Consumers on Four Continents Rank the Best of the Best in Fashion - By: drbob

The objective and independent New York City-based Luxury Institute reported the results of the "Best of the Best" luxury brands in the U.S. based on the 2010 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey. This survey identifies the top brands that deliver true luxury based solely on the unbiased ratings of wealthy U.S. consumers. The following four luxury categories were rated: Women's Fashion (37 brands), Women's Shoes (38 brands), Men's Fashion (32 brands), and Men's Shoes (20 brands).

The LBSI asks high net-worth consumers to rate luxury brands by category across four equally weighted components: Consistently Superior Quality, Uniqueness and Exclusivity, Making the Customer Feel Special Across the Entire Experience and Being Consumed by People Who Are Admired and Respected.
Which luxury providers deliver the best combination of quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China? Europe, Japan and China results are from late 2009, whereas U.S. results were released in March 2010.
Simply stated, the items are ranked according to quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige by those individuals who can afford to buy the very best fashion products.

The "Best of the Best" are:

Men’s Fashion
U.S.: 1) Ermenegildo Zegna, 2) Brioni and 3) John Varvatos
Europe: 1) Loro Piana, 2) Ermenegildo Zegna, 3) Giorgio Armani
Japan: 1) Ermenegildo Zegna, 2) Giorgio Armani, 3) Louis Vuitton
China: 1) Giorgio Armani, 2) Louis Vuitton, 3) Dior Homme and Paul Smith (tie)

Men’s Shoes
U. S.: 1) Salvatore Ferragamo, 2) Hermes, 3) Louis Vuitton
Europe: 1) Bottega Veneta, 2) Piaciotti Cesare, 3) Salvatore Ferragamo
Japan: 1) Salvatore Ferragamo, 2) Versace, 3) Giorgio Armani
China: 1) Louis Vuitton, 2) Versace, 3) Giorgio Armani, Brian Atwood and Gucci (tie)

Women’s Fashion
U.S.: 1) Robert Cavali, 2) Hermes, 3) Balenciaga
Europe: 1) Chanel, 2) Valentino, 3) Louis Vuitton
Japan: 1) Hermes, 2) Chanel 3) Louis Vuitton
China: 1) Prada, 2) Yves Saint Laurent 3) Hermes, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana (tie)

Women’s Shoes
U.S.: 1) Christian Louboutin, 2) Manolo Blahnik, 3) Zac Posen
Europe: 1)Christian Louboutin, 2) Manolo Blahnik, 3) Jimmy Choo
Japan: 1)Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Hermes
China: 1) Salvadore Ferragamo, 2) Gucci, 3) Hermes

Handbags
U.S.: no data available
Europe: 1) Hermes, 2) Chanel, 3) Jimmy Choo
Japan: 1) Hermes, 2) Louis Vuitton, 3) Chanel
China: 1) Hermes, 2) Lulu Guinness, 3) Ferragamo

Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute states "Each year we try to increase the number of brands that are rated by the wealthy and this has brought about some interesting surprises," "Brands that might not be expected to be top-rated by the fashion experts have made the top three. While unexpected, we see consumers as the ultimate experts on brand prestige and this year they are voting on the entire perceived price/value equation of the brand as well as prestige."

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only unbiased measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 1265 wealthy U.S. consumers, half male/half female, with an average household income of $287,000 and average net worth of $3.8 million was surveyed online. Males rated only the men's categories and females rated only the women's categories.

About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings, research and Luxury CRM consulting institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications, research and consulting services that guide and educate high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, the world's first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs.

About the Author

The author has a website, The Best Designer Suit Store, featuring men's fashion tips and a store with discounts up to 80% at http://www.bestdesignersuit.com, and a store, The Online Bag Lady, featuring women's handbags and shoes at http://www.theonlinebaglady.com

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