Luxury fashion has never been more accessible — or more carefully curated. The boutiques in this directory represent the pinnacle of the designer fashion world: houses that have shaped the way we dress for over a century, and newer voices that have redefined what luxury means for the modern wardrobe.
At the apex sits Hermès — the Parisian house founded in 1837 whose Birkin and Kelly bags have become the most coveted objects in fashion history. Each bag requires 15 to 20 hours of work by a single craftsman; each is an argument for the enduring value of hand craft over industrial production. Chanel, established in 1910 by Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, gave the world the little black dress, the 2.55 bag and Chanel No. 5 — a perfume still sold every 55 seconds. Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854 as a trunk-maker to the French court, became through the genius of Georges Vuitton's 1896 Monogram canvas the most recognised luxury brand in the world.
Italy's contribution to the directory is equally profound. Bottega Veneta, founded in Vicenza in 1966, built its identity on the absence of a logo — the Intrecciato woven leather technique so recognisable to those who know it, so discreet to those who don't. Brunello Cucinelli brought cashmere and philosophical rigour together in Solomeo, Umbria, pioneering what he calls humanistic capitalism. Loro Piana — founded in 1924 and now part of LVMH — commands the world's supply of vicuña and baby cashmere, the rarest textile fibres on earth. Valentino, the Roman house of the red dress and the romantic gown, has been reinvented by Pierpaolo Piccioli into one of fashion's most critically admired houses.
Shopping luxury fashion online rewards those who know where to look. The multi-brand retailers in this directory — Net-à-Porter, Mr Porter, Farfetch and SSENSE — offer the breadth of a major department store with the editorial intelligence of a fashion magazine. Net-à-Porter, launched in 2000, was the first to demonstrate that luxury fashion could be sold online with the same authority as in a boutique; Mr Porter brought the same intelligence to menswear. Farfetch connects boutiques from Milan to Tokyo with customers in 190 countries. SSENSE, from Montreal, occupies a unique position at the intersection of high luxury and contemporary culture.