Tag Archives: LUXURY

EDE & RAVENSCROFT

The oldest tailoring house in London, Ede & Ravenscroft has carved out a reputation as the leading specialist for academic robes, legal and clerical attire, livery wear and peerage robes. Founded over 300 years ago in 1689, the firm has been the go-to supplier for the judiciary, Oxbridge universities and the Crown since, with Royal Warrants awarded. The house maintains two branches, the primary location being on Chancery Lane and the secondary is in the West End’s Burlington Gardens, giving the firm the rightful claim of being a traditional Savile Row tailor to boot. Indeed, customers, many of whom share generational legacies with Ede’s, may commission any manner of tailored piece from the team of master tailors and cutters.

BENNY & CO

A New York brand whose history and reputation is intertwined with the rise of the 1990s East Coast hip-hop scene, Benny & Co began as a jeweller providing custom after market detailing to wristwatches and jewellery before launching their own eponymous range. The brand reached its zenith in the late 1990s and early 2000s when their “iced out” (diamond encrusted) watches were highly prized amongst their celebrity customer base and those who aspired to emulate them. The watches are increasingly rare today and are still relatively popular amongst collectors and connoisseurs of the music scene with which they are associated.

MAX MARA

Few items of apparel are as iconic as Max Mara’s camel coat, a cashmere wrap coat that is, arguably, one of the most in-demand pieces of womenswear ever produced. It has been the mainstay of the Max Mara house, founded in 1951 as a Ready-to-Wear high fashion designer. Initially focussed on the Italian marker, the Reggio Emilia outfitters offer a full range of fashions, accessories, fragrances and jewellery to an international customer base. The label has also ventured into couture and has an acclaimed bridalwear range.

LUXURY BRANDS OF SWITZERLAND

For many of us, when we think about Switzerland, we picture images of beautiful, snow-capped mountainscapes, lush meadows filled with cattle and picturesque medieval towns with towering chateaus watching over them. Ask most people what Switzerland is famous for and they will very likely tell you: luxury chocolate, expensive wristwatches and secretive private banking. Indeed, Switzerland is defined by its luxurious outputs. Thus, it is not surprising that Switzerland is home to many of the world’s greatest luxury brands and we explore those brands here.

ZENITH

A true pioneer in the world of watchmaking, Georges Favre-Jacot and the Zenith brand he founded in 1885 was the first of the great marques to produce beautiful of timepieces with movements designed in-house and under his own watchful eye. A perfectionist by nature, Favre-Jacot believed that the greatest wristwatches could only be made if every part of the design process was controlled, thus guaranteeing their quality. It would prove to be the making of one of the world’s greatest and most exclusive horology brands.

LUXURY BRANDS OF AUSTRALIA

The land down under, Australia is a geographically massive country with a relatively small, albeit, rapidly growing population. The country has become an economic powerhouse, maintaining close cultural and economic ties to the major European and North American markets whilst also acting as one of the financial and legal hubs of the Asian and South Pacific region. Sydney has established itself as a global city and Melbourne as the cultural soul of the antipodean country. The nation’s abundant resources, including deep reserves of oil and gas, vast gold and mineral deposits, verdant meadows of the eastern highlands and oceans rich with seafood have made Australia a luxury destination for visitors and emigrants alike. We look at some of the luxury brands that have shaped Australia’s journey.

LUXURY FRAGRANCE & PERFUME BRANDS

For millennia humankind has sought to perfect the dark arts of the perfect fragrance, a scent to evoke, to attract, to mask. Alluring combinations of botanicals, florals, fruits, oils, woods and spices are conjured to create an essence that is a sum greater than its parts. Early society believed that the vapors emitted from natural resources, including our own bodies, had powerful effects and that, harnessed correctly, could influence the world around us. So it is that apothecaries and chemists would begin to experiment with recipes that would begin a global industry worth billions of dollars. Today, every designer eventually seeks to expand their brand and their artistic profile into the world of fragrances and perfumes, joining specialist perfume houses, some of which have honed their craft over hundreds of years. We look into the more famous, luxury brands in this category in more detail here.