The World's Best Fashion Brands Aren't Exactly The Ones You're Thinkin

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Turns out people like really expensive things and really cheap things

Each year the consultancy agency Interbrand releases its Best Global Brands list, a ranking of the world's most valuable brands. And, according to their sizable data, it turns out that people like really, really fancy things and, conversely, really, really affordable things. Cool.

According to this year's power list, French luxury label Louis Vuitton comes in at number one of the brands categorized in the luxury and retail sectors. Now here's where things get interesting: the next two brands are mass labels that specialize in affordable versions of trendy runway pieces, H&M (no. 2) and Zara (no. 3). And then, to make it a bit of a luxury sandwich, the next brand on the list is Hermès.

Interbrand uses a three-pronged approach to ranking the brands, a mix of their financial performance, their ability to create loyalty, and the power that the brand's name has, and gathers data from a variety of sources, including Reuters and Twitter. As Rebecca Robins, Global Director at Interbrand and co-author of Meta-luxury puts it in an article for Harper's Bazaar: "The sweet spot is where integrity of product meets integrity of brand experience."

When you pull back and look at all brands, Apple, naturally, ranks as number one overall, followed by Google. Interestingly, if you add the category Sporting Goods to the fashion mix, Nike actually comes out on top, beating even Louis Vuitton. "Many of the luxury brands have been going through various transitions over the past few years and the values of their brands are reflective of that," Robins tells GQ. "In the context of the 'luxury reset', the growth is coming from brands who are working through those transitions with brand at the gravitational centre of the business."

Interestingly, there's no overlap with the findings earlier this year from the Luxury Institute of which brands men with discretionary income choose to buy. That study found Calvin Klein came out on top, followed by Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Burberry, and Giorgio Armani. Our official stance is why are we rating and ranking and numbering all these brands? Each one has a special place in our hearts and our pocketbook.

Up Next: Louis Vuitton's Seriously Stylish Runway Show

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