The best designer fashion brands to have on your radar
We might be wary of spending at the moment, but we’re still searching for - and shopping from - the best designer fashion brands. We can read the room. We know that splashing large wads of cash - or, more likely, inputting your card details into a payment box online - isn’t anyone's #1 hobby right now but as the world turns its back on unsustainable fast fashion fixes, spending more money on something that will last you longer is actually the smartest choice. Especially if you invest in something that will hold its value if you decide to resell.
As well as trends that spotlight the colours of the season (think, pink), silhouettes and fabrics (it's linen), brands have their on-trend moment too. New creative directors, a collaboration or limited edition launch all help propel a label into greater consciousness. While these best designer fashion brands are all red hot right now, the surprise reveal is that several are over 100 years old!
Best designer brands 2022: GUCCI
Since Alessandro Michele became Gucci’s creative director, his playful, eccentric designs have gained cult status. The shoes, the bags, the jewels, the clothes are all a clash of colour and print that make us feel happy. Clever collaborations - with Manga cartoon characters, artists and, er, Disney - do exactly that! This headband is made from organic cotton and the label is pushing towards meeting ambitious sustainability targets by 2025.
Organic Denim-Jacquard Headband, £210, Gucci at Net-a-porter.com
Best designer brands 2022: PRADA
The fashion pack’s unwavering devotion to Miuccia Prada’s vision has doubled down since Raf Simons became co-creative director and the iconic black nylon bags, which were a Nineties must-carry, fit into fashion’s current obsession with that decade. Right now Prada's woven baskets and raffia totes are on every influencers' arm.
Re-Edition 2005 Woven Shoulder Bag, £1400, Prada at Matchesfashion.com
And there are plenty of more affordable versions on the high street.
Best designer brands 2022: DIOR
At Dior, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri pushes a feminist narrative in her collections which reference Christian Dior's original designs and make them modern. The “We Should All Be Feminists” t-shirt quotes author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and has become a modern fashion icon.
'WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS' White Cotton Jersey And Linen T-Shirt, £590, Dior
Best designer brands 2022: CELINE
The recent revival of Celine is credited to creative director Hedi Slimane who has majored on the brand’s traditional bourgeois heritage - all pleated skirts and pussy-bow blouses. Thankfully the eyewear collection (namely these cat-eye sunglasses) are at a far more accessible price point.
Edge Cat-Eye Tortoiseshell Acetate Sunglasses, £310, Celine Eyewear at Net-a-porter.com
Best designer brands 2022: BALENCIAGA
At Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia has kept it resolutely futuristic - just like founder Cristobal Balenciaga did when he opened his atelier in 1937. Responsible for the uptick in logos, designer trainers and always pushing creative boundaries, this jumper is a signature piece.
Shrunk Logo-Pattern Knitted Jumper, £950, Balenciaga at Selfridges
Best designer brands 2022: BURBERRY
Pushing 200 years old (Burberry was founded in 1856) Burberry is known for its distinctive check pattern and excellent outerwear. If you're going to invest in a serious designer coat, you might as well make sure it's practical. While we stan Burberry's classic trench coats, this hooded version is far more streetwise and echoes creative director Riccardo Tisci's 21st century vision for the house.
Bridgwater Detachable-Hood Shell Coat, £890, Burberry at Selfridges
Best designer brands 2022: CHANEL
Founded in 1909 by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, the French house of Chanel is definitely one of the legends, but despite playing on codes from the brands' history (all those signature details like quilting, gold chains and boucle tweed that are instantly recognisable as Chanel) Virginie Viard, creative director, is bringing a modernity to the collections. Shop Chanel Eyewear online.
Square Sunglasses, £340, Chanel
Best designer brands 2022: BOTTEGA VENETA
Bottega Veneta is having A Moment thanks to former creative director Daniel Lee's reworking of the house codes (including that cult woven leather detail.) Matthieu Blazy now continues to bring a millennial minimalism to the brand, which is so cool they shuttered their social media presence (despite the fact their accessories will still be all over your feeds.)
Best designer brands 2022: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Founded by the late Lee McQueen in 1992, Sarah Burton now heads up this modern British design house. The luxurious dresses have been worn by Kate Middleton (her exquisite wedding dress was McQueen) and McQueen's impeccable eye for tailoring runs through to the ready-to-wear collections, too, which always include a bold twist on classic silhouettes.
Zip-Front Pleated Faille Mini Dress, £1,540, Alexander McQueen at Net-a-porter.com
Best Designer Brands 2022 - LOUIS VUITTON
Louis Vuitton is one of the old-school, founded in 1854 and famous for the LV monogram, which appears on everything from travel trunks to earrings. Nicholas Ghesquiere - current creative director - has kept the ready-to-wear looking fresh while the list of It Bags from the house (the Speedy, The Neverfull, The Alma, The Lockit…) makes it an ever enticing brand. The logo Derby shoes have been spotted on all our favourite influencers too.
LV Beaubourg Platform Derby, £905, Louis Vuitton
Best Designer Brands 2022 - YVES SAINT LAURENT
Echoing the maison's tailored and utterly French heritage is Anthony Vaccarello who is keeping the aesthetic sexy, slick and relevant now - as it will still be in twenty year’s time. That’s the key to being one of the best designer fashion brands on the planet (and why we would wear this jumper for the next two decades, too!)
Button-Embellished Striped Cotton And Wool-Blend Sweater, £660, Saint Laurent at Net-a-porter.com
Spending money on a purchase from one of these designer fashion brands will always be a wise choice. Making fewer, higher quality purchases is key to dressing sustainably - and stylishly too.
