Fashion brands that made a comeback
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J.Crew
J.Crew gained popularity in the 80s as a mecca for disciples of the ultra-prep, East-Coast yuppie aesthetic. But when Jenna Lyons took the helm of the brand in 2008, it went from Nantucket to New York Fashion Week. Lyons introduced a quirkier fashion-forward look infused with her tomboyish personal style and penchant for prints. J.Crew's women's collection is now one of the hottest tickets at Fashion Week, and since its revival, they've been able to expand, most recently opening stores in London and Hong Kong.
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Chanel
Coco Chanel opened up her first shop in 1913, but shuttered her brand in 1939 after France declared war on Germany at the start of World War II. After the war, at the start of the 50s, she decided to resurrect the label. And what a comeback she made. Though her first collection was met with tepid reviews, the house of Chanel continued to grow, adding the iconic Rouge de Chanel red lipstick and then an entire a beauty line, before Karl Lagerfeld took over as haute couture designer in 1983, and then as the head of ready-to-wear in 1984. The brand has since enjoyed supremacy as an iconic house–with Lagerfeld's huge personality to back it up.
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Balmain
From the time he opened up shop in 1949, Pierre Balmain and his namesake label were synonymous with French Luxury. But by the 60s, Blamain began to lose popularity, a decline which continued after Pierre's death in 1982. His life partner, Erik Mortensen, took the reins, but he was not able to return the house to it former place of prominence. By 1990, Mortensen was out and by 1991, Balmain had already been bought and sold three times. It had lost its former value as a luxury label. In 1992, Oscar de la Renta took control of the house, and reintroduced couture, but it was Christophe Decarnin who brought back Balmain in a big way. His designs, edgy yet elegant and opulent, garnered plenty of fans and revived the dead house. In spite of the success, Decarnin struggled with depression and exited Balmain after being mysteriously absent from the label's Fall 2011 show. Olivier Rousteing was chosen as a successor and has since been keeping up the house's momentum, bringing his youthful vibe to the brand's designs and ad campaign strategy. Today, Balmain is as popular (and expensive) as ever, with fans including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and more.
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Vionnet
Founder Madeline Vionnet went through lots of ups and downs with her label, having founded her fashion house in 1912, only having to close it in 1914 becuase of World War I. After the war, she leapt back onto the scene, opening an atelier-boutique in Paris in 1923. She kept working until (like Coco Chanel) she closed Vionnet in 1939, at the start of World War II, and died in 1975, before she could ever see the revival of her house in 2006. But it wasn't until 2009 when Prada alum Rodolfo Paglialunga took the reins that Vionnet enjoyed a boost in popularity, returning to the red carpet on stars like Madonna and Carey Mulligan. Today, Goga Ashkenazi is the brand's creative head and Vionnet continues to be a red carpet favorite of Zoe Saldana, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams and more.
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Abercrombie & Fitch
Established in 1898 by David T. Abercrombie, Abercrombie Co. was just a humble shop on South Street in Manhattan that sold hunting gear. Ezra Fitch, a lawyer and loyal Abercrombie customer, bought a huge share in the company and in 1904 was named co-founder. The two eventually parted ways, because Fitch was looking to delve into the general retail market, and Abercrombie wanted to keep catering to outdoorsmen. The store continued on as a sporting goods destination, dressing the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh, who was outfitted in Abercrombie gear for his 1927 flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The company had a good run, until things started to decline in the 60s. They eventually claimed bankruptcy in the late 70s. They were bought by Limited Brands in 1980, and Mike Jeffries was recruited to turn around the label. And did he ever. Through the 90s and early aughts, Abercrombie & Fitch was the brand all the cool kids in high school wore. Their tight baby tees emblazoned with cheeky, sometimes downright inappropriate slogans were the lust of teenagers across America. Their in-store experience–the low lights, the shirtless men and of course–pungent fragrances–was unlike any other teen-focused store at the time, although their marketing efforts have been called into question time and time again. They expanded to add Hollister, a&f kids, and the now-defunct Gilly Hicks. These days, Abercrombie isn't doing so hot. Sales have been on the decline, and the company is scrambling to change the image that brought them back on the scene in the late 90s. But we think they're up to the task, as Abercrombie does has a following in Asia.
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Lanvin
For the time founder Jeanne Lanvin was in control of her namesake brand, Lanvin expanded into fragrance, childrenswear, sportswear, accessories, lingerie and menswear. But after her death in 1946, the company went into decline until 2002, when Alber Elbaz was hired to lead the design team. Since taking his place, Alber's brought back the house of Lanvin in a major way. It has become an A-list favorite, counting Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and many more as fans.
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Balenciaga
Cristóbal Balenciaga opened up shop in 1918, and his line was an instant hit with Spain's upper crust. He enjoyed tremendous success as a couturier, but after his death in 1972, the house struggled to achieve the same popularity as when Balenciaga was alive. It floundered through two creative directors, Michel Goma (1987–1991) and Josephus Melchior Thimister (1992–1997). It took the vision of Nicolas Ghesquière, who joined the house in 1997, to bring it back to its former glory. In 2001, former New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn called him a "bona fide star of Paris." Through the late 90s and early aughts, Balenciaga returned to become a formidable presence on the fashion scene, and continues with its newest creative director Alexander Wang, who just recently unvieled a new fragrance for the label, B Balenciaga.
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Birkenstock
Since Kondrad Birkenstock designed the first shoe with a curved insole in 1897, Birkenstocks have been a name synonymous with comfort. But it wasn't until the 70s that the company really exploded, gaining popularity in the United States. Through the 80s, 90s and early aughts, Birkenstocks were known for their comfort, but weren't necessarily considered stylish. They're the shoes you brought to sleepaway camp, deep in the woods where no one could see you actually wearing them. That is, until designers like Phoebe Philo brought the style to the runway, Céline outfitting its models with mink-lined "furkenstocks." Since then, Birkenstocks have made a serious comeback with designers, appealing to the jolie-laide aesthetic that launched this season's ugly shoe trend.
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Kenzo
Kenzo Takada's label came up in the 70s thanks to the visionary designs he produced at his Paris store, Jungle Jap. After he retired in 1999, the label lost a bit of the joyful aesthetic Takada had established under the direction of Antonio Marras, who was named creative director in 2008. He clung to a more feminine aesthetic, eschewing its streetwear roots. But when Opening Ceremony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were tapped to lead the line in 2011, Kenzo made an enormous return onto the fashion scene, with Leon and Lim bringing the fun, street-chic vibe back to the brand, most notably with the now-ubiquitous Kenzo roaring tiger sweatshirts.
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Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton started in 1854 as a humble luggage shop in Paris, known best for its sturdy travel trunks. Vuitton's goods even served royalty—he made custom packing crates for Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie. But it wasn't until 1896, four years after Louis Vuitton's death that his son, Georges, created its trademark interlocking LV symbol surrounded by flowers, diamonds and circles. Over the next 160 years, the Vuitton house did enjoy a good amount of patronage and press, but when Marc Jacobs took over as creative director in 1997, the Louis Vuitton brand truly became a fashion force to be reckoned with. For 16 years, Jacobs helped build it into a cultural phenomenon, a tradition which continues today under Nicolas Ghesquière's leadership.
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