France is home to some of the most popular brands all around the world. Paris is considered the fashion capital of the world, so it’s not a surprise that it’s home to some of the most prestigious fashion brands in the world, like Dior, Chanel, and Hermes, but that’s not all. France is also very well known for its delicious cuisine and rich culture and history, so it is where some of the most famous and oldest brands of food and beverage, home goods, travel, and lifestyle brands have originated.
Top 16 Most Famous French Brands
In this article, we try to introduce some of the most successful and famous brands in France.
- Louis Vuitton
- Chanel
- Dior
- Hermes
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Christian Louboutin
- Givenchy
- Celine
- Balmain
- Mugler
- LโOrรฉal
- Sephora
- Lancome
- Cartier
- Hennessey
- Peugeot
Louis Vuitton
The Louis Vuitton brand was founded by Louis Vuitton in Paris in 1854. The brand began its production with the original design of a lightweight suitcase which became very popular in a span of just a few years and started expanding into handbags. Louis Vuitton quickly became one of the most prestigious fashion brands in the world, even before introducing a fashion collection. Nowadays, Louis Vuitton is one of the most famous French brands all over the world.
Louis Vuitton’s son, George Vuitton, first incorporated the LV monogram on the bags and accessories designed by this brand. The renowned LV logo is now one of the most iconic signature features of the brand, used across almost all luxurious products of the company, including the iconic handbags.
Louis Vuitton is now considered one of the most prestigious, famous brands in the world and also an important powerhouse in the French economy. Luis Vuitton’s iconic monogrammed designs are considered some of the most valuable pieces of luxury you can own, including countless leather goods and ready-to-wear clothes, accessories, and bags.
Chanel
Founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Coco Chanel, Chanel is arguably the most iconic haute couture brand of all time and definitely one of the most famous French brands. Coco Chanel first started her work in a small boutique in Paris by designing fashionable hats for high-profile French citizens and building a name for herself. With the dream of creating more practical clothes for women, Chanel started to reinvent women’s clothes.
Chanel is responsible for some of the most important revolutionary changes in women’s clothing in her time, including choosing more comfortable fabrics, more practical clothes, and, most importantly, removing corsets and lace frills from the everyday style of women. Chanel didn’t just impact women’s clothes; she revolutionized men’s clothing by reinventing men’s suits, and she also introduced the renowned Chanel No.5 perfume.
Coco Chanel continues to impress and impact the fashion world as one of the most important haute couture brands worldwide. Some of its most iconic creations by Chanel include “the little black dress,” the renowned flap bags, and the Chanel No.5 perfume. Chanel takes pride in creating timeless clothes that can be worn by everyone for a long time. For this reason, Chanel’s products are created with the highest quality materials available.
Dior
Dior was founded in Paris in the 1940s by Christian Dior, and it is another one of the most famous French brands. Dior was quickly recognized all around the world as a leading name in fashion with the introduction of his iconic “new look” in her first collection. The renowned style was a return to traditional women’s clothing. It was a celebration of femininity and glamour with a cinched waist, wide shoulders, and exaggerated hips that created a traditional feminine silhouette. Dior has always been considered one of the most popular haute couture brands and is worn by the most high-profile celebrities and public figures all around the world and continues to remain that way to this day.
Hermes
Hermes is a high-end haute couture brand design house established in 1837 by Thierry Hermes in Paris and another one of the most famous French brands. Hermes is the oldest haute couture brand in the world. It is a family-owned brand and is considered a symbol of wealth and luxury. The brand started by creating saddlery and luxury leather goods and later expanded to jewelry, bags, accessory, and clothes.
Hermes is responsible for creating the Birkin bag. The Birkin bag is the most desirable handbag in the world, owned by almost all celebrities and the wealthiest people all around the world. Aside from the famous Birkin bag, Hermes is responsible for creating a very exclusive range of products, from clothes and accessories to jewelry and home furnishings. Hermes commits to traditions of fashion and has resisted the new ways of craftmanship and marketing, which is why almost all of their products are handmade, which makes them even more desirable and luxurious.
Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL, was created in 1962 by Yves Saint Laurent in Paris and is another one of the most famous French brands. Saint Laurent was a former Dior designer who parted ways and decided to start his brand in 1962. Yves Saint Laurent is considered one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century.
He is responsible for appropriating trousers and suits for women and using men’s fabrics and silhouettes in women’s clothes, and also for bringing art on the runway with his inspired creations such as the Mondrian dress inspired by the artist’s paintings which is one of Saint Laurent’s most renowned designs.
Today, YSL is one of the trendiest and most desirable fashion brands in the world. The company creates haute couture pieces as well as footwear, accessories, and also cosmetics.
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin brand was founded by Christian Louboutin in 1991 in Paris and is another one of the most famous French brands. Louboutin is one of the most renowned French shoe brands and is considered a symbol of wealth and class worldwide.
Louboutin specializes in creating luxury footwear, and its designs easily stand out because of the red soles and sky-high stiletto heels, although the brand has recently started to expand to handbags and cosmetics products. Louboutin prides itself on creating trendy shoes with a high standard of craftsmanship, the highest quality material, and attention to detail.
Givenchy
Givenchy was founded in Paris by Hubert de Givenchy in 1952 and is yet another one of the most famous French brands. Givenchy is one of the most influential fashion designers in history. He is especially known for his heavy impact on the style of the 1950s and 1960s. Some of Givenchy’s most iconic devotions to fashion are through his relationship with Audrey Hepburn.
Givenchy designed Hebburn’s costumes for her films as well as her public appearances. She has worn some of his most famous designs, including the long black velvet dress with black gloves worn by her during the opening scene of the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” film. Givenchy continues to lead the way in fashion and is one of the most famous haute couture brands in the world.
Celine
Celine was founded by Cรฉline Vipiana in 1945, and it is one of the most famous French brands in the world. The brand used to operate as a children’s shoe brand and later transformed and started designing luxury clothes for women. Celine focuses on creating modern elegant clothing and accessories for working women that were looking for style, comfort, and practicality at the same time.
In 1997, Michael Kors took over the brand as the creative director and shaped the brand to its current glory. After that, Phoebe Philo took over, and currently, Hedi Slimane is the creative director of Celine. Today, Celine produces high-end luxury goods for women, including ready-to-wear clothes, footwear, bags, and fragrances. One of their most renowned products is the Luggage tote bag.
Balmain
Balmain, one of the most influential and trendy brands in the world, was originally founded by Pierre Balmain in 1945. The brand is known for its sophisticated and elegant designs and its signature designs, including blazers and cocktail dresses in the fashion world. Balmain is, without a doubt, one of the best and most famous French brands in the world.
The brand is now one of the trendiest brands in the world, and part of this recognition is because of its inspired creative director, Olivier Rouesting, that has created some of this brand’s most iconic designs, celebrating the brand’s heritage despite being inspired by modern trends and standards. Balmain has been worn by some of the most prestigious celebrities around the world, including Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Neymar, and Rihanna.
Mugler
Mugler, one of the leading names in the fashion industry, was founded by the visionary artist Thierry Mugler in 1973 in Paris, and it is considered one of the world’s most famous French brands. Mugler is best known for his sculpted, over-the-top designs that have amazed viewers on the runway and red carpets from the beginning. Mugler quickly took the fashion world by storm with his avant-garde, architectural, and hyperfeminine designs.
Thierry Mugler is responsible for popularizing the broad-shouldered, cinched-waist silhouette that became one of the main trends that dominated the fashion world in his time. Some of his most famous designs include the Butterfly Dress, the Harley Davidson Corset, and the Robot Suit.
L’Orรฉal
L’Orรฉal was established in 1909 in Paris by Eugรจne Paul Louis Schueller with just a harmless hair dye formula, and ever since, the brand has expanded into all branches of beauty, skincare, and haircare and is one of the most renowned brands of cosmetics all around the world. L’Orรฉal is a family-owned brand and is currently run and owned by the granddaughter of the founder of the brand.
Sephora
Sephora is a well-known cosmetic and beauty chain store with over 2700 stores in 35 countries all around the world, and it is now considered one of the most famous French brands in the world. Sephora was founded by Dominique Mandonnaud in 1970 and is currently the largest beauty retailer in the world and carries over 3000 brands and offers a very wide range of products, including cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance.
Lancรดme
Lancรดme was founded in 1935 by the perfumer Armand Petitjean and Guillaume d’Ornano in France. Since then, the company has continued to grow and is now recognized as not only one of the leading names in the cosmetics and beauty industry all around the world but also as one of the most famous brands with French roots.
Lancรดme first started by creating fragrances but soon started branching out and creating various kinds of products in beauty and personal care and offers some of the most glamorous and best quality products in the world.
Cartier
Cartier is a well-known jewelry house founded by Louis-Francois Cartier in Paris in 1847. Cartier specializes in creating jewelry, watches, and accessories and is recognized all around the world as one of the most prestigious jewelry brands in the world and is considered a symbol of extreme wealth and glamour. Not just that, Cartier is now one of the most famous French brands in the world.
Cartier has been worn by some of the wealthiest people in the world, such as Mick Jagger, Tom Ford, Duke Ellington, and Grace Kelly. Some of Cartier’s most famous pieces include the Love Bracelet and the Trinity de Cartier Ring.
Peugeot
Peugeot, the world’s oldest car brand and one of the world’s most famous French brands, is a French automobile brand founded by the Peugeot family in 1810 in Paris. The company started as a steel foundry that was used to create kitchen equipment and hand tools and later started producing bicycles. Later in 1830, Peugeot started producing its first motorcycles, and it wasn’t until 1882 that the company expanded its production to cars.
Peugeot is still operating as a family-owned brand and is currently run and owned by the Stellantis family. Peugeot is not considered a very luxury brand but is still well-known around the world as the oldest and for its interesting old-fashioned designs.
Hennessey
Hennessy is one of the most successful and popular cognac producers in the world and is yet known as one of the most famous French brands. The brand first started in 1765 when Richard Hennessey introduced the brand and is now one of the “big four” cognac houses that are collectively responsible for producing 85% of the cognac in the world.
Hennessey’s popularity is partially due to the unique taste and smooth flavor of the brand but also because of the successful marketing campaigns and promotion of the brand as one of the most iconic cognac brands in the world by some of the most prestigious public figures and celebrities like Tupac and Jay-Z.
