with more than 200 stores.

22. Dorothy Perkins

Founded in 1909, this British house has to be one of the oldest in the world.

23. Malene Birger

The Queen of Fashion in Copenhagen, Marlene Birger has launched her fashion house in 2003 and it is slowly growing momentum.

24. Dolce & Gabbana

Right here, I think that the author slipped in a mistake and added D&G again. Oh well...

25. Michael Kors

Back to the United States, Michael Kors is a designer best known for designing classic sportswear for women.

I’m actually a little skeptical about the objectivity of the rankings, because I’ve seen a couple of names there that I’ve never heard of before, while some of the heavyweights in the world of fashion are completely missing.

If you enjoyed this list, please visit my website, Italian Fashion Designer, where you’ll find a whole lot more interesting articles like this.